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Building a website is like buying a store in the digital world. It gives your business a distinct platform and magnifies the exposure to a global audience. It even sets you apart from your competitors and gives you an edge over others. If you are yet to build a website for your business, you sure are losing money every day without even knowing.
Why are web developers important in the first place?
Websites like WordPress and Joomla are there to help even the rookies create their sites, right!
But you have a business to run and do not have too much time to educate yourself on this topic. Even if you acquire a basic knowledge of web development, experts are always the best choice for the latest trends and the correct setup to attract the audience. So to hire web developers online and outsourcing for technical support is effective in the long run.
Whether it is to hire website developers, or hire website designers, when you are thinking of hiring your web developer for your first website- the whole process of how this works is blurry to you. So you have to clear the concepts about what you should prioritize when you go to hire web developers and how to hire a freelance web developer. Don’t worry; we have cleared all these doubts in our buyers’ guide section below-
How can you hire web developers?
Several sites on the internet let you post a job or search from a vast range of developers. You have to keep in mind the specialty you are looking for (front end, back end, or full-stack) and the experience level suitable for your project.
After that, you shortlist the candidates and start communicating with them or schedule a discovery call. You can check the past experiences and testimonials from their profile. Also, check their level of communication during the interview and chat. Then you can discuss how you can proceed with your project.
If you find someone you want to hire, you make a contract with them and start working.
Depending on the sites, there are a few variations in the payment section and the developer prospecting process.
What should you consider when you go to hire a web developer?
There are a few things you must keep in mind while starting to search for a web developer-
1. Have distinct overview
You have to be aware of how your site will look. You can change or tweak a thing or two after discussing it with the developer. But it is highly recommended you have an idea of the outline of your site. It will help a lot in determining the time, budget, and which type of developers you are finding.
2. The frontend, backend, and full-stack developers
Yes, there are different types of web developers out there. There are also web designers who create the visual outlook of different sections of the website. The frontend developers implement these graphics and visuals on the site. These developers create the parts that attract visitors to your site.
The backend developers handle the coding part. They create the portion of the website that the visitors cannot see, but they integrate different links and buttons and build the underline codes for the site. Then comes the full-stack developers, who can handle both the frontend and backend parts.
Full Stack developers are relatively expensive. As they are jack of all trades, they do not have in-depth knowledge of the frontend and backend experts. So you can hire them if you want to have a simple website but do not wish to hire a large team. But if your requirement is complex, always go for the specialists.
3. Freelance or full-time
If your website is constantly updating and needs frequent changes- then hiring a full-time developer is the best option. But if your site does not need to change from time to time, you may hire freelance web developers. They are perfect for your sudden and one-time needs too. You can even hire them on a contract basis- where they will work for you full time for a few weeks or months and overview your website till the project completes.
4. Experience
Experienced developers cost you a fortune. But their expertise is also needed to establish a complex website, and they take up less time. But hiring the new developers will go easy on your pocket, not to mention they will require close monitoring and multiple revisions, unlike the experts. So choose according to the type of the website and obviously, your budget.
There are multiple sites where you can hire web developers. Here we have enlisted the top 10 platforms for your convenience.
Top Sites To Hire Freelance Web Developers in 2023
1. Upwork
Upwork is among the most popular sites to hire web developers. You can use it to hire people from all backgrounds and expertise, for your all type of requirement. Thousands of web developers are already there in search of opportunities so you can find the right match for sure. It lets you post a job opening for free once you create an account. All the developers interested to work with you will then come to you and send their proposals.
You can have access to their ratings, feedback, prior work samples, and rates- so you can sort them according to your budget and requirement. Then set up a discovery call to check which of the sorted candidates are most suited for your works. With the inbuilt functions to send files, chat, and set up video calls- Upwork simplifies the whole process to you. Once you finalize and hire a developer, Upwork itself will send you the invoices. It will even let you track the project progressions within the app.
2. Toptal
Toptal focuses on quality. Hence, you can find the most successful web developers for hire offering you the best services there. It is best suited for your unique and customized needs that require expert attention. Toptal scrutinizes its applicants vigorously, so only the top 3% can get a chance to use its network. And it holds a trial-to-hire success rate of 98%. They have a dedicated team of professionals who will go through your work requirements and understand your exact business requirements.
Then they will match you with the right talents of their community within a day. Then you can avail yourself a trial period to check if you both have good compatibility to work on this project and their skill is really on par. If you are satisfied with it, hire them for your business. And if you are not satisfied, you do not have to pay for the work and start looking for the next developer immediately. Generally, you can hire a web developer within the next 48 hours of contacting them with the offer.
3. Freelancer
With more than 50 million registered users, Freelancer is the world’s largest marketplace where you can hire freelance web developers of all domains and expertise. You can also hire freelance web designers here. You can know about the impression and experience with the developers in their previous works from their reviews. And Freelancer is easy to set up too. You can create your account and post offers with only a few details of what you do and what your requirements are. Their massive network maximizes the reach of your post, and you start receiving proposals and bids for the work within seconds as a result.
It has an inbuilt communication system where you can chat and exchange ideas regarding the project with the developers around the clock. You can also review them according to your experience and the developers so other business owners can get an idea of the kind of service they are offering. Start working with them immediately and only pay when you are satisfied with their working standards. It is easy, simple, and also quick to end your whole hiring process swiftly.
4. Codeable
Codeable is solely there to cover all your WordPress development needs. The best part? It offers the services of experienced professionals with fair pricing. So you do not have to go through the excruciating bidding process and wonder whether you are sacrificing quality for the price. You can state your requirements with the necessary details like- the scope and size-form of the projects within a few minutes.
They also offer affordable consultancy to help you have more clarity. And so they make the process simple of how to hire a web developer. Then they connect you with the most suited developers of their community. Unlike other websites, your notification box is not bombarded with thousands of applicants. Instead, you only get recommended to 1 to 5 developers. The quick responses from the developers’ side make the hiring process smoother and hassle-free. Their single price algorithm lets you shed off the bidding process, and the secure environment makes your payments safe and quick. Nearly all their developers have over six years of experience in the field. So you do not have to worry about the quality of their services too.
5. Guru
Guru is a platform dedicated to freelancers. Guru offers good services and popular payment methods with the minimal transaction in the industry. So it is cost-effective and safe for you. Once you create a free profile and post your job openings for freelance web developers for hire, developers start to approach you with their quotes within a few hours. Then you can check their portfolio and compare their earning statistics, review, and performance record. Once you finish the choosing process, you get to sign a contract with the developer that states the scope of work, payments, and other details.
It makes sure both of you are on the same page in terms of work opportunities. After that, you can immediately hire that developer. And you get to start the project in the dedicated workroom of the platform itself. You can even hire multiple developers from them and create a team to accelerate your project. Guru provides you the platform to communicate effectively, track your progress and pay them using the safe payment options. You only have to pay when you are satisfied with the work, and you can even automate the payment- so you can dedicate more attention to the work done instead.
6. Outsourcely
Outsourcely lets you hire talented web developers with no commission fees. They have a vast network of people from more than 180 countries, so you are sure to find the perfect developer for your custom project. Their developers are verified by Outsourcely and bring you the best works in a lesser time. It has a communication platform to have cuts, voice, and video calls effectively, so you can easily convey your requirements and make sure the developer is the perfect fit for your project.
You can hire developers and pay them directly, as the website will let you manage your work just as you please. You can post a job here and get notifications of the probable matches. Or you can search for the web development skill and find the developers ranked according to their performance. You can further filter the developers according to the additional skills like writing and English speaking skill, and other factors like salary, availability, location, experience, etc. It is the best platform if you are looking to hire long-term developers for your projects.
7. Dribbble
This platform is there to cover all sorts of project requirements. You can post a job opening, a freelance project, or even search for developers according to your choices. Both inbound and outbound processes will give you lots of top-notch choices to hire from. Dribbble is specialized for designers, so it is best suited if you are looking for creative and passionate developers for your work.
You can check the details of the developers like- specialties, location, and experience. After you find out the one you want to hire, you have to create and sign a contract with the developer stating the complete details of the project. And only then you can start working with them. You can even bookmark designers and save searches for future reference. Also, Dribbble lets you message the developers, so you can set a clear goal and objective for the project and ensure you are on the same page before hiring any one of them.
8. Hired
Hired understands that the success of your business rests upon the talent and work ethic of your employees. So it lets you find the right candidates based on the requirement of work. Hired does not believe in resumes, and relies on the process of role-based assessments that depicts the true capability of the developers. It showcases the salary expectations and working experience of the developers upfront so you do not have to spend hours on negotiations that vastly differ from the work preferences of their developers.
The best part is, you can send your coding challenges and assess their skills on your terms before working with them on real projects. Here too, you do not have to rely on the inbound developers as the algorithm itself matches the developers that are the best fit for your project and you can further shortlist them.
9. Authentic Jobs
Authentic Jobs is a reliable platform to hire web developers from all around the world. You can simply post a job with your details like job type, salary, location, category, and other details of the company. Authentic Jobs are not free, you have to post a job on a monthly subscription basis which varies from $149 to $199 per month. But if you do not get a proper developer within the first 30 days of your job posting, you can always ask for a free repost of the job and even a refund within that period. So your satisfaction from using this portal is guaranteed.
You get full access to change your job details, review the applications and manage your payment safely and easily. It accepts most credit cards and even a check if you go for invoicing. More than half of their job seekers are located in the US, so you have a great chance to end up hiring developers who have nearly the same culture and timeline as your business.
10. SimplyHired
Over 3 million companies have hired people of all kinds of skills from SimplyHired, so it is a given that they possess a great network and have a great working process. You can simply create a profile here with the help of your Facebook or Google accounts. It lets you create a free account and post a job to hire web designers and developers at no cost. Developers looking to serve you with their works will then come to you, and you can check their resumes.
They have their resume builder, so you do not have to waste time over disorganized or uncompleted resumes and shortlist your applicants based on this. Once you decide to go forward with some candidates, you have to pay $9.99 for each of the candidates revealed so you can assess them further. SimplyHired has all the tools that let you hire and manage the best developers with minimal effort and energy too.
Conclusion
As you can see, all these sites are so different in their approaches to hiring web developers to build websites. You have to take a different strategy to hire from different sites on this list. So choose the one you will feel the most comfortable hiring from, and which suits your budget. If you need guidance and recommendations from the developers, choose likewise. There are no right or wrong rules here- just choose according to your intuition, and your experience will guide you towards a better and more suitable choice.
FAQ
1. Should I hire the developers at an hourly rate or fixed price rate?
If you are hiring an experienced developer for a small project-go for the hourly rate as they will require fewer revisions and can serve you with more productivity. But for a long project or while working with an inexperienced developer- always go for project-based fixed pricing.
2. Should I state my budget in the post or ask the developers about their quotes?
Depends on your budget. If you are tight on budget, it is better to post that so developers will come to you with the price in mind. But if you do not want to compromise quality for budget, ask for quotes.
3. How do I choose a developer as a non-technical person?
You can get a basic idea of their working style from their portfolio. Ask them about how they work, discuss special situations with them to check whether they have the idea and experience in what they do. You can also ask for a paid or free trial period so you can be sure of their works.
