How to spot a Fake Developer

How to spot a Fake Developer

Jun 26, 2008 3:22 AM by Paul White

Submit Forms.
Every good developer will provide a contact page with a submit form so your customers have a way to contact you.  If they only provide a mailto link which opens their local email client this is not good.  Mailto links are the same as putting your name and number on the bathroom door at a truck stop, alot of people you don't want to have your contact information will have it.  In the digital world  Spammers can easily snatch your email address and they put you on every spam list giving you an endless stream of penis enhancement emails.  Submit forms prevent this kind of abuse.

Hosting
If your developer wants to host you with any of the big hosts ( 1&1, GoDaddy ) they do not have your interests at heart.  Many of the bigger hosting companies outsource their tech support to call centers in india or china.  This makes simple issues like email, and FTP access very difficult.  That and long wait times are destined to cause you fustration.  I host all my clients websites with HostMySite.com  Their prices are competitive, and their tech support is the best.  They are located out of delaware, and have a staff of knowledgable amercians who enjoy helping clients.  They are also there 24 hours / day with no hold times.  My average client pays $13/ month for their hosting.  If your developer wants to host the site from their home computer this is not good.  Home DSL or Cable modems, do not have the bandwidth to support website hosting, nor is your developer going to be there 24/7 in case something goes down.  Never let your developer play middleman with the hosting. The Hosting should be setup direct with the client.  If you developer wants to play middleman, this is so they can put a markup on the hosting.  Good developers make their money from building quaility websites,  not from hosting.

In a box websites. 
If your developer is toughting some in a box solution, be very wary of them.  Some in a box systems are very good ( forum, and blog systems ), but even the best in a box systems, have their limits.  Most of the developers that use in a box systems are because they don't have the experience to write their own code.  This also means when it comes time to tweak the in a box system they might not be experienced enough to do this either.  Find a developer that can write their own code, and isn't 100% dependant on using pre fabricated systems.

Search Engine Optimization
Even though you want your website to look good ( flash, graphics, ext ),  Unless you plan on using word of mouth as your only traffic generator, you need to have your site optimized for the search Engines.  This might mean ditching that fancy font, or raster graphics for text, but the result is your website will rank higher on google than other websites that do not use good SEO.

Updates must go through them
If your website gets updated more than once a quarter, you should have a backend control panel so you can make your own updates.  This requires a developer that knows how to code database driven web applications.  If you don't have this kind of control of your website, and you are paying your developer every time you want to make a change, then its time to find a new developer.  You might spend a little more $ up front but it will save you thousands over time.  Saving money now will only cost you in the long run.

Overcharging for the easiest things
I have seen developers do things like charge 1 hour to make a link.  This takes less than 2 minutes.  They charge 3 hours to change out a picture.  This takes 10 minutes max.  If your developer is charging you like this, its time to find someone else.

What to not judge a developer on.
The fact is when developers start out they have very little experience, and have very low hourly rates.  I have seen some guys charge only $20 / hour to work on websites.  But this is also because they will take several hours to get anything done.  They might charge $20 / hour and take 5 times as long as a developer that charges $50/ hour or even $120 / hour.  The higher priced guys might get the job done faster and with fewer bugs than a new developer.  But if your project doesn't have a set deadline, and you are willing to let a new developer learn on the job with your site, it can't hurt to let them try. 

Be specific on what and when
If you email a developer like so.
Hi, I need a website for my business, how much and when can it be done?

Some developers won't even respond, as its obvious you don't understand the process, potentially a high maintainence client that wants everything for nothing.  Its important to look organized.  Make a flow chart of how you want the website to be organized, and how you want it to funciton.  Provide references to other sites you like, and your competition.  Its important to show what you want and like, even color choices, than to be negative.  A developer doesn't expect you to know everything, but they do expect you to understand your market and business.  If you need your website up in two days, be sure to say so, if you can wait two months then say so.  Sometimes developers will charge less if your project doesn't have an difficult deadline.  If you need your site up in two days, forcing the developer to put off other clients, and sleep, you might have to pay more.

Giving a price with little information
If you ask your developer how much for a website and they give you an exact price without knowing anything about your project, they are going to under delivery.  Move on and find someone else, even if that means spending more $$.
Readers Comments

Aug 28, 2008 1:32 AM Ron
Some good tips but people might take you more serously if you corrected all the spelling and grammer mistakes. Even your articles title is in error.
Aug 28, 2008 1:47 AM WhiteSites
Sorry about the spelling and syntax errors.  I have been meaning to overhaul this blog, just have to find the time. Thanks
Aug 28, 2008 10:08 AM Ronald Treitner
No problem I sometimes post before checking myself, it looks much better now. :)
 
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