Questions to Ask When Hiring a Web Developer
If you are a business owner who is not an expert in Web development, finding someone you can trust to build your website is critical. To help with the vetting process, here are some questions to ask your would-be developers before making a decision.
1. What do you do? Developers should be able to explain what they do in terms you can understand. Don’t let them confuse and/or bore you into working with them.
2. Can you break down the process for me from start to end? Choose developers who use an iterative approach rather than a "one giant deliverable" or "waterfall" approach.
3. What are your goals for my website and how do you intend to accomplish them? Asking this forces them to outline their future plans. It’s important to know they have some.
4. Do you work predominantly with open-source or proprietary software? One of the main benefits of open-source software is being able to pick up where others left off. Should you choose a firm working with proprietary software, you may be locked in with that company for good.Do they plan to use a widely recognized and respected content management system so if you do have to change developers, you won't have to start all over?

5. How long will it take you to respond to e-mails? If you find yourself waiting awhile for answers, chances are your developer’s team has not been working on your site or has taken the project in a different direction.
6. Do you outsource? Web companies that outsource their projects tend to subscribe to the one-size-fits-all approach, and you are unlikely to get the custom work you desire.
7. Will my website be scalable? Your developer should be familiar with the combination of hardware/software needed to ensure full scalability so that your site doesn’t crash the instant it gets some traffic. Important systems like database clustering, memcache, query optimization, and others shouldn’t be foreign concepts to them.
7. Let them know you will take care of the Marketing, branding and Design layout Your developer should be familiar with the combination of hardware/software needed to ensure full scalability so that your site doesn’t crash the instant it gets some traffic. Important systems like database clustering, memcache, query optimization, and others shouldn’t be foreign concepts to them.

8. How long will a web design company take to complete my web site?
A good web design company will dedicate themselves to your project. An average web design project lifecycle is 2-3 months. Small web design projects (15 pages or less with few programming features) will likely take less time, and very complex web design projects may take longer than 3 months. Generally web design companies complete projects faster than in-house developers because web design companies can dedicate multiple web designers and web programmers to each project.

9. Most website design companies will assign you a project manager. What is a project manager?
A project manager is your primary, single point of contact for a specific website design company while your web site is in development. Your project manager is available to answer your questions and concerns, and coordinates the necessary resources to get your project done on time and on budget. The project manager acts as a liason between you and your web design company

10. What is the difference between “fixed” and “hourly” pricing in the proposal from my web development company?
The proposal from your web development company should include either a fixed or hourly pricing break down. Fixed pricing is an exact specification and works well if you want specific changes/upgrades made to your site. Conversely, hourly pricing allows for greater flexibility and is better suited for a web site that is more along the lines of being a work in progress. Your web development company should suggest the type of pricing which will best accommodate your needs.

10. Timeline?
Timeline – Give an overall timeline of the target completion dates. Be reasonable as to what can be accomplished within a given time frame.