Checklist: what to prepare before you hire a freelance web developer
A little preparation gets you a better quote, a faster project and fewer surprises. Use this list before you send your first message.
By Stepan Khlebushkin4 min read
Hiring a freelance developer works best when both sides know what is being built. You do not need technical knowledge. You need a clear idea of your goal, your content and your limits. This checklist covers what to prepare and what to ask.
Before you contact anyone
- Describe your business in two sentences and name your typical customer.
- Decide the one main action a visitor should take: call, book, request a quote or buy.
- List the pages or features you want, and mark which are essential and which are optional.
- Collect logos, photos, prices and text, or decide who will write them.
- Save two or three websites you like and note what you like about each.
- Set a budget range and a target launch date, even a rough one.
Questions to ask the developer
- Can I see similar work, and who was it for?
- What exactly is included in the price, and what counts as an extra?
- How many rounds of changes are included?
- Who owns the code, the design and the domain when the project ends?
- What are the running costs after launch: hosting, domain, maintenance?
- How will the site be found on Google? Is basic SEO included?
- How quickly do you reply, and how do we communicate during the project?
What the agreement should say
- A written scope with named deliverables.
- A fixed price or a clear estimate with a ceiling, tied to milestones.
- A delivery timeline and what you must provide to keep it.
- Ownership of the finished work transferred to you.
- What happens if the scope changes.
Warning signs
- No written scope, only a verbal promise.
- A price that is far below every other quote, with no explanation.
- The developer keeps the domain or the hosting account in their own name.
- Pressure to pay everything up front.
Working with a solo developer means you talk directly to the person who builds your project, which usually means faster answers and less lost in translation. If you are ready, the quote form takes about a minute and gives you a first estimate to compare.