How to Hire a Web Developer: 12 Questions to Ask First

Before you hire a web developer or agency, ask to see live work you can click, who will write the code, what the fixed scope and price are, who will own the code, domain and logins, how you will see progress each week, how the work is tested, and what support you get after launch. Clear, specific answers to these questions predict a good project far better than a low price or a polished pitch.

This article is for business owners, founders and agency owners hiring someone to build a website or web app. It gives you 12 questions, what a good answer sounds like, the red flags to watch for and a scoring table you can use on every candidate.

#Why the right questions matter

The right questions turn a sales conversation into evidence. Most web projects that go wrong do so for predictable reasons: unclear scope, the wrong person doing the work, no visible progress, or a handover that leaves the client without access. Each question below targets one of those risks.

Ask the same questions to every candidate and write the answers down. A developer who answers plainly and in writing is showing you how the project will feel.

#Questions about their work

#1. Can I see live projects I can click through?

A real portfolio is live sites and apps you can open, not only screenshots or mockups. Open each one on your phone, try the menu and the forms, and check that it loads quickly. Then ask what the developer built personally on each project, because many portfolios show team work.

On my own site every project in the work portfolio has a written challenge, solution and stack, and links to the live site where the client allows it. That is the standard I would expect from anyone.

#2. Have you built something similar?

Similar experience shortens the project and lowers risk. A developer who has built WooCommerce stores knows the checkout and payment edge cases. One who has built CRMs knows how permissions and reports usually go wrong. Ask for one example that is close to your project and what they would do differently now.

#3. Who will write the code?

You want the name of the person who will build your project and a chance to speak to them. With an agency, the person on the sales call is often not the person writing the code, and parts of the work may go to juniors or subcontractors. That is not always bad, but you should know it upfront.

This is one of the clearest differences between a freelancer and an agency, which I compare in detail on the page about freelancer vs web development company.

#Questions about scope and price

#4. Will I get a written scope and a fixed price?

A written scope lists the pages, features, integrations, content responsibilities and number of revisions, with a price and a timeline. Without it, both sides remember the call differently. Ask what happens when you want something outside the scope: a good answer is a short written change estimate before the extra work starts.

If you have not written down what you need yet, start with a website project brief. Developers can only quote accurately from a clear brief.

#5. How are payments split?

Milestone payments protect both sides. A common pattern is an advance to start, payments tied to approved stages such as design and build, and the final payment at launch. Be careful with full payment upfront, and equally careful with a developer who asks for nothing in writing.

#6. What is not included?

The exclusions tell you more than the inclusions. Ask directly about the domain, hosting, premium licences, content writing, product uploads, stock photos, translation and post-launch support. For a WordPress project, my guide on what a WordPress website costs in India lists the one-time and yearly costs to check.

#Questions about ownership and access

#7. Will I own the code, the domain and all logins?

You should own everything that runs your business online. Register the domain in your own name and email, because the registrant carries responsibility for the registration and must keep its details accurate (opens in a new tab). Hosting, email, analytics and premium licences should also be in your accounts.

For code, ask whether it will live in your own repository or be delivered as a full copy at handover, and confirm in writing that you own it once paid. On WordPress, you should hold the main Administrator account (opens in a new tab), which has access to every admin feature, and give the developer a separate account you can remove later.

#Questions about how the work runs

#8. How will I see progress?

Ask for a regular demo link you can open, not just status messages. Weekly is a good rhythm for most projects: it is often enough to catch a misunderstanding early and rare enough to show real progress. My own process is built around a fixed written quote, weekly demos and a careful launch, because small steady steps avoid big surprises at the end.

#9. How do you test before launch?

Testing should be a named step with a list, not an assumption. Ask how they test on phones and different browsers, whether every form and payment path is tried, whether speed is checked against Google's Core Web Vitals thresholds (opens in a new tab), and whether basic accessibility is checked against WCAG (opens in a new tab), the W3C accessibility standard. A developer who mentions a staging site, where changes are tested before going live, is a good sign.

#10. Who do I talk to, and how quickly will they reply?

Agree on one contact person, one main channel and a normal reply time. Many projects stall because questions sit unanswered on both sides. If time zones differ, agree on a daily overlap window.

#Questions about handover and support

#11. What will you hand over at the end?

A good handover includes admin logins, hosting and domain access, the code or a full backup, a short guide for editing content, and a list of every plugin, service and renewal date. Ask to see an example of a handover note from a past project, with private details removed.

#12. What support do I get after launch, and what does it cost?

Every site needs updates, backups and the odd fix after launch. Ask what is included for free in the first weeks, what a monthly care plan covers, and the hourly rate for small changes. For WordPress sites, my website maintenance checklist shows what ongoing care should cover, whoever does it.

#Red flags when hiring a web developer

Some answers should make you slow down. One alone may have a good reason, but two or three together usually mean trouble.

• Only screenshots, no live links, or no clarity on what they built personally.
• No written scope, or a one-line quote with a single number.
• The domain or hosting registered in their name.
• Pressure to pay everything upfront, or to decide today.
• Vague answers about who writes the code.
• No mention of testing, staging or handover.
• Promises of first-page Google rankings or guaranteed sales.
• Pirated premium themes or plugins offered to cut the price.

#A scoring table for comparing candidates

Score each candidate from 0 to 2 on every question, using their written answers. 0 means no answer or a worrying one, 1 means a partial answer, and 2 means a clear, specific answer with evidence.

A total of 20 or more out of 24 is a strong candidate. Below 14, keep looking, however good the price.

#Where to start

Write a one-page brief, send it to three candidates, ask these 12 questions by email so the answers are in writing, and fill in the scoring table. If you are hiring for a custom web application rather than a website, also ask how they plan an MVP, and read how to plan a web app MVP before the first call.