A web development engagement is easy to evaluate on price and portfolio, and much harder to evaluate on the things that actually determine whether the relationship works two years after launch: who owns the code, how support works, and what happens when the original developer moves on.
Questions worth asking before signing anything
- Will you receive full ownership of the source code and hosting/domain credentials, or does the developer retain control?
- What platform is the site built on, and can another developer reasonably take it over later?
- What does post-launch support actually include, and for how long, before additional charges apply?
- Can they show a live, working example of a site they built for a business similar in size or complexity to yours?
- How are revisions during the build handled, and what counts as 'in scope' versus a change request?
Portfolio quality matters less than portfolio relevance
An agency's most polished portfolio pieces are often not representative of the budget or attention a smaller project will receive. It's more useful to ask for examples close to your own project's size and industry, and if possible to speak briefly with that client about how the post-launch relationship has gone — not just the initial build.
The ownership question is the one most businesses skip
It's common for a business to discover, only when trying to switch developers, that they never actually had access to their own hosting account, domain registrar, or a usable copy of their website's code. Confirming ownership and access in writing before the project starts avoids this becoming a costly renegotiation later.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Choosing based on the lowest quote without checking what's excluded
- Not confirming in writing who owns the code, hosting, and domain after the project
- Assuming a template-based build will need no meaningful customization
- Skipping a written scope of what's included versus billed as an extra
The lowest-risk web development hire is the one where you retain full ownership and access from day one, whatever else changes about the relationship later.