A few years ago, I was in need of a website for a small project. So, I went on the net to find developers. Within an hour, my inbox was flooded with quotes. Some of the quotes were ridiculously low. Others made me wonder if they thought I was a big corporation.
The wrong choice was made. I made the wrong choice. I went with the lowest quote. It ended up taking three months longer than expected. It looked nothing like the design they showed me. And when I asked for changes, they stopped returning my calls.
However, a lot was learned from the experience. A wrong choice was made. A wrong choice was made. It is not about the price. It is about finding the best fit for your needs. I have worked with a few companies over the years. I have learned what works and what does not. I will share what I have learned with you.
There are thousands of skilled developers coming out of India every year. The quality of technical education is high. English is a widely spoken language. And, of course, the cost of living is lower than in Western countries. All these reasons combine to make Indian development companies extremely competitive.
You can find development teams for nearly any technology. React, Angular, Laravel, Django, WordPress, Shopify. Whatever platform you need, there is a development team in India that builds it well.
Additionally, India is in a great time zone for working with Western countries. Many Indian development teams work during their local day, which means they are working during their evenings when communicating with Western clients. This makes communication and management of projects easier than you might expect.
But here is the thing. Not all development companies are created equal. There are excellent ones, average ones, bad ones. And then there is the issue of how to differentiate between them.
After working on numerous projects, talking to numerous companies, I have come to realize that there are a few things that make a great company from a mediocre or poor one.
A great company listens more than they talk. In my first meeting with a potential partner, I like to know how many questions they are asking. Do they immediately want to discuss pricing without asking questions about my business? A great company wants to know about my customers, my products, my goals.
A great company shows you their work. Anyone can create a beautiful portfolio. I like to know if they have live examples of sites they have created. Do they work quickly? Do they work well on mobile devices? Do they even work? A fancy design means nothing if the contact form doesn't work.
A great company is transparent. They'll tell you how long a project will take. They'll tell you who will be working on your project. They'll give you a timeline. Vague promises are a sign of a company that is not great.
I have made nearly every single one of these mistakes myself. So learn from my blunders.
Mistake number one is choosing based solely on pricing. The cheapest option is going to have cut corners somewhere. Maybe it’s using a template and pretending it’s custom design. Maybe it’s skipping out on tests and delivering a site with known problems. Whatever it is, it’s not worth months of trouble for saving a few thousand rupees.
Mistake number two is failing to verify references. I used to skip this one myself, as it’s a bit awkward to do. But don’t do this. Ask for references from their previous clients. A five-minute phone call to one of their previous clients can tell you more than any sales pitch.
Mistake number three is failing to verify ownership. Some companies will host your site through their own account. And when the project is done, they’ll hold your site hostage unless you pay them more money. Make sure that everything is owned by you, from the domain to the hosting account to the source code. Everything.
The fourth mistake is that of communication style. If a company responds to your first email in two days, then just imagine how slow they will be once they have your money.
Let me walk you through my evaluation process. I use this every time I need to hire a development partner.
The first step is to evaluate their portfolio. I do not just look at screenshots. I look at live sites. I click on all the pages. I check if the forms work. I check mobile responsiveness. I check the site on Google PageSpeed Insights. A good company builds fast sites.
The second step is reading reviews of clients. I check Google reviews, Clutch reviews, and even Reddit. Of course, I do not trust five-star reviews. Those are usually fake. The ones that are three or four stars are usually honest.
The third step is to have a real conversation. I do not trust companies that do not want to talk. I get a video call or a phone call. I ask them questions. What size team do they have? Who will be my daily point of contact? What if my lead developer leaves? What they say will tell me how organized they are.
The fourth step is to ask them to do a small test project. Before committing to a big website, I ask them to build me a small feature or a small page. This way, I will see how good they are. This way, if it does not work out, I will not have spent a lot of money.
Not all companies are suited for all projects. Knowing the types of development companies will help you make a wise decision.
There are freelancers who are basically individuals who work alone or with a maximum of two assistants. This type of company is usually the cheapest. This type of company is best suited for small projects such as a five-page business website or a blog. The disadvantage of hiring a freelancer lies in the possibility of his sickness or absence. There will be nobody to replace him.
There are small agencies that employ between five and twenty people. This type of company is better than hiring a freelancer. You will be provided with a project manager, a designer, and a developer. This type of company is best suited for medium-sized projects such as an ecommerce website or a custom web application.
Large agencies employ fifty or more individuals. They have formal systems, multiple teams, and quality assurance. They work on complex applications such as enterprise systems or high traffic applications. Their pricing is high. Small businesses do not need this level of service.
Off-shore development centers are Indian offices of foreign companies. They work with only this one parent company. You cannot hire them directly.
For most small and medium-sized businesses, a small agency is the best choice because of quality, reliability, and price.
I have a running list of questions that I store as reminders on my phone. I ask these questions in each and every discovery call.
How many developers will be working on my project? One developer will be sufficient for a small project. A bigger project will need a minimum of two programmers, in case one of them is not available.
What is your process for dealing with bugs after launch? There will be bugs after launching a website. A good company will offer you a warranty period of thirty days or more for free. They will correct their mistakes without charging you extra.
Do you write tests for your code? That is a question that distinguishes between amateur developers and professional ones. Professional developers write tests for their code so that they can catch bugs before you ever see them. Most freelancers skip this step completely.
What happens if I want to add a feature in the middle of a project? You might encounter scope creep. A good company helps you manage scope creep without getting angry or confused. They'll explain to you how this affects your timeline or budget. Then you can decide.
Over the years, I have come to understand the importance of trusting my gut. There are red flags that make me walk away from a potential business.
When a company says it will deliver within a certain timeframe that is unrealistic, walk away. It takes a minimum of four to six weeks to create a custom website. Any company that says it will deliver within two weeks is a liar or using a template.
When a company is unwilling to sign a contract, walk away. A contract is supposed to protect the two of you. No contract means nothing is enforceable.
When a company asks for full payment before work begins, walk away. The norm is 50 percent before work begins and 50 percent when the work is completed. Some ask for 30 percent, 30 percent, 40 percent over a period of three milestones. Any company asking for full payment before work begins is a scam.
When a company cannot show you a single live website it has built, walk away. Having a portfolio of mockups and designs is not enough. You want to see live sites.
If the communication is poor with bad English written, then think carefully about that. Grammar snobs? No. Bad communication can result in misunderstandings about the needs. Misunderstandings result in the wrong website.
The website is not a one-time buy. It is a living creature that needs attention.
Every company you interview should be asked about their maintenance strategy. Do they have monthly maintenance packages? What is their hourly rate for extra work? How quickly do they respond to emergencies such as a hacked site or a crashed server?
Some companies will make your site and then disappear. Some will provide an affordable monthly maintenance package that includes things such as updates, backups, security monitoring, etc. The latter is worth the extra cost.
My personal preference is for companies that provide hosting as part of their maintenance package. If the same people handle both the code and the hosting, then any problems get solved quickly. No need for pointing fingers at each other between the hosting company and the coder.
I'll give you some real numbers based on my experience. These are for quality work from a small Indian agency.
For a basic business website of five to ten pages, you're looking at a cost of 30,000 to 80,000 rupees. This includes a responsive design, forms, and basic SEO.
For an ecommerce website of up to a hundred products, you're looking at a cost of 80,000 to 2,00,000 rupees. This includes a shopping cart, payment gateway integration, and order management.
For a custom web application with user accounts, dashboards, and database integration, you're looking at a cost of 2,00,000 rupees and beyond.
For monthly maintenance and hosting, you're looking at a cost of 3,000 to 15,000 rupees. Again, these are averages. Some companies will charge you less and give you less. Some companies will charge you more and give you more.
After working with several businesses in India, I have a strong recommendation for most businesses.
A small development company with five to fifteen employees is probably your best bet. They have enough employees to have a process and a backup team. They have enough employees to personally care for your project. Their rates are affordable because their overhead is low.
Don't worry about looking for companies based in other cities or towns. Development companies based in Nagpur, Indore, or Jaipur charge less than development companies based in Mumbai, Delhi, or Bangalore. The quality is the same because developers work remotely anyway.
Seek agencies that specialize in your platform of interest. If you want a WordPress platform, seek a WordPress specialist. If you want a custom web application, seek a Laravel or Django specialist. For a simple application, a generalist will do. For a complex application, a specialist will do better.
Do not shy away from working with agencies that are not located in metropolitan cities. There are many development agencies in cities like Nagpur, Indore, or Jaipur that offer their services at a lower price than what agencies in Mumbai, Delhi, or Bangalore charge. This is because developers work from home anyway.
The best way to find a good website development company in India is to be patient. You will talk to a number of companies before you find a good one. That is perfectly normal. That is perfectly good. Being in a hurry will only make you regret your decision.
First of all, make a note of your requirements. They should be very specific. Next, you should talk to five or six companies. You should talk to at least three of them in person. Ask them the questions I asked you above. Ask them for a small test project from your first choice.
Just trust your instincts. If something does not smell right, then it probably is not. There are a number of good companies out there. You do not need to settle for a bad one.
The right partner in website development can be a boon for your business. The wrong one can be a disaster. The difference between a good or bad experience lies in how you go about making your selection.
Take your time. Ask all your tough questions. Verify references. Begin with a small project. Get everything in writing. And don't assume that the cheapest solution will be the best value.
India has some of the best developers in the world. With a little effort, you can find the right company for your project. And when you do, the result will be a website that serves your business well for years to come.
These are the lessons that I have learned the hard way so that you do not have to. Now go find your perfect partner and get to work!
About the Author
This article has been published by Anshu Web Solutions, a company specializing in website development for businesses. We cater to businesses in India. We specialize in providing small business websites, IT company websites, and corporate websites. Our team is based in Delhi NCR and serve businesses all over India.
We believe in transparent and competitive pricing. If you would like to view our portfolio or get a quote,
visit us at https://anshuwebsolutions.com/.
