Choosing a local web developer: the questions to ask

Seven questions separate web providers, agencies and freelancers alike. Here they are, with what a good answer should contain. Ask them at the first meeting, before you commit to anything: a serious provider answers them straight, and one who dodges saves you time.

1. Who actually writes the code?

With many providers, the person you meet at the sales stage isn't the one who writes the code. Ask to meet the developer. When it's the same person from quote to launch, every question gets its answer without a middleman.

2. Where are the reviews, and can they be verified?

Google reviews tied to a business profile, named testimonials with company and role, client pages you can browse. A wall of logos without names or context proves nothing.

3. Is the quote itemised line by line?

An opaque package always hides something: the page count, the languages, the rights, the limits. Demand the detail and compare like with like.

4. Who owns the code, the content and the domain?

The awkward question, to ask before signing. If the domain is registered in the provider's name or the code stays their property, you are locked in. Everything must belong to you.

5. Are the recurring costs written in black and white?

Hosting, maintenance, domain name: a site lives on after launch. Hidden fees always end up showing on the first invoice.

6. What happens when it breaks?

Who answers, how fast, at what rate? A written response time (for instance within one business day) beats a verbal promise.

7. Can you call a local reference?

A serious provider has clients near you who will talk. Two minutes on the phone beat any portfolio.

Why choose a local web developer?

Proximity helps with scoping and training, and a local provider stakes their reputation on their own turf. But competence beats geography: better a good developer thirty minutes away than a mediocre one on your street. The right compromise: scoping on site, the rest remotely. That's how I work across French-speaking Belgium, from Huy to Liège. And question 7 applies to me too: my testimonials are named and verifiable, and if you want to call a client, ask me for the number.