Your web developer can quietly grow your revenue. Or quietly leak it.
About 71 percent of businesses worldwide already have a website, and in the US around 73 percent of small businesses do too. Competition is not your problem any more. Standing out is.
Research from Stanford shows around 75 percent of people judge a company’s credibility by its website design, and other studies suggest up to 94 percent of mistrust comes from weak design or UX. Wild, right?
So hiring a web dev is not just a “tech decision”. It is a brand, marketing, and sales decision. Especially if you are talking to a full web design and development agency like Design Henge in Chicago that offers strategy, UX, and digital marketing on top.
Let’s talk about what to look for so you do not end up with a pretty site that does nothing.
Start with Your Goals, Not Their Tech Stack
Most people start the hiring talk with tools.
“Do you know React?”
“Can you build in Shopify or WordPress?”
Wrong first question.
Better questions:
- What should this site actually do for the business in the next 12 months
- How will we measure success beyond “the site is live”
- Where does this project sit next to ads, email, and sales
You want someone who can translate business goals into a roadmap, not just a feature list. A good developer or business website development agency will:
- Ask you about leads, sales, internal workflow, and integrations before they suggest frameworks
- Push you to prioritize features instead of nodding at everything
- Talk about trade offs in plain language, not hide behind jargon
If the first conversation is only about tech buzzwords, that is a yellow flag.
Check Proof, Not Just Promises
Portfolios and case studies matter. A lot.
You are looking for proof they can handle:
- Your type of site
- Your level of complexity
- Your stage of growth
Things to check in their previous work:
- Have they built projects for similar industries, or at least similar complexity
- Do the sites look good on mobile, tablet, and desktop
- Are there examples of ecommerce, booking, or lead gen if you need those flows
A serious web design and development agency will often show before and after snapshots, metrics like conversion lifts, and client quotes that talk about results, not just “cool design”.
If they cannot show anything beyond a Dribbble style gallery, keep your guard up.
Make Sure They Think in SEO from Day One
You do not need your dev to be a full SEO strategist.
You do need them to understand SEO friendly web development.
That looks like:
- Clean, descriptive URLs instead of random parameters
- Logical heading structure, not a mess of H1s
- Fast loading code and asset handling
- Schema markup for products, articles, and local business where it makes sense
Remember this stat: 53 percent of mobile users leave if a site takes more than three seconds to load, and a one second delay can shave roughly 7 percent off conversions. That is not just “nice to have”. That is money leaving.
When you ask about SEO, listen for:
- How they handle redirects during redesigns
- How they avoid duplicate content on large sites
- How they work with content and marketing teams
If they say, “We just build it and your SEO person will fix the rest”, that is not good enough.
Demand Mobile First Thinking and Real Responsiveness
More than 52 percent of global web traffic comes from phones, and about 79 percent of people say they are more likely to revisit a mobile site if it is easy to use.
So “it kinda works on mobile” is not acceptable.
Look for responsive website development services that treat small screens as the primary canvas, not an afterthought:
- Designs that are tested in real devices, not only in desktop browser mocks
- Touch friendly tap targets, not tiny links
- Menus and filters that actually make sense on a thumb
When you review past work, do this:
- Open 3 portfolio sites on your phone
- Try to find a core action like “contact”, “add to cart”, or “book”
- Notice how many steps it takes and how it feels
If you get lost in overlays and weird sliders, imagine your customers doing the same.
Look for The Right Kind of Specialist
Not every developer fits every job.
Broadly, you will see:
- Front end devs focused on UI, layout, and interactions
- Back end devs focused on databases, integrations, and custom logic
- Full stack devs who do a bit of both
- Niche roles like e-commerce website developer for stores or app heavy builds
For a marketing site or brand refresh, a small team or studio offering professional web development services is often ideal. For heavily custom systems, you may need a bigger crew.
Quick checklist that helps:
- If you sell products online, ask about their experience with your platform plus payments, shipping, and tax
- If you rely on bookings or forms, ask about UX around those flows
- If you need complex integrations, dig into their back end experience
No one is great at everything. Honest devs admit that and bring in partners where needed.
Pay Attention to Process and Communication
You are not just hiring code. You are signing up for weeks or months of collaboration.
Good process usually looks like:
- Clear phases: discovery, UX, design, build, QA, launch
- A primary point of contact who actually replies
- Real project management tools, not chaos in email threads
Things to ask about:
- How often will we meet, and who will be in those calls
- What do you expect from us to keep things moving
- How do you handle change requests and scope creep
A steady business website development agency will happily walk you through their way of working, show real timelines, and explain what happens if something slips.
If the answer is basically “We will just figure it out as we go”, you are betting your launch on vibes.
Check Their Stack for SEO Friendly Growth
Tech stack is not everything, but it does shape what you can do next year.
You want:
- Popular, well supported platforms like WordPress, Shopify, or solid modern frameworks
- Hosting and deployment setups that can scale without drama
- Clean code that other developers can understand if you change partners later
When you talk about SEO friendly web development, listen for:
- How they handle Core Web Vitals on key templates
- How they structure content for future landing pages and campaigns
- How they keep third party scripts from bloating your pages
The right dev is not just thinking about launch day. They are thinking about next quarter’s promo, next year’s rebrand, and your long term traffic.
Think Beyond Launch: Support, Tweaks, and Redesigns
Your website is not a one and done project.
Content changes. Offers shift. UX patterns evolve.
So ask bluntly:
- What happens after launch
- Do you offer retainers or support blocks
- How do you handle bugs that show up once real users hit the site
A mature web design and development agency will have clear maintenance and website redesign services that keep things fresh without restarting from zero each time.
You want someone who will:
- Patch security issues quickly
- Help with new templates when marketing campaigns change
- Flag when your site is starting to feel dated before your customers do
That kind of long view is worth paying for.
Decide: Solo Dev or Full Agency
Both can work. It depends on your situation.
A solo dev is often a good fit if:
- You have a small, simple site
- You have design, content, and strategy covered in house
- You want a direct line to the person who writes the code
A web design and development agency makes sense if:
- You need strategy, UX, design, and development under one roof
- You plan to run paid traffic, email, and SEO on top of the build
- You want continuity for future projects and a deeper bench of skills
Here in Chicago, teams like Design Henge position themselves as that all in one partner, pairing responsive website development services with branding and digital advertising, so you are not juggling three vendors for one launch.
FAQs About Hiring a Web Developer
How much should I expect to invest in a professional website build?
Range is wide. A simple template based site from a freelancer might sit in the low four figures, while a custom build with UX, content, and integrations from a studio often runs into the tens of thousands. Good professional web development services will be transparent about what changes as budgets rise: more strategy, better UX, deeper QA, and more room for iterations.
Is it better to hire in house or work with an agency?
If your website is central to your product, having at least one in house developer can be powerful. For most small to mid sized businesses though, a strong business website development agency gives you a broader team for less than the cost of a full time senior dev. Many brands use a mix: agency for big pushes and internal people for day to day tweaks.
How do I know if a developer actually writes clean, maintainable code?
Ask to see code samples or repos for non confidential projects. Ask how they handle version control, code reviews, and documentation. You can also hire a neutral senior dev for a short review of their work if the project is big. Clean code is easier to extend, cheaper to maintain, and less risky when you bring in someone new later.
Should my web developer handle content and design too?
Sometimes. Some devs work in teams where design and content are covered inside a web design and development agency. Others will need you to bring designers and writers. The main point is clarity. You should know exactly who is responsible for UX, copy, SEO, and development before the project starts.
What about support and future redesigns?
Ask early about maintenance packages and website redesign services. Good partners expect your site to evolve and have structured options for ongoing work. If someone says “we just hand over the files and that’s it”, realise you may have to find another team sooner than you think.
Wrapping Up and Next Steps
Hiring a web developer is not about finding “the best coder on the planet”.
It is about finding someone who understands your business goals, builds for real users, respects SEO, and has a process you can actually live with.
If you want that kind of partner, Design Henge in Chicago offers professional web development services as part of a broader digital offering that includes branding, UX, and marketing.
You can reach the team at (872) 268-5809 or through the contact form. Whether you need a first build, an e-commerce website developer, or full website redesign services, you will get straight talk and a clear plan, not just pretty mockups.
