How to Choose a Good Web Developer

There are thousands of web developers and web development companies out there. How do you choose? If you don't know what questions to ask, you may not know what you're getting. Here are some key things to ask about when choosing a Web Developer.

Obviously, you want to pick someone who's style you like and who will be able to capture the look you're after.

I've seen so many websites that change from one section to another. If it weren't for their web address, I wouldn't know I'm still on the same site. Make sure their design work is consistent.

Not all designers know how to use image formats properly. Look carefully at their graphics and check for jagged edges, bad fades or irregular colors. Graphics should be clean, clear and seamless.

If graphic files are too big, a website will load slowly. Most internet users are impatient and won't wait for your site to load, no matter how beautiful it is. Ask your designer what they do to keep track of file size and load times.

Writing for the web is a unique skill, different from other types of writing. Make sure the person you hire has experience writing online content. And please, oh please make sure that they edit properly for spelling mistakes or missing words.

Some companies are solely dedicated to Search Engine Optimization and charge a fair bit for a high ranking site. A Web Developer may not be as specialized as that, but should at least know how to incorporate key phrases, how to attract robots and how to improve ranking without creating extra pages.

All browsers, (Firefox, Internet Explorer, Netscape) are different and interpret web code differently. So, you'll want to make sure your Web Developer understands how to make websites that work across many platforms.

Your Web Developer should use W3C validation to test your website's code. Validation is important to ensure it is up to date and not confusing for browsers.

Social networks like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn have popped up all over the web over the past few years. The past two years has seen them grow immensely. Your business or project can really benefit from networking this way. An up-to-date Web Developer should be able to guide you through which to use, how many to sign up for, what to do once you're registered, how to target the right audience and what to include on your profile page(s).

Content Management Systems, (Drupal, Joomla) are becoming the trend for web development because of their versatility. In short, a CMS is a database and network of files that work together to produce web pages. They offer features to handle almost any kind of requirements. Ask your web developer if they use a CMS and if it is the right solution for you.

Your web developer should either offer or be able to suggest a good web hosting service and help you through the registration process.

As with any professional in any field, you want to make sure that they are approachable, easily contacted, reliable and available if something goes wrong.