How to Choose a Web Developer: A Guide for Small Business Owners

It’s a Confusing Market

Choosing a web developer is one of the most important decisions a small business owner makes, and it’s one of the most confusing. The market is flooded with options: freelancers, agencies, offshore teams, DIY website builders, your nephew who “knows computers.” Prices range from fifty pounds to fifty thousand. Everyone claims to be the best.

I’m a freelance web developer, so I obviously have a horse in this race. But I’m going to try to give you genuinely useful, honest advice — even the bits that might not directly benefit me. Because the most important thing is that you make the right choice for your business, whatever that turns out to be.

Start With Your Actual Needs

Before you contact a single developer, get clear on what you actually need. Not the technical specifics — that’s the developer’s job — but the business outcomes you’re looking for.

Questions to Answer First

What is the website for? Generating enquiries? Selling products? Providing information? Building credibility?
Who is your audience? Local customers? National? International?
What actions do you want visitors to take? Call you? Fill in a form? Make a purchase? Book an appointment?
What’s your budget? Be honest with yourself. A custom-designed, high-performance website costs more than a template. Both are valid choices depending on your situation.
What’s your timeline? Need it next week? Next quarter? This affects who can take on the project.
Who will manage the content? Will you update it yourself, or do you want the developer to handle it?

Having clear answers to these questions makes every subsequent conversation more productive and helps you evaluate whether a developer actually understands your needs.

Freelancer vs Agency: Understanding the Trade-offs

Freelancers

A freelancer is a single person (sometimes with a small network of collaborators) who handles your project directly. You communicate with the person who does the work — there’s no account manager or project manager in between.

Advantages:

Lower overhead means lower prices (typically)
Direct communication with the person building your site
More flexible and adaptable
Often more personally invested in your project

Considerations:

One person means limited capacity
If they’re ill or on holiday, work pauses
Might not cover every discipline (design, development, copywriting, SEO) equally

Agencies

An agency is a team of specialists. They’ll usually assign a project manager as your main point of contact, with designers, developers, and possibly copywriters and SEO specialists working on your project.

Advantages:

Broader range of specialisms under one roof
More capacity for larger or more complex projects
Business continuity — the project doesn’t stop if one person is unavailable
Potentially more structured project management

Considerations:

Higher prices to cover staff and overheads
The person selling the project often isn’t the person building it
You may feel like a small fish in a big pond
Communication can be filtered through layers

Which Is Right for You?

For most small businesses, a skilled freelancer offers the best balance of quality, price, and personal attention. If your project is large or complex — say, a full e-commerce platform with custom integrations — an agency might be more appropriate. There’s no universal right answer.

What to Look for in a Developer’s Portfolio

A developer’s portfolio is their strongest credential. But you need to look beyond whether the sites are pretty.

Performance

Pick a few sites from their portfolio and run them through Google PageSpeed Insights. Do they score well? A developer who builds slow websites either doesn’t know about performance or doesn’t prioritise it. Either way, it’s a concern.

Mobile Experience

Visit their portfolio sites on your phone. Do they work well? Are they easy to navigate? Can you find key information quickly? A developer who doesn’t prioritise mobile experience in 2025 is behind the times.

Relevance

Have they built sites for businesses similar to yours? They don’t need to be in the same industry, but experience with similar types of sites (brochure sites, e-commerce, booking systems) is valuable.

Age and Maintenance

When were the sites built? A portfolio full of sites from five years ago might mean they haven’t kept their skills current. Also check whether those sites are still live and well-maintained — this tells you about the developer’s approach to long-term relationships.

Questions to Ask Potential Developers

About Their Process

“What does your typical process look like?” A good developer should be able to walk you through their process clearly. If they can’t articulate how they work, that’s a warning sign.
“How will we communicate?” Email? Video calls? A project management tool? Establish expectations upfront.
“How long will the project take?” Be wary of developers who can’t give you a rough timeline. Also be wary of ones who promise unrealistically fast delivery.

About the Technical Approach

“What technology will you use to build the site?” You don’t need to understand the technical details, but the developer should be able to explain their choice in plain language and justify why it’s right for your project.
“Will the site be fast and optimised for search engines?” Performance and basic SEO should be standard, not add-ons.
“Will the site be mobile-friendly?” In 2025, the answer should obviously be yes. But ask anyway — their response tells you how seriously they take it.

About Ongoing Support

“What happens after the site launches?” Will they be available for updates and changes? Is there a maintenance package? What does it cost?
“Who owns the website?” This is critical. You should own your domain, your hosting account, and your website’s code. Some developers retain ownership and charge you a recurring fee. Avoid this arrangement.
“Will I be able to edit the content myself?” If you want to manage your own content, make sure the developer builds with that in mind.

About Cost

“How do you charge?” Fixed project fee, hourly rate, or retainer? Each model has trade-offs. Fixed fees give you certainty; hourly rates give you flexibility.
“What’s included, and what’s extra?” Get clarity on exactly what the quoted price covers. Content writing, stock photography, SEO setup, contact forms, analytics — are these included or additional?
“Are there ongoing costs?” Hosting, domain renewal, SSL certificates, maintenance — understand the full picture.

Red Flags to Watch For

No Written Contract or Proposal

Any professional developer will provide a written proposal outlining what they’ll deliver, when, and for how much. If someone wants to start work based on a handshake and a verbal agreement, walk away.

They Can’t Explain Things Simply

A good developer can explain technical concepts in plain English. If someone overwhelms you with jargon and makes everything sound impossibly complicated, they’re either trying to justify high prices or they don’t actually understand what they’re talking about.

Unusually Low Prices

If a quote is dramatically lower than everyone else’s, there’s usually a reason. It might be offshore outsourcing (which comes with communication and quality control challenges), template-based work disguised as custom design, or a developer who’s inexperienced and undervaluing their time.

No Interest in Your Business Goals

If a developer jumps straight into discussing technology without asking about your business, your customers, and your goals, they’re focused on building what’s interesting to them rather than what’s effective for you.

They Don’t Have a Website of Their Own

This one should be obvious, but if a web developer’s own website is outdated, broken, or non-existent, what does that tell you about the quality of work you can expect?

They Lock You In

Some developers build on proprietary platforms or retain ownership of the code. This means you can’t leave without losing your website. Always ensure you own your domain name, have access to your hosting, and own the code that’s been written for you.

A Realistic Pricing Guide

Pricing varies enormously, but here’s a rough guide for the UK market in 2025:

Template-based brochure site (5-10 pages): 500 to 2,000 pounds
Custom-designed brochure site (5-10 pages): 2,000 to 6,000 pounds
Small e-commerce site (under 50 products): 3,000 to 10,000 pounds
Complex custom web application: 10,000 pounds and up

These ranges are broad because every project is different. A five-page site with complex animations and custom illustrations costs more than a five-page site with standard layouts and stock photos. Get quotes from multiple developers and compare what’s included, not just the bottom-line price.

The DIY Alternative

I should address this honestly: for some businesses, a DIY website builder like Squarespace or Wix might be the right choice. If you have a very limited budget, a simple business, and you’re comfortable with technology, these platforms can produce a decent website at a low cost.

The trade-offs are limited customisation, poorer performance, less SEO control, and the ongoing monthly subscription. But for a startup or side project, they can be a perfectly reasonable starting point.

Making Your Decision

Choosing a web developer is ultimately about trust. You’re trusting someone with a significant investment and with the online representation of your business. Take your time, do your research, and go with someone who listens to your needs, communicates clearly, and has a track record of quality work.

If you’d like to discuss your project with me, get in touch. I’ll give you an honest assessment of what you need, what it’ll cost, and whether I’m the right fit. And if I’m not, I’ll tell you that too.