5 Things to Look for When Hiring a Web Developer

Finding a good web developer is harder than it should be. There are thousands of people out there calling themselves developers, freelancers undercutting agencies, agencies overcharging for template sites, and enough jargon to make your head spin.

If you're a business owner looking to get a website built — or rebuilt — how do you actually tell who's worth your money? After years of building bespoke websites and apps at Cathedral Digital, I've seen what separates a good developer from a liability. Here are the five things that genuinely matter.

1. A portfolio that shows real work, not just pretty screenshots

Every developer has a portfolio. But not every portfolio tells you what you need to know.

What you want to see is actual, working websites. Not Figma mockups. Not "concept projects" they built for fun. Real sites, for real businesses, that you can visit and click around. Check whether the sites load quickly, work on your phone, and feel like they were built with the end user in mind.

Better still, look for case studies that explain what the developer did and why. Anyone can show you a nice-looking homepage. What matters is whether they understood the client's problem and solved it properly.

If a developer can't show you live work, that's a red flag. It might mean they're brand new (which isn't necessarily bad, but you should know that upfront), or it might mean their past clients weren't happy enough to keep the sites running.

2. Clear communication from the very first conversation

This one's huge. Technical skills get all the attention, but communication is what actually makes or breaks a web project.

Pay attention to how they respond when you first get in touch. Do they reply promptly? Do they ask good questions about your business, or just jump straight to quoting a price? Do they explain things in plain English, or hide behind jargon?

A good developer will want to understand what your business does, who your customers are, and what you're trying to achieve with the site. They should be curious. If someone quotes you a price without asking a single question about your goals, walk away.

Throughout the project, you'll need someone who keeps you in the loop, manages expectations, and tells you when something isn't going to work — rather than just saying yes to everything and delivering something that misses the mark. The best web development relationships are built on honest conversation, not blind agreement.

3. Technical skills that match your project

This might sound obvious, but it's worth saying: not every developer is right for every project.

If you need a simple brochure website, you probably don't need someone who specialises in complex app development. Conversely, if you need a custom booking system or a client portal, a developer who mainly builds WordPress sites might not be the best fit.

Ask what technologies they work with. Ask about their experience with projects similar to yours. A good developer will be honest about what's in their wheelhouse and what isn't. If someone claims they can build anything, that's usually a sign they're overpromising.

For Lincolnshire businesses specifically, there's an advantage to working with a local developer who understands the market. A Lincoln-based consultancy like Cathedral Digital can meet face to face, understands the local business landscape, and is just easier to work with day to day.

4. A proper process, not just "we'll figure it out"

Every decent developer should be able to describe their process. How do they kick off a project? What does the discovery phase look like? How do they handle revisions? What happens after launch?

If the answer to any of these is a shrug, be cautious.

At a minimum, you want to see something like this:

• Discovery: understanding your business, goals and audience
• Design: wireframes or prototypes before any code gets written
• Development: building the actual site, with regular check-ins
• Testing: thorough testing across devices and browsers
• Launch: deployment, DNS, SSL — the boring-but-essential stuff
• Support: what happens when something breaks at 9pm on a Friday

A structured process doesn't mean rigid or bureaucratic. It means the developer has done this enough times to know what works — and to keep the project on track without nasty surprises.

If you're interested in how business automation fits into web projects, that's worth discussing during discovery too. A developer who understands automation can save you hours of manual work down the line.

5. Transparent pricing — and a clear explanation of what you're paying for

This is where things get tricky, because pricing in web development is all over the place. You'll get quotes ranging from £500 to £50,000 for what seems like the same thing. Understanding why those numbers differ is key.

The cheapest quote almost always means a template with your logo slapped on it. That might be fine for some businesses, but if you need something that actually reflects your brand and serves your customers properly, you'll need to invest more.

What you should expect from a good developer:

• A written proposal or scope document
• A breakdown of what's included (and what isn't)
• Clear payment terms — whether that's a fixed price, phased payments, or time-and-materials
• No hidden costs for basics like mobile responsiveness or SSL certificates

Be wary of developers who won't put a number on it until you've signed something. And be equally wary of those who quote instantly without understanding the scope. Good pricing comes from good discovery — which loops back to point two about communication.

For a clearer picture of what bespoke work actually costs, have a look at our website offer page. We try to be as upfront as possible about pricing because, frankly, the industry has a transparency problem.

Bonus: red flags to watch out for

A few things that should make you think twice:

• No contract or terms of service. Even for small projects, there should be something in writing.
• They don't mention hosting, maintenance or ongoing costs. A website isn't a one-off purchase — it needs looking after.
• Everything is "easy" or "quick". If a developer makes it all sound effortless, they're either underestimating the work or oversimplifying to close the deal.
• They can't explain their tech choices. You don't need a computer science lecture, but "we use this because it's best for your situation" is a reasonable thing to expect.

Finding the right fit

Ultimately, hiring a web developer is a bit like hiring any professional. You're looking for competence, communication and trust. The best developer–client relationships I've been part of have always been the ones where both sides were honest about what they needed, what was realistic, and what success looked like.

If you're a business in Lincoln or Lincolnshire looking for a developer who ticks these boxes, I'd love to have a conversation. At Cathedral Digital, we build bespoke websites and applications for businesses that want something better than a template. Get in touch and let's talk about what you need.