What is the best way to hire web developers?

Pssst… Wanna know the best way to hire web developers for your projects? Then we have the perfect little guide for you.

The best way to hire web developers or front-end developers is to a) evaluate your requirements and b) pay attention to the Merge team’s advice on the hiring process.

And we’re here to teach you how to do both of these things, with the right experience as a skilled UX/UI design and development agency, having hired developers for both ourselves and our dedicated teams.

For more information, for example, on the benefits of hiring a custom front-end developer or selecting between a freelancer vs. web development agency for your next project, visit our blog.

Why hire a web developer

Why would one need to hire a web developer? Well, there may soon come a time when your company starts to feel the pressing need for a custom web solution that better represents the business and its needs.  

Inevitably, there comes a realization that online website building tools with their quite obvious restrictions just don’t cut it anymore. You need a product with a relatively unique build and features tailored to your specific business.

All of the above requires the technical knowledge and professional help you can easily get if you hire web developers.

Even if you don’t want your website’s code written from scratch, installation, adjustments, and maintenance of ready-made tools, as well as database maintenance, website customizations, and even making sure it’s responsive, will also justify the web developer hiring need.

What to look for when hiring a web developer

What to look for in a web developer? Mind you, a web developer is not the same as a web designer, which means drawing the site’s design is not on their list of duties. Implementing it is. Overall, the preferred skills include:

• The knowledge and experience working with the essential web development languages, such as JavaScript, HTML, CSS, and their latest libraries and frameworks;
• Competency in using such web technologies as APIs, cross-browser compatibility, REST, SOAP, etc.;
• The working knowledge of user interface (UI) design fundamentals;
• Experience working with content management systems (Drupal, WordPress, etc.);
• And most importantly, experience in creating responsive websites and web applications.

Front-end developer vs. back-end vs. full-stack

For a full scope of web services, including building user interfaces, navigation, the interactivity of web pages, as well as the “backstage action” that involves dealing with your product’s logic, databases, scripting, API, architecture, etc., you’ll need front-end AND back-end developers.

Another option is to hire a full-stack web developer with the knowledge to handle both the server and client sides of website creation.

Freelance vs. full-time employee

This one is self-explanatory. For a few occasional website development one-offs or maintenance needs, you can get away with hiring freelance web developers instead of maintaining in-house or remote full-time employees.

However, the freelance vs. employee argument will pretty much run short when you find yourself requiring web development services on the regular.

How to hire web and front-end developers

Depending on your budget, the work scope, and the tasks assigned to your developer(s), you have a few options. We’ve already mentioned freelancers and full-time employees, but how about outsourcing or outstaffing?

Outsourcing works best when your own staff lacks coding proficiency, and hiring in-house will prove excessive for your budget and workflow. Turning to a web development agency might do wonders in that case, giving you access to a whole team of professionals.

Another option is outstaffing, which means hiring a dedicated team or just a few dedicated developers. If you need just one or a couple web dev professionals, outstaffing, remote or freelance is a way to go.

Where to hire web developers?

The typical ways of hiring developers are through referrals, outsourcing agencies, job boards, developer conferences, and social media posts (LinkedIn being the best for this case).

Don’t forget to also check out online coding communities like StackOverflow, FreeCodeCamp, GitHub, and even Reddit.

Regarding freelance workers, platforms like Upwork, Freelancer, Codeable, Working Nomads, Fiverr, Toptal, Gun.io, etc., will quench your questions on how to hire freelance web developers more than enough.

Almost all of them will match you with the right specialist pretty quickly, provided you clearly state what kind of skills you are looking for.

How much does it cost to hire a web developer?

Developer’s rates (freelance or outsourcing) or annual salary numbers (for remote or in-house employees) vary depending on the country, the person’s skill level, experience, and technology stack.

Overall, for front-end developers, rates can fluctuate between as little as $20 to more than $150/hour. For full-stack specialists, entry-level rates go up to $50-75 per hour.

Speaking of salaries, in the United States, for example, developers earn on average $76,600, whereas, in Eastern European countries, the annual salary is around $20,00, which is explained by the differences in the cost of living.

All things considered, the best way to hire web developers is to make sure whoever you will hire will help you deal with the goals you set for your business and the challenges along the way.

We know it sounds corny, but hopefully, after reading our short guide, we’ve managed to put you on the right track. If you have more hiring questions, Merge is more than happy to help.