Hiring an agency or developer to work on your Magento store may seem like a daunting task, but finding the right one can be the key to success for your business. With so many agencies and developers out there, finding the right one can be difficult, so we’ve compiled some helpful tips that will help you hire the best agency possible.
Here are 10 Tips for Hiring the Right Magento Development Agency
1. Consider Certifications and Experience
If you’re looking to hire a Magento developer in India, then experience and certifications should play a critical role in your decision-making process.
While there are a number of online platforms where you can browse designers by price point or location, there are no industry standards around certifications or experience.
It is up to you, then, to figure out what qualifies as certified and how much experience is required for your project.
If possible, look at portfolios from previous projects; many web developers now have portfolios on their websites showcasing their recent work, so take some time to dig through these before making any decisions.
2. Smooth Communication
When you’re working with a development agency, it’s easy to get distracted by flashy websites and new features.
Take time to put in place communication strategies that allow you to keep your focus on managing the day-to-day operations of your business.
This will allow you to stay on top of what your development agency is doing, and give them clear instructions as they move through your project.
If they can understand exactly what you expect from them, then they should be able to provide better service.
3. Establishment of Needs
The most important thing for business owners to do when hiring a developer is to be crystal clear on what they need the software to do.
As long as it’s not obvious customization, the flexibility of templates means almost anything can be done with some quick customization.
However, there are certain features that would require significant changes in the base code and will cost your business owner extra time and money.
And that’s why knowing exactly what your business needs is so vital.
4. Consider The Price Point
When looking to hire a development agency or developer, you should consider their pricing as well as their past work. When comparing price points, be sure to compare apples to apples.
The scope of work should be identical so that you are able to make an accurate comparison of what you will be getting for your money.
Also, remember that price doesn’t necessarily reflect quality—and some bargain-basement deals may not hold up in both functionality and security once your website is launched and is used by real customers.
Finally, realize that hiring a good agency or developer can save you money over time by reducing your own time spent on updates and fixes after launch.
5. Check Out Client Testimonials
Before you hire a company to build your site, make sure you check out their client testimonials.
The developers have worked with several well-known clients and have been featured in publications like Forbes and Mashable. While reading about their experience with previous clients can be helpful, nothing compares to talking to them directly.
Ask for testimonials from previous customers—and call those customers yourself to get a better idea of what it’s like working with them.
6. Examine The Portfolio
You should ask to see a developer’s portfolio before hiring them. Make sure they have experience with Magento so you know if they are a good fit for your project.
You want to make sure that their work aligns with your company’s goals and vision. If you can get in touch with some of their clients and hear from them directly, that is even better.
This will help you make an informed decision about whether or not it is worth working with a particular agency.
If you do end up hiring someone new, make sure to get references for future projects so you don’t waste any time!
7. Check Technological Expertise
It’s important to make sure that your website will work with technology and design trends. Often, it’s cheaper to outsource smaller items rather than pay a large salary to someone who might not be in tune with your needs.
For example, you can hire a firm that specializes in search engine optimization or learn how to do it yourself if you don’t have much budget.
One way or another, keeping up with technological trends is important; if you ignore them, your site could become dated quickly or not show up when people are searching for products like yours.
It’s best to stay ahead of technology rather than behind it; updating regularly will be easier and more cost-effective than overhauling your site once its problems become apparent.
8. Seek For Quality
When you are looking to hire a new web developer, look for someone with high-quality code samples.
You want to be sure that your programmer is someone who will write good, clean code that won’t cause you headaches down the road. Also, make sure that he or she has experience in your specific industry and sector.
While there are plenty of developers out there who are great at general programming, knowing specific technical jargon in a niche field will help ensure success from day one.
Finally, a designer with portfolio pieces available should absolutely be taken into consideration before any hiring decisions are made.
Look at their work closely and decide if it’s something you can live with on your site as well as have pride in every time you show it off to others.
9. Timely Completion
When outsourcing your project, one of your biggest concerns is how to make sure that it’s completed on time.
While you might want to hire an agency that promises quick results, keep in mind that they probably aren’t going to be able to follow through.
A better option is hiring an agency with more developers than you expect you’ll need—that way if something happens and someone can’t work on your project for a short period of time, it won’t slow down your entire timeline.
Make sure you have contingency plans in place before any project starts. Also, pay attention to feedback from early-on meetings: Are there areas where things are starting out slowly?
10. Post Development Support
Regardless of whether you hire an independent developer or a development agency, make sure that they provide post-development support.
You may think you’re going to have your website ready to go on launch day, but, chances are there will be some fine-tuning needed.
If your developer doesn’t provide continued support after launch day, then their work could actually hurt your sales instead of helping them.
Make sure you have someone on call who can keep your site up and running smoothly for as long as possible.
Final wrap up
Finding the right agency or freelancer can make all the difference when you want to launch your business’s online store.
With more than 200,000 development agencies in the world, it’s crucial to hire Magento developers that have experience and expertise with the software.
Finding one that understands the nuances of e-commerce is also a must—you don’t want an agency that pushes generic solutions just because they have some code that could be used as a starting point.
Make sure you get multiple quotes from different Magento development agencies. So you can compare their quotes, expertise, and portfolios before deciding which one is best for your project.