You have this genius idea of a website that you feel will bring you money and success. You have the business plan figured out, you know where to find funding from, but there is one big problem: you have no idea how to make an app.
Now we exaggerated it a little bit: it is not that of a big problem. You can always hire a developer to get the work done. However, if you have zero understanding of web development, this might be a difficult task to do.
How to hire a web developer? Where to find a web developer? What type of questions to ask him? What exact skills should he have? These are all vital questions that can be hard to figure out yourself.
That is why we have created a detailed “how to hire a web developer” guide to help you out.
Let’s start from ground zero:
What are the basics of web development, and what are the skills required for a web developer?
It is hard to understand how to hire a web developer without background knowledge in development. To have a general understanding of what to expect from your potential web developer, we will list some of the basics all web developers should know.
Front-End Skills:
All web developers should have a basic understanding of:
- HTML
- JavaScript
- CSS
Don’t confuse HTML and CSS with programming languages. These two are markup languages used mainly for the design of the website. Web developers use them to create your website’s style (a.k.a. fonts, layouts, colours, and so on).
JavaScript, on the other hand, is a programming language. It is more complicated, and web developers use it for the interactive aspects of your website, such as animated gifs, interactive maps, and so on.
Back-End Skills:
- Ruby on Rails/ Ruby
- Node JS/ JavaScript
- HTML
- CSS
Front-end developers engage directly with the way the user interacts with the website. They take care of the visual and interactive parts of your page. Back-end developers deal with aspects that are less visible to a visitor. They mainly engage with the server, application, and database of your webpage.
Besides HTML, CSS, and Javascript, back-end developers should also know Ruby and Node JS. Ruby on Rails and Node JS are common web frameworks, and Ruby and JavaScript are the programming languages used to write those frameworks.
We have mixed frameworks, markups, and programming languages all together in this section. So it would be fair to give a quick overview of the programming languages only. So, here’s the question:
What languages should a web developer know?
If the web developer knows the languages listed above, it is already enough to build a website. However, if you want a more senior level developer, we will mention the best four programming languages of 2021 for web development here:
- PHP
- Python
- Java
- C#
That said, let’s move into the next important question.
What’s the difference between web designer and developer?
We have mentioned how front-end developers deal with the design aspects of your website. So you might wonder: what’s the difference between a web designer and a web developer?
Here’s how it goes.
A web designer is a graphic artist who designs the look of your website. She mainly uses designing tools such as Adobe Illustrator, Adobe XD, InVision Studio, etc.
The web developer is the one who puts the design into function. She makes the layouts, formats, and all the other visuals of the website go live.
Now when we got the basics covered, let’s understand:
How to hire a web developer?
There are multiple ways you can hire a developer. You could search for one with your networking by asking your friends, colleagues, and others. Most developers wouldn’t mind having a side freelancing gig along with their full-time job. However, this is a more old-fashioned manner of approaching the process.
Today, the most popular one is to find a freelance web developer through freelancing platforms. These platforms are intuitive and easy to use. With many freelance developers available, you will easily find the best match for your project.
There are many well-known brand names in the industry, such as Upwork, Freelancer, or Fiverr. However, in this blog post, we will talk about a newcomer in the industry, the ItHire, which is a way better alternative to those platforms.
There are only three simple steps you need to complete to get the developer of your dreams hired. First of all, you create an account in just a few minutes. Then you need to post your job offer.
Now, remember, this is a very crucial step for your project. The more detailed your job offer is, the higher are chances you will get the best developer for it. The developers who look into the job post should understand what exactly you expect from them. Tell them about the project scope, the dates, the outcome you want to get, and pretty much everything else.
Once done with the project, you will get developers applying to your offer. The only thing left for you is to skim their profiles and portfolios to choose the best one.
You can also interview them to figure out if they have the soft skills needed. For instance, if the freelancer responds to your message quickly, it means the overall communication with him will be smooth. Also, try to understand how your developer works and whether it suits your schedule.
Overall, ItHire makes the process even smoother as it offers a project manager who will take care of it all. In short, the project manager will help you to have your work more organized.
So to sum it up, get to know the basics of web development, figure out what your project is, and hire a web developer to get the work done! If you follow all of the steps, you will find the best match for your project and make your dream website come true. Good luck in your hiring journey!
This content is a joint venture between our publication and our partner. We do not endorse any product or service in the article.
