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We are Christina and Peter Pilarski, founders and leaders of CIPR Communications.

There is no shortage of companies and sole proprietors out there offering website development services, so how do you go about choosing the right one? We each put together a list of the five most important things we look for in a web developer.

Peter’s Top 5 Criteria for Web Developers

Peter’s list of essential characteristics for good web developers are:

  • A Strong Process: Your web developer should have a process-focused approach to your project, with a well-defined procedure to take it from the initial meeting to the launch of the site and beyond.
  • Flexibility: While web developers should follow a strong process of their own, they should also have the ability and willingness to make adjustments and accommodate your ideas, processes and needs.
  • Good Project Management Skills: Along with creative ability and technical know-how, a web developer or web development team should also have the ability to manage their process and drive a project to completion, setting and reaching milestones in a timely, efficient manner.
  • Technical Ability: This is an obvious point. A web developer needs to know all the ins and outs of web design, as well as the digital marketing world of which their particular discipline forms a part.
  • Problem Solving: No project goes entirely to plan. Problems will arise and your web developer needs to be able to tackle them as and when they do.

All of these attributes are discernible in your initial contacts with a web developer. You can tell by their sales pitch and process whether or not they possess these five indispensable qualities.

What Christina Looks For in a Web Designer

There are several points of alignment between our two lists, but Christina’s has a slightly different angle.

  • Relationship and Personality Fit: Before you even start discussing the details, make sure you have found a person you can work with. Your project will take some time to complete, so there needs to be a strong synergy between you to keep it moving forward successfully.
  • Expertise: This aligns with Peter’s fourth criterion. Aside from being someone you can work with, your web developer needs to possess all the expertise and skills required to complete a web development project, leading to the creation of a website that will meet and exceed your business and marketing goals.
  • A Great Content Team: Our approach to web development is content-centric, as we explained in our previous episode. A web developer must understand your content needs and know how to help you fill your new site with great, relevant content.
  • Project Management: Both of us regard great project management as a vital core skill that any web development team must have.
  • “Will They Love You and Leave You?” Choose a web developer who has a process in place to support and assist you as you launch and run your site. You don’t want someone who will leave you without the ability to edit, change and adjust your site according to your evolving needs.

Listen to our in-depth discussion of these criteria in our podcast.

Find out more about CIPR Communications’ approach to web design services by listening to the seventh series of our podcast. For more information about website design, from site maps to website development, as well as content marketing, SEO and our other services, read our blog, listen to otherr podcast episodes, or contact us.

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Top 5 Things You Need in a Web Developer

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