Finding the right web developer can feel overwhelming. There are thousands of freelancers, agencies, and one-person outfits all promising the same thing – a great website. But the difference between a good hire and a bad one can cost you months of wasted time and thousands of pounds.
Whether you’re after a brand new website or need to fix one that isn’t working, here’s what actually matters.
Know what you need before you start looking
Before you even begin searching, get clear on what your website needs to do. Are you selling products online? Do you need a booking system? Is it a simple brochure site to establish credibility?
A local web developer who builds WordPress sites for small businesses is a very different hire from a development agency that builds custom web applications. Neither is better or worse – they solve different problems. Hire the wrong type, though, and you’ll either overpay or end up with something that doesn’t do what you need.
Write down your must-haves. If you can’t articulate what you need, a good developer will help you figure it out during an initial conversation. If they skip that step entirely and jump straight to quoting, that’s a red flag.
Check their actual work, not just their words
Every web developer’s own website will look polished. That’s the easy part. What you want to see is their client work – and specifically, work for businesses similar to yours.
Ask for three or four examples. Then actually visit those sites. Do they load quickly? Do they look good on your phone? Is the navigation intuitive? Can you find what you’re looking for within a few seconds?
If their portfolio is full of sites that look dated, run slowly, or feel awkward to use, that tells you everything their sales pitch won’t.
Ask about the technology they use
You don’t need to become a tech expert, but you should understand the basics of what you’re paying for. Ask what platform or framework they build on. WordPress, Shopify, Webflow, and custom-built solutions all have trade-offs in terms of cost, flexibility, and how easy the site will be to manage yourself afterwards.
A good question to ask is: Can I update this myself once it’s built? If you want hands-on control of day-to-day content, a good developer will build something you can maintain on your own. But if you’d rather not deal with updates at all, a fully managed service – where the developer handles content changes, security, and maintenance on your behalf – is a perfectly valid option. What matters is that you know what you’re signing up for from the start.
Make sure they understand SEO basics
A beautiful website that nobody can find on Google is an expensive business card. When you hire a web developer, they should understand the fundamentals of search engine optimisation – proper heading structure, fast page load times, mobile responsiveness, clean URLs, and basic on-page SEO.
They don’t need to be an SEO specialist. But if they’ve never heard of meta descriptions, page speed, or alt text, they’re building you something that’s already behind before it launches.
Talk about what happens after launch
This is where many people get caught out. The website goes live, everyone’s happy, and then three months later, something breaks or needs updating. What happens then?
Before you hire a web designer or developer, ask about ongoing support. Do they offer a maintenance plan? What’s their response time if something goes wrong? Do they handle hosting, security updates, and backups?
A website isn’t a one-off project. It needs looking after. The best developers are upfront about this from the start and offer clear options rather than leaving you to figure it out alone.
Get the contract right
Always get a written agreement that covers scope, timeline, cost, and who owns the finished website. That last point is critical. You should own your domain name, your hosting account, and all the files and code that make up your site. If a developer hosts everything on their own server under their own account, you’re locked in – and if the relationship sours, you could lose access to your own website.
Red flags to watch for
- A few warning signs that should make you think twice:
- No clear pricing or unwillingness to give a ballpark figure upfront
- No written contract or terms of service
- They can’t show you recent work from the past 12 months
- They don’t ask you any questions about your business or goals
- They guarantee page one of Google (nobody can promise that)
- Communication is slow or vague before you’ve even hired them
The bottom line
Whether you’re hiring a web developer in the UK for the first time or replacing one who didn’t deliver, the process doesn’t need to be complicated. Look for clear communication, relevant experience, and someone who asks as many questions as you do. The right developer will feel like a partner, not just a supplier.