Finding the right web developer can be a difficult and potentially confusing process. In any single area there are hundreds of companies that offer web development services and choosing one that will benefit you most can be a very important business decision. In order to compare apples to apples, we encourage you to understand some of the basic principals below.

You should first understand the difference between a web design and a web development. Web design is just one aspect of web development. It is one of the most important aspects of web development and it has the potential to make or break the success of a project, however, it is just one of aspect that a group of web developers will execute on your behalf. 

Successful web development projects are usually the combination of a deep understanding of business goals, great design, great planning, well thought out programming, combined with a skilled execution, implementation and management plan that are under a well thought out business plan. The point here is that experience is key, designers don’t necessarily make great programmers and programmers don’t necessarily make great designers. More important than any one aspect of web development is the ability of a group to successfully bring all aspects of web development in to one cohesive plan that becomes part of your business plan.

When choosing a developer to help you make this plan, you should be aware of all your options. Below are the most common types of web developers:

• TYPE 1: Freelancers and Individuals:
  Freelancers can provide great flexibility in your solutions and usually do custom work that matches your goals accurately. Good freelancers usually invest time into understanding your business and may even offer lots of creativity and good solutions for development and ongoing management of your project. The biggest advantage of using a freelancer or individual for the development of your project is their low overhead and likely low costs. 
  
  The largest disadvantage of working with freelancers is that their professionalism is highly likely not to match the professionalism of your company.  It will be wise to consider the following risks if you choose to work with a freelancer or individual on your project.
  • Freelancers are often difficult to contact and manage. Their availability is likely to be great when they are selling you services, however that may often change as the project progresses. Ask them questions about their long term plan. If you are going to hire a freelancer, you should be confident in your own management skills. Set rules and guidelines about what response times you need with all communication. Look out for completion delays. Depending on how detailed the plans for your project are, there may be many factors which may not be foreseen by a freelancer. Their low overhead may allow them to take the financial responsibility for working hours that were not estimated, but it will not help them get the work done any faster.
  • Individuals and freelancers are most likely have a lack of expertise in all areas that lead to truly successful web projects. They may be experts in database design, however, they might know very little about search engine optimization and user interface design. Be careful not to pay your freelancer to learn what they should already know.
  • The biggest problem with freelancers is the uncertainty of their future. Most freelancers begin the project with the best intentions, but many freelancers may disappear after they get paid or if they realize that they did not understand one or more of the requirements of the project correctly. With a freelancer, you should consider that the amount of money you are paying and understand that if they decide to move on, they may leave you high and dry with a custom solution that only they have the ability to manage. If they have moved on to other freelance projects or to a new job, you might be left high and dry. The fact is that most good developers start out as freelancers, but most freelancers also realize that in order to keep their customers happy and themselves happy, they must either choose to start their own company and hire more staff or join an existing company.

• TYPE 2: Companies who provide non custom web solutions
  There are some great online software packages out there that allow people and companies to build functioning web sites without actually knowing how to program. The primary advantage of using a packages like this is usually the cost. Companies that build non custom sites and software for client web production are able to leverage their expenses by having many users all contribute to the total production costs.
  
  Some of the most common problems with software web development packages are listed below:
  • Many non custom products have a lack of flexibility - With software solutions, there are restrictions on what the software can and cannot do. You may eventually run into a dead end in terms of what you would like to have done on your site. You are often stuck with a set of design templates or a business requirement that cannot be met. If the software you invest in cannot meet your needs, there is not an option to pay for an improvement, you are likely to have to start over. If you want to use creativity in your solution, the software approach to web development is not likely to be your best fit.
    
  • Many non custom products are complicated and confusing to manage - The most flexible web development software packages are by default the most confusing to use and manage. There is sure to be many features that you don't need since their product is meant for many many businesses. It is convenient  to only have to pay a small fee for all the capabilities of the system, but because system is so flexible, the setup of those complex features is likely to be so confusing that you may not be able to manage it yourself. Many software packages often suggest hiring a developer just to manage the system. Then you need to again need to address the entire process of choosing a developer.

• TYPE 3: Companies who provide custom web solutions
  Custom web developers usually provide a full scale solution that merges all the needed factors for a successful project. Good custom developers will focus on the individual needs of each of their clients and will apply web development and marketing ideas which will be most valuable to their clients. Depending on their experience and professionalism, they have very few limits on creativity and capabilities. This biggest advantage of this type of developer is that they will give you the personal attention that is needed to allow you to deliver whatever marketing message or value added service that you want exactly how you want it. This type of company is most likely to help your company grow.
  
  Custom web developing groups usually have organized business procedures and a full staff of experts to ensure that their clients needs are met. Good groups of custom developers usually have a good balance between creativity and technical knowledge. They help growing businesses integrate a web presence into their business plan.
  
  The biggest disadvantage of a full scale custom developer is most likely the cost. Unlike a freelancer, they usually have a lot more overhead. They must pay for facilities, managers, employees, benefits, and more in order to meet all potential needs of their customers with professionalism. Because the costs of running a full scale custom developing business are so high, you should be very careful to manage your costs as a customer. Also, be careful to spot failing custom developers or custom developers who are unwilling to give cost estimates. If your custom developer fails, you are stuck with the same problem as your freelancer leaving and if you don't control the cost, you will be paying a lot of money for things that you may not need.
  
  Good custom developers will have a large portfolio and a list of satisfied clients who will be able to recommend them as a good value. Inexperienced developers may propose good sounding solutions, but those solutions may not have the best value and without having value in custom solutions, you are likely to rack up an extremely large bill very quickly and you may not get what you want or need.
  
  Extremely high-end custom developers companies most often produce high-quality work, however the methodology and unnecessary expenditures for getting there often eat up a budget that would make a small-medium sized business cringe. Make sure your developer has an idea of your budget and goals and again make sure to get an estimate.
  
  If your web site has the potential to be a tool that is counted on in your business plan, you should find a custom web developer who has proven clients and methods that ensure costs to stay within reason. 

• TYPE 4: Groups that say they do web development, but actually just hire out web development
  Because web development is a technology based industry that has standards which are constantly changing, there are more than just the three or four types of groups who will offer web development as a service. One of the most common approaches is for graphic arts companies or traditional marketing companies to accept requests for development from their clients and then to outsource that development to a third party. The primary advantage of using this type of group is that they will act as a middle man who hopefully has more experience than you in managing a web development project. They also often contribute to the design portion of the web development project.  
  
  The main disadvantages of working with groups like this are that you are paying a premium for your development. If the group is truly just paying a 3rd party developer to do the work on your project, that group will be only as good as the developer or developers they higher. Also, you would face many of the same problems as if you hired a developer or a freelancer yourself. If you are tempted to use a group like this, try to find a group that has a strategic partnership with a custom web developer to avoid the unknowns of whatever group the marketing firm decides to outsource your project to.
  

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Now that you know understand the most common types of web developing groups, you should focus on ensuring that any perspective group that you would like to work with is going to be able to overcome their likely disadvantages in order to satisfy your needs. A referral can be a very powerful thing, but personal interviews will even help you more. Take into consideration your budget and your long term goals as well as factors such as experience, location, and comfort level as you interview many different groups. Once you go through this process, you can be sure that you have made an educated decision about what group is best fit to meet your needs.

For more about what type of developer Frontier Web Development is, make sure to contact us or read more by visiting our page for Company Structure, Policies & Operations or Full Scale Web Development. We think you'll find that we are a great choice for many different web developing needs. We provide full scale custom development and use a dual office offshore structure to help keep overhead low and in turn, costs down for our customers.  We have been growing with our customers since 2001 and want to continue to grow by following our mission and helping our customers grow.