How to Choose a Web Developer in South Africa

Hiring a web developer is a bigger decision than it looks. The person you choose will build something your business depends on, and they will often hold the keys to it: your domain, your hosting, your login details. Horror stories are common: sites abandoned half-built, domains held hostage, work that does not match the quote. A little due diligence avoids most of them.

Know what you need first

You cannot judge proposals if you do not know what you are asking for. Before contacting anyone, write a short brief: your goals, audience, pages, key features, examples you like, and budget. Our guide to briefing a software developer provides a template, and what your business website needs helps you list the pages and features.

Freelancer, studio or agency?

	Freelancer	Small studio	Larger agency
Cost	Often lowest	Mid-range	Highest
Personal attention	High	High	Varies
Range of skills	Narrow, unless they bring partners	Broad	Broadest
Risk if one person leaves or is ill	High	Lower	Lowest
Best for	Small, well-defined projects	Most small and medium businesses	Larger, complex projects

None is automatically better. What matters is a good fit for your project and a provider who will still be reachable in two years.

What to check

Their work

• Look at live sites they built, not just screenshots. Click around on your phone.
• Check speed, mobile experience and whether the sites are still maintained.
• Look for projects similar to yours: an online store, a booking system, a corporate site.
• Ask what role they personally played in each project.

References

Ask for two or three past clients and actually phone them. Good questions:

• Was the project delivered on time and on budget?
• How did the developer handle problems and changes?
• How is support after launch?
• Would you hire them again?

Their process

A professional will explain how they work: discovery, wireframes, design, build, testing, launch and support. Vague answers or "we will figure it out as we go" are warnings.

Who will do the work

Find out whether your project is built by the person you meet or outsourced. Outsourcing is not necessarily bad, but you should know about it, and know who is accountable.

Communication

Notice how they respond before you hire them. Slow, unclear replies now will not improve when you are a paying client. Do they ask good questions about your business? That is a good sign.

Questions to ask

1. Who owns the website, code, design and content when it is finished? The answer should be you.
2. Who owns the domain and hosting accounts? They should be registered in your name. See domains, hosting and business email explained.
3. What platform will you use, and why? The reasons should relate to your needs. See WordPress vs a custom-built website.
4. What is included, and what costs extra? Revisions, content writing, photography, training, plugins.
5. How long will it take, and what do you need from me? See how long it takes to build a website.
6. How do you handle accessibility, speed and SEO? Good developers have specific answers.
7. What happens after launch? Support, maintenance and what it costs. See website maintenance plans explained.
8. How will you protect my search rankings if this replaces an existing site?
9. What if we part ways? Can I take everything with me?

Understand the quote

Compare proposals on scope, not just price. Check:

• A clear list of pages, features and deliverables.
• What content you must supply.
• The number of design revisions.
• A timeline with milestones.
• Payment terms, normally a deposit followed by instalments tied to milestones, with the final payment on completion.
• Ongoing costs: hosting, licences, maintenance.

Be suspicious of a quote far below the rest. Missing scope tends to come back as extra charges or a rushed result. For a feel for typical costs, see what a business website costs in South Africa and, for stores, what an ecommerce website costs.

Put it in writing

A short written agreement protects both sides. It should cover:

• The scope and deliverables.
• The price and payment schedule.
• The timeline, and what happens when either side causes delays.
• Ownership of the code, design and content on final payment.
• Handover of all logins and files.
• Confidentiality and treatment of personal data, in line with privacy law. See POPIA and your business website.
• Support terms and warranty for bugs after launch.
• How to end the agreement.

Have anything significant reviewed by an attorney.

Red flags

• No portfolio, or work they cannot show you live.
• Reluctance to provide references.
• Pressure to pay everything upfront.
• Promises of guaranteed number one Google rankings.
• The developer registers your domain and hosting in their own name.
• Vague quotes with a single total and no breakdown.
• Dodging questions about who will build the site.
• Templates passed off as "custom design", or code you cannot take with you.
• Poor communication before the contract is signed.

Protect yourself

• Pay in stages tied to milestones.
• Keep ownership of accounts. Register your own domain, and have hosting accounts in your name.
• Get all logins at handover, and change passwords afterwards.
• Keep copies of design files, content and a backup of the site.
• Test thoroughly before the final payment. Use the website checklist.
• Document decisions, and confirm changes in writing.

Trust your judgement

The best developer for you is usually the one who understands your business, explains things in plain English, is honest about trade-offs and tells you when you are asking for something that will not help. If you find a provider who does that, and whose past clients speak well of them, you are in good hands. If you want to talk about a website, store or system, you are welcome to get in touch through our contact form.