When it comes time to design and develop a new website, small
businesses are faced with a choice: hire an agency or a freelance web
developer? This can be a very difficult decision to make, especially if
you and your business are new to the web development process. While
agency web development makes sense for many businesses, small businesses
with tight marketing budgets can often get more for their money - not
to mention a great product - by going with a freelance subcontractor.
Provided the business takes the time to vet their pool of applicants
thoroughly before hiring a subcontractor, there are plenty of benefits
of working with freelance developers.
Freelance web developers are more cost effective.
Let's
face it: web development agencies can be costly! While many agencies do
turn out a great product, they also face many overhead fees, such as
employee salaries, benefits, 401K plans, office space, travel
compensation, et cetera. Freelance web designers and programmers often
work from home or a very small office and typically have very few
overhead expenses, allowing them to charge rates much lower than those
offered by agencies.
Many freelance designers and programmers have a diverse skill set.
To
be sure, there are all different types of freelancers, and
subcontractors' experience levels can range from having decades of
experience to being eager to do their first website. Experienced
freelancers, however, are likely to have a diverse background which may
include agency experience and knowledge of many different kinds of
platforms. Subcontractors tend to diversify their skill sets in order to
widen their client base, and a freelancer who has been developing
websites for years is likely to have expertise in different code
languages and platforms, such as PHP, CSS, WordPress and ecommerce-style
websites. This provides their employers with flexible options for
development and website capabilities.
Subcontractors often have access to a wide network of other freelancers.
If
a freelance web developer has established him or herself as a
successful subcontractor, it's more than likely that they have developed
relationships with other subcontractors whose specialties compliment
their own. These partnerships allow freelancers to expand their
capabilities to specialties outside their own by bringing other
freelance team members on, if necessary. For example, a developer may
specialize in programming but be able to offer graphic design through
one of his or her partners. In this way, a small business may be able to
get a full menu of graphic design, site design, search engine
optimization and web development without having to go through an agency.
Tips for finding a great freelance web developer.
For
every talented, experienced freelance developer "out there", there are
an equal number of inexperienced and unprofessional subcontractors.
Telling the difference between these two types of subcontractors isn't
impossible, however, if you know what to look for. First, gather a wide
pool of applicants from which to choose, and examine their resumes
carefully. Be sure to ask to look at each subcontractor's portfolio of
completed projects; this is often the best way to tell what their
capabilities and scope of experience truly are. Next, ask for references
- and make contact with each one. Ask not only about the references'
completed projects, but how they felt about the subcontractor's
professionalism, billing and timely project completion.
No comments:
Post a Comment