While web and graphic design play a considerable role in what marketing agencies do, software development and programming often do not. A cursory search of the internet will answer most questions about the differences between web designers and web developers, so we’ll restrict that discussion here. However, the main point to remember is that creating an aesthetically pleasing website is not the same as programming a fully-operational one.
Marketing firms skilled in web and graphic design have come to rely on programming outsourcers like One Blink Technology, a bespoke software development company, for professional development services. Once your firm has found the perfect page look, layout, and interface, a skilled web developer will help you program and synch the site for optimal functionality. In other words, an experienced programmer can do all the tedious work on the backend to ensure a robust and secure final outcome for your next website project.
How To Hire An Outsourced Developer
It shouldn’t take long to realize you need a developer, but finding the right one for your projects is often a challenge. If your marketing agency has a track record for creating visually stunning websites, you never want to risk passing the baton off to a developer who lacks suitable programming experience. So, what is the best approach for hiring an outsourced web development firm?
Here are a few important factors to consider as you start the search for a new web development company:
- Background and experience
- Developer’s schedule and availability
- Cost of services
- Project turn-time estimates
- Mitigation procedures
- Content management options
Developer Experience Matters
While new developers with advanced degrees from elite universities often do bring value to organizations, candidates with a wealth of professional experience are more valuable than less seasoned developers with a college background and advanced certificates. The team of bespoke software developers at One Blink Technology has decades of experience in software programming and website development. As you begin engaging prospective developers, we strongly urge you to probe the engineering company about its areas of specialty and technical expertise.
Foremost, you should ask about the developer’s background in your preferred programming languages. Many programmers come strongly recommended, but they may require training if they lack experience in your company’s programming languages. At a minimum, the developers should be able to handle JavaScript, HTML, PHP, MySQL, Flash, and CSS with relative ease.
Content Manageability
You want to ensure the developer you hire can effectively manage your backend development requirements by asking questions about the firm’s content management capabilities during the interview process. This is essentially the only chance you’ll have to find out before onboarding the prospect. Because backend development is often overlooked, yet still important, many companies fail to address it adequately. So many businesses emphasize fast project completion, which means content manageability cannot be overly complicated.
With this goal in mind, the developer must be skilled enough to keep the coding of your advanced project clean and simple to avoid confusion when you later make changes to your site. On these same lines, you need a fast processing system that typically requires a well-seasoned developer to pull off, so programmer experience is a critical factor when making a decision.
Cost Considerations
Whenever marketing companies consider hiring a developer, whether outsourcing or bringing one on permanently in-house, the final decision usually comes down to pricing. Most firms believe hiring a developer is expensive, and that the costs rarely justify the means. Some marketing teams support in-house programmers that develop and maintain their customer’s sites on the backend.
Many smaller businesses, however, prefer to outsource their development tasks to help reduce costs. Working with a third-party web developer offers a more flexible solution for smaller companies operating on thinner budgets. When you hire someone in-house, keeping the employee on full-time can be difficult to justify when you’re light on new projects. Working with an outsourced web developer gives you more power to shift your staffing models around as needed.
If suddenly, you find your marketing firm operating at peak capacity, you can easily bring on a well-vetted and highly skilled programmer that is right for your projects. Should, for any reason, a particular developer not work out, a reputable outsourcer will always replace the resource with one who better serves your purposes. When you outsource, you rarely have to worry about hiring and training someone new since the appropriate tools and talent are always available.
When you do opt for outside support, just make sure that your preferred developer’s turnaround times are consistent with market averages. Most developers cite two to four weeks for their projects. Quotes longer than this timeframe usually mean the developer has too many projects ahead of yours, and you would probably be better off looking elsewhere if you’re on a tight deadline.
Our team of bespoke software developers can usually start working on your project by the next business day. If not, we’ll give an honest representation of when we can complete your project, which we always deliver hassle-free and on time.
Planning To Outsource? Get A Free Quote Now
If you’ve found yourself turning away too many potential clients because your marketing agency lacks the necessary programming expertise, consider partnering with One Blink Technology.
We’re a skilled group of test-driven, bespoke software developers focused on providing clean, maintainable code to our clients. For more on how our unique techniques and concepts can help set your marketing firm apart, complete our online request for contact form now. We’ll explain how we can expedite all your backed development work and help you cut operating costs.
