Free Tips for Freelance Web Developers Guide

Small businesses have to face choices when it comes time to design and develop a new website they are hiring an agency or a freelance web developer. This is a very difficult decision to make especially when you and your business are new to the web development process. While agency web development makes sense for many businesses often small businesses with tight marketing budgets can get more for their money not to mention a great product - by going with a freelance subcontractor. Before hiring a subcontractor provided the business takes the time to vet their pool of applicants thoroughly, there are plenty of benefits of working with freelance developers.

More cost effective

You have to face it at some point: web development agencies can be costly. While many agencies turn out as a great product and they have to face many overhead fees, such as employee salaries, benefits, 401K plans, office space, travel compensation, etc. Many freelance web designers and programmers often work from home or a very small office and typically have very few overhead expenses, allowing them to charge rates much lower than those offered by agencies.

Diverse skill set

Surly there are all different types of freelancers, and subcontractors' experience levels can range from having decades of experience to being eager to do their first website. Experienced freelancers have a diverse background which may include agency experience and knowledge of many different kinds of platforms. A freelancer who has been developing websites for years is likely to have expertise in different code languages and platforms, such as PHP, CSS, Wordpress and ecommerce-style websites. And subcontractors tend to diversify their skill sets in order to widen their client base. This provides with flexible options for development and website capabilities.

Access to a wide network of other freelancers

It’s more than likely that freelance developer have developed relationships with other subcontractors, whose specialties compliment their own, if a freelance web developer has established him or herself as a successful subcontractor. If necessary these partnerships allow freelancers to expand their capabilities to specialties outside their own by bringing other freelance team members on. In this way, a small business may be able to get a full menu of graphic design, site design, search engine optimization and web development without having to go through an agency.

Finding a great freelance web developer

There are an equal number of inexperienced and unprofessional subcontractors for every talented, experienced freelance developer out there. It is not possible to tell the difference between these two types of subcontractors however, if you know what to look for. First and foremost thing you need to do is gather a wide pool of applicants from which to choose, and examine their resumes carefully. Make sure to ask to look at each subcontractor's portfolio of completed projects; this is often the best way to tell what their capabilities and scope of experience truly are. After that ask for references and contact each one. You need to ask not only about the references' completed projects, but also how they felt about the subcontractor's professionalism, billing and timely project completion.

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