Hiring guide
How to Hire a Web Developer
Hiring a web developer: scope the site, front-end vs full-stack, where to source, a small paid build task, red flags and what to own at handover.
The short answer
Hiring a Web Developer comes down to verifying semantic html, modern css and javascript, a front-end framework such as react, vue or svelte, if the project needs one and a cms such as wordpress or a headless cms for content-led sites before you commit interview time. The process below runs 5 stages, screens on evidence rather than résumé claims, and scores every candidate against the same criteria.
- Watch for: Proposes a stack before asking what the site needs to do and who will update it
- Watch for: Hosts the site or registers the domain in their own name
- Score on: Quality and readability of the code
- Score on: Mobile behaviour, accessibility and page speed of the test page
Paste your Web Developer job description; Cohesyve finds, contacts and tests candidates on the real work and ranks them. Ten candidates free, no card.
Applying for a role like this? Practise the assessment free →To hire a web developer, first scope what you are building: a marketing site on a CMS, a custom web app, or changes to an existing site, because each needs different skills. Many projects go wrong because a business hires someone strong in one of these for another. This guide covers where to look, what to check, a practical paid task and what you should own when the work is done.
Why this role matters
A web developer builds and maintains the site your customers, candidates and investors judge you by. Good work loads fast, works on phones, is accessible and is easy for your team to update. Poor work leaves you locked into one person, with slow pages, security gaps and a site nobody else can maintain.
Where to find candidates
- LinkedIn and GitHub, searching for developers who have built sites in your chosen stack
- Freelance platforms such as Upwork, Toptal and Contra for project work
- We Work Remotely and Wellfound for remote and startup developers
- Local web and JavaScript meetups and front-end conferences
- Web agencies if you need design, content and development handled together
- Referrals from companies whose sites you admire, asking who built them
Skills to look for
Red flags
- Proposes a stack before asking what the site needs to do and who will update it
- Hosts the site or registers the domain in their own name
- Portfolio sites that fail basic checks on a phone or are slow to load
- No mention of accessibility, backups or security updates
- Will not use version control or share the repository
- Fixed quotes with no written scope, leading to disputes later
The interview process
- 1
Scope the project
Write down the pages or features, who will update content, integrations such as forms, CRM or payments, hosting preferences and deadlines. This lets candidates quote on the same basis.
- 2
Portfolio and code review
Open their past sites on a phone and run a speed and accessibility check. Ask what they personally built, and for a repository or code sample if possible.
- 3
Technical conversation
Ask how they would approach your project: stack, CMS, hosting, how content editors will work and how they would test before launch.
- 4
Paid build task
Commission a small, paid piece of real work, such as building one responsive, accessible page from your design with a working contact form. Judge the code, the result on mobile and how they communicated. A job simulation of the real work is one option when comparing several developers.
- 5
Contract and handover terms
Agree scope, milestones, support after launch and that you own the domain, hosting account, repository and all code. Check one or two references.
Cohesyve
Start the Web Developer interviews from a ranked shortlist
Cohesyve takes your Web Developer job description, finds and contacts candidates and tests each one on an AI job simulation of the job, so the stages above start with people who have already done the work. Ten candidates free, no card.
How to evaluate
- Quality and readability of the code
- Mobile behaviour, accessibility and page speed of the test page
- Fit of their proposed stack to your team's ability to maintain it
- Attention to security and form handling
- Communication during the task and clarity of estimates
- Willingness to hand over everything you need to run the site without them
Onboarding
- 1Create the hosting, domain and repository accounts in your company's name and invite them
- 2Share brand guidelines, design files and content in one place
- 3Agree a staging site and a review process before anything goes live
- 4Set up analytics, backups and uptime monitoring as part of the build
- 5Ask for short documentation on how to edit content and deploy changes
Common questions
What is the difference between a web developer and a web designer?
A web designer focuses on layout, visual design and user experience. A web developer turns those designs into working code and handles functionality, performance and hosting. Some people do both.
Should I hire a freelance web developer or an agency?
A freelancer suits a defined site or ongoing small changes. An agency suits larger builds that need design, content, development and project management together.
Do I need a front-end, back-end or full-stack developer?
A content site on a CMS usually needs a front-end or CMS developer. A web app with user accounts, data and integrations usually needs back-end or full-stack skills.
What should I own when a web developer finishes?
Your domain, hosting account, code repository, CMS admin access, design files and any licences for themes, plugins or fonts, all in your company's name.
Cohesyve · Skill assessments for hiring
Hiring a Web Developer? Start with a ranked shortlist
Cohesyve takes your Web Developer job description, finds candidates, reaches out to them and runs an AI job simulation of the real work, then ranks them for you.
1,500+
assessments completed
50%
faster time-to-hire
5 min
from JD to assessment
No credit card · 10 free candidates · Plans sized to your hiring volume
From the blog