Outsourcing web development may sound daunting at first. In reality, however, it does not have to be stressful at all. In this post, we’ll go over the key aspects of the process. By the end of it, you should know the basics of how to do it and how much you can expect to spend when outsourcing web development.
What Is Web Development?
Web development is basically all the work that revolves around building out and maintaining websites. These can be sites that are hosted on the internet or on local networks. The operations involved focus on making sure that the site performs the way that it is expected to. This usually means that it offers a great user experience and is prepped for optimization so it can rank on the major search engines.
The work includes all the tasks that are commonly associated with creating websites. The most common of these tasks include coding and scripting – whether that’s client-side or server-side – writing markup, and network security configuration, which a lot of people think of as IT work. These are the non-design aspects of building websites, but some web developers also do web design.
What Are the Key Benefits to Outsourcing Web Development?
Outsourcing web development offers several major benefits.
Skill
Web development is highly technical. If you try to do it yourself or pass the task on to someone on your payroll, it probably won’t go very well. You might think that it will be easy because it’s just a website. However, even if you use one of those DIY website builders, you will probably soon discover that there’s a lot more to it than you expected. Outsourcing web development ensures that the people working on the project know what they’re doing.
One-Offs
The average business owner does not need web development done on the regular. It’s usually a one-off project, with most of the maintenance and management done in-house. So, at the very least, you can outsource the build-out, which is the bulk of it. Then, you can pay a bit extra to get a tutorial on how to keep the site running properly with the needed updates and clean-ups. You can also learn how to do small updates, and more importantly, how to use child themes and create backups so you can hit undo if you mess up.
Cost
Outsourcing web development cuts your costs down considerably. You can get the same quality or even better without paying local rates. Your savings can add up to as much as 65%, depending on how complex the project is. That leads to the fourth benefit, which is access to more top talent. Outsourcing web development opens up the doors to a worldwide pool instead of just the devs who are available near you.
What is the Cost of Outsourcing Web Development?
The cost of outsourcing web development projects varies. The main factors that influence the rate ranges are location and project scope or complexity. You can hire for less outside of the West, but you will still pay more for highly skilled devs.
Basically, outsourcing web development to a freelancer or agency will cost from $10 per hour for simple sites to $100 per hour or even more for highly technical builds that require a ton of know-how that you can’t find just anywhere.
Many agencies give project estimates based on the average time that it takes to build certain types of websites. For example, you can expect to pay between $200 – $5,000 for a basic website (no frills, just the main pages and functionality) and from $1,000 – $30,000 for an eCommerce website, depending on the level of customization and number of features. A custom web application will usually cost you between $1,500 – $50,000. Mobile apps can go up to $150,000.
Note that these rates for outsourcing web development include agencies in the western world. Rates for US development companies can be higher. If you hire a freelancer who will come to you rather than working remotely, you can expect to pay travel expenses. Language and cultural barriers can also mean additional costs in terms of time spent ensuring that communication is clear.
Where Can I Find Someone for Web Development?
You can find someone to do web development for you almost anywhere in the world. What you want to zone in on are the ones you can trust to deliver quality projects on time. For the trust factor, we go to established online marketplaces and freelance platforms like FreeUp and Upwork. These companies have safeties in place that will give you peace of mind.
Just to drive the point home, we want to tell you that outsourcing web development at random can be very dangerous. Going to individuals on platforms that provide no guarantees can leave you in the lurch. We highly recommend working through marketplaces that care about your security and the reliability of their member freelancers.
What Kind of Skills and Experience Should I Look For?
You should always be as detailed as possible about the project you need done. Write out all the aspects you envision so that prospects can identify the skills that they would need. This way, even if you don’t know all the technical terms, the devs looking at the project will know what you mean. Anything that you may have missed can then be discussed and clarified during an initial interview.
You want to make sure that everything in the scope is crystal clear before you agree on a quote. What you pay will likely change when you change different things about the project. These changes may seem small to you, but it may not be that simple on the development side.
That’s the technical side. You need to look for more than these skills when outsourcing web development. Communication is vital, and can be a rare thing when it comes to such technical individuals. People don’t normally think of communication at all, really, but it isn’t as easy as one might think. See how easy it is to get on the same page as a candidate. If you’re constantly misunderstanding each other or going off on different tangents, that is going to constantly plague you down the line. You need to master virtual communication to succeed at outsourcing anything.
Reliability can only be measured by either reviews or experience. You should look at both. Check out how they are rated on the platform, or on their business website, if they have one. Then look at the other projects that they’ve done. Hone in on projects that are similar to what you have in mind.
What Should I Know Before Hiring Someone for Web Development?
Outsourcing web development is not as simple as outsourcing a simpler task like data entry or blog writing. Web dev has so many moving parts. Because it’s highly technical, you may not also know exactly what you want until you see that what you asked for is not exactly what you expected. You need to go into the process knowing that there will be some trial and error. Unless you can provide super clear instructions and samples that match the outcome you desire to a T, you cannot expect a developer to produce exactly what you envision.
How Do I Get Started?
The best way to start outsourcing web development is to learn how to outsource. This is what we’re here for! Reach out to us to see how we can help make the outsourcing process go more smoothly for you.
Once you are clear on your plan for outsourcing web development, you can start looking for the best fit. Once you hire, start with smaller aspects of the project that can be completed in shorter timeframes. You want to break it down and make the larger project more modular. This ensures that you can evaluate the developer’s performance along the way. If you need to go with someone else, you won’t be left with a big mess and have to start over. It also helps you to stay safe in case you need to make changes.
Conclusion
Outsourcing web development can be tricky – we won’t lie. But with our proven process for outsourcing work to other countries, you can rest assured. We help you put safeties in place so you’re covered. We also show you what to focus on so you don’t miss major red flags that can end up costing you big time. This way, outsourcing web development doesn’t have to be so scary that you end up losing hair over it.
