Every business needs a website or web application to reach its customers. Due to the increasing demand for developers, the web development industry has also seen a considerable surge in the number of web development companies worldwide. According to the statistics, the global developer population is expected to reach 28.7 million people by 2024.
In such a situation, a business looking for web developers for their next project has too many options to choose from. However, in this era of advertising and marketing, when every company is trying to prove that they are the best, it becomes challenging for businesses to reach out and select the right company for their project. This is confusing and involves a lot of time. It becomes easy with tips on choosing the right web developer. Let’s have a look at these.
How to Select the Best Web Development Company for Your Project
Experts suggest ways, factors, and parameters that help businesses select the best web development company.
Analyze Your Requirements
Before selecting a web developer for your project, you should have a clear idea of your requirements, including the complexity and scale of your project. Simplex and complex applications differ by features, security needs, and robustness requirements. Here is a brief summary of the intricacies of these applications.
Simple Website
Some businesses just need a content-driven website that conveys all the required information to prospective customers. Generally, such businesses do not have a hefty budget, and a simple website is enough for their needs.
A simple website does not have a large set of features and, at times, is not even required to handle a large number of concurrent users in real-time. So, it would not require as many development resources as a comprehensive web application. This is the reason most experienced web developers use popular content management systems for developing simple websites to save time and resources. So, if you are a business looking for a website on a budget, it is a good idea to hire experienced WordPress developers, Drupal developers, or Joomla Developers experienced with simple website development.
Complex Web Application
A complex, feature-rich web application requires a lot of time and resources to develop. As the complexity increases, so does the need for choosing the trending technologies for development so that the application is secure, can scale easily, and does not crash during run-time.
As you can see, the complex application has too much to offer, so it is challenging to develop. The web development company that provides expertise in various languages, frameworks, and technologies, will have the ability to choose the best set for your project.
Apart from experience, to develop a complex application, the web development company must have expertise in Multi-Level Management, search engine optimization, UI/UX personalization, etc. It is also desirable to choose an agency proficient in SEO for your application to outperform the competitors in terms of user reach and engagement.
Experience of Popular Tools & Technologies
The web developer that you entrust your project should have the right expertise for your project. Even if your requirements are complex, you can't waste time and money in trial and error to finally get to a successful application. So, it becomes necessary to hire developers who have experience in different languages, tools, and trending technologies for web development.
Expert developers would not require experimenting with different technologies to identify the best one for your project. They can evaluate your requirements for technology needs. From the requirements stage itself, they are in a position to select the best language, tools, frameworks, and technology for the project. This saves time and money and ensures that the chosen technology will lead to a successful application.
Pricing Models & Budget
Web development companies offer different pricing models. Fixed, flexible, hybrid, etc., are the most common pricing models. Some web developers also offer customized pricing depending on your needs.
Businesses must select a pricing model suitable for their requirements and budget. There is no one-size-fits-all approach for project pricing. Some businesses prefer to pay hourly charges, and some on a project basis. Pricing also varies with deadlines as the agency will have to allocate more resources to your project with tough deadlines.
It is pertinent to understand that very complex or advanced applications come with their costs. So, businesses looking for a high-quality, complex application should accommodate their budget for a web development agency that can develop a successful application that meets or exceeds their expectations.
Resources They Offer
Every web development company offers a set of resources that businesses can leverage for your project. It is necessary to analyze that what they offer matches what you need for your project. Here are the parameters that you can base your selection.
Right Skillset
The most important factor in outsourcing web development is that the web development company you select must have the right skill set for your project in terms of quality and quantity. On a minimum, you would require Developers, Designers, Project Managers, Database Specialists, etc. But at times, you have specific requirements for more specialized skills. These have to be notified in advance so that the web development company ensures availability before you start your project.
Communication
Companies with the best technical skillsets are not able to deliver to the expectations if they can’t understand your requirements and communicate with you effectively at different stages of web application development. Their communication with your team and internally in their team matter for successful project completion. Former is easier to assess and can be one of the initial factors for screening. However, communication has to be equally effective from your end to achieve the desired results.
Ability to Adhere to Timelines
Timelines are crucial for almost all web development projects. The applications should complete their various stages of development on time. The timelines must be reasonably estimated before starting the development.
The best web developers adhere to deadlines, and they can design a timeline that accommodates the deadline. They also ensure adherence to the pre-defined timelines. However, businesses must offer the web development company reasonable and achievable deadlines to make accurate timelines that are adhered to.
Merits of Web Development Company
There are no best ways to assess the merits of a web development company. While there are so many factors and parameters to evaluate before choosing the right web development company for your project, there is very less data that can help you evaluate the company on those factors before you actually start working with them.
Let us examine what type of data you should gather to evaluate the company before hiring their web development services for your project.
Ratings & Reviews
Do not miss checking the ratings and reviews given by the existing or past clients before selecting a web development company. There are various ways to collect this data. The best way to do it is to search it online on reliable platforms such as GoodFirms and Goodtal. These are research and review platforms that help businesses find the right partners for various services. These platforms offer parameterized ratings of the top web development companies.
Testimonials
Clients' text or video testimonials are a source of comprehensive information about web development companies. The clients' opinions also suggest client satisfaction and client loyalty. Most video testimonials are good indicators of the client’s experience with the web development agency. You can find testimonials of web developers on their websites and on GoodFirms.
Portfolio
The portfolio is one of the basic aspects you must check for the web development company you evaluate before hiring. Their prior experience in the same industry or similar projects can contribute considerably to the success of your project. Moreover, when you see their portfolio, you can also gauge the clients they have delivered to, and if required you can contact those clients for further reviews.
Maintenance & Support
Last but not least, maintenance and support are very significant areas for web applications. Many complex applications require maintenance and support even after the launch. These services should be easy to avail from your web development agency even in an emergency event such as crashing of the application.
It is noteworthy that many web development companies charge separately for maintenance and support. They also have different packages and plans depending on the level of support required. The duration and urgency of maintenance differ with the complexity and scale of your application. So, depending on your requirements, this should be discussed with the developers before starting the development process.
Wrapping Up!
We have discussed the most prominent factors that businesses should consider before hiring a web development company. Each business has its preference for certain parameters over the others. And, there are many more parameters specific to certain industries and types of applications. For example, Fintech and Healthcare have comprehensive regulatory compliance requirements, and Entertainment mainly focuses on user engagement. Based on your industry and the complexity of the application, you can select the developers that match your project needs the most.
For making your selection easy, Goodtal and GoodFirms have listed the top web development companies with their portfolio, ratings, and review. Leverage these platforms to make the best decision.
Mia Ron
Senior Content WriterMia Ron is a Senior Content Creator for Goodtal. She loves to craft technologically actionable content for business audiences.