Top 10 qualities to look for while hiring website development consultants

A website opens the door for many potential customers in less time. Many are aware of it and want to take advantage of the opportunity. However, new brands often need help to make an impact on websites and visitors. That’s when website development consultants help by adding value and insights to your business ideas.

Having a website for your business is crucial when the digital world is thriving. According to Internet Live Stats, there are more than 1.5 billion websites available worldwide. Among these, the active numbers are 200 million or less. And you’re also thinking of hiring a consultant to help you with better strategies to get counted among the numbers.

In this blog, we’ve discussed the top 10 qualities to ensure that you get a perfect match.

Technical skills

Programming language

Understand the website development consultants’ proficiency in programming languages. The languages include HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python, PHP, Node.js, etc.

Framework and libraries

Know about their experience with popular and valuable frameworks such as React, angular, Vue.js, Bootstrap, etc.

Performance

They should be knowledgeable about the overall performance of websites. The websites they create must be responsive, mobile-friendly, and SEO-optimized.

Work experience

Diverse portfolio

The consultant must have a portfolio of different types of websites and projects they’ve worked on. The projects could be e-commerce, blogs, and corporate. This will make you understand their ability to work with diverse tasks.

Client's testimonial

To understand their work ethics, ask for previous clients’ testimonials or study cases. That’ll let you know those clients’ satisfaction levels and the consultant’s ability to meet the deadlines.

Innovative solutions

Try to look for specific examples in study cases where they’ve encountered any challenging problems that they’ve solved with their innovative solutions.

Problem-solving skills

Analytical thinking

Hire individuals who are good with their analytical thinking. They must know how to break down the problems and manage them well to find a better solution.

Creativity

Your consultant must think creatively. It will help you to stand out with innovative solutions rather than those conventional approaches. So, it’s better if the consultants think outside the box.

Time management

Asses if they’re able to solve and manage problems on time without compromising the quality of work. Make sure that they tackle the issues effectively.

Communication skills

Active listening

When the perfect match in consultanting, the quality of active listening is essential. The consultant must listen to your goals and requirements carefully. Any problems in communication can bring harm to the business.

Adaptability in communication styles

Based on the audience and clients, they must adapt their communication style to each. If they can’t, then the communication gaps will affect your business goals and bring unnecessary risks.

Conflict resolutions

See how they handle conflicts and disagreements within a team. And see how much they’re capable of coming up with resolutions to the issues. A positive work environment within a group is necessary to bring positive outcomes.

Adaptability with continuous learning

Learning attitude

Discuss their recent projects and see their attitude when it comes to learning. They must upskill themselves as it shows their commitment, passion, and desire to grow together.

Keeping up with trends

Ask questions about trends and emerging technologies. A consultant who keeps up with new tools, approaches, and trends is highly likely to bring change to your business.

Feedback and iteration

Know their views on feedback from clients and users, then finally work on it. See how they handle feedback to bring positive changes to the projects.

Project and time management

Prioritization

They must be capable of prioritizing tasks according to needs and deadlines. It should be effectively done to meet the quality expectations.

Organization

The consultant must be able to follow the project details and plans effectively. When things are organized, it helps to complete the tasks on time.

Efficiency

Be sure that the consultant is efficient enough to provide the work within deadlines. Plus, they maintain the expected quality of work you need.

Attention to quality assurance

Code review skills

Make sure that they write clean and organized code. You can do that by collecting their previous work samples or by technical assessments.

Documentation

Assess their habits of documentation. See how they handle the whole process as it affects the quality of the final result.

Attention to user experience

See if they pay attention to the details of user experience as they need to come up with seamless and user-friendly solutions. It’s a quality beyond technical functionality.

Work ethics and professionalism

Respect the deadlines

See their record of meeting the project deadlines. If they’ve missed any, ask the genuine reason behind it. It shows their work ethics so that you can decide whether you can rely on them or not.

Transparency and honesty

The website development consultants must show ethical practices and transparency when it comes to the methods, costs, and potential conflicts.

Code of conduct and certifications

Ask about their knowledge of industry standards certification that showcases their commitment to the guidelines, like adherence to GDPR, ADA compliance, and so on.

Industry insights

Understanding of business goals

Look for someone who can grasp your business goals and objectives. Only then can you both work on strategies and planning.

Market Awareness

The consultant must have a keen knowledge of market research. They should demonstrate all areas, such as trends, competition, market demands, supplies, etc.

Risk management

See their ability to identify risks and manage them effectively. Otherwise, it’ll affect the project timeline, budget, and quality.

Passion and commitment

Personal projects and contributions

When it’s about web development, consider consultants who participate in open-source contributions and community involvement. It’s great if they also engage in personal projects.

Long-term vision

They can become valuable assets if they show their dedication to continuous progress and improvements. They must envision long-term success for your website.

Cultural fit

Last but not least, make sure the culture fit is perfect among the consultant and your team. A dedicated consultant will respect your company’s ethics and work harder to achieve the ultimate goals

Questions to ask while hiring

We’ve prepared 10 essential questions to ask the website development consultant. The questions will help you in seeking the qualities mentioned above.

Please tell us your previous work experience on projects similar to our requirements.
Can you show us some references from the websites you developed?
Which programming language and technologies are you well-versed in?
How do you ensure the security of the website you create?
How do you manage project timelines?
What is your approach to testing and debugging?
How much experience do you have in integrating third-party services and APIs?
Which CMS (content management system) do you suggest for our project?
Can you explain your pricing structure?
What support do you offer for maintenance after the website is launched?

Conclusion

That’s all you got in this blog. Website development consultants guide you with the development process, UX strategies, content planning, and ongoing support to improve it further. Therefore, assessing their portfolio and asking relevant questions are necessary steps. By that, you’ll understand their technical skills, passion, and professionalism. This way, you both can avoid any possible misunderstandings or conflicts in the future and achieve common goals together.

Are you looking for a software consultant to help you level up your business? Then, get ready to win this digital world. Let’s talk and discuss the project you have in mind. Get strategies to build cost-effective, excellent software that your target audience would use.