The short answer
Choose the team that can show you similar work, puts the scope and price in writing before you pay, lets you talk to the people who will build it, shows progress on a live link every week or two, and hands you the code and accounts in your name. Price matters, but those five things decide whether the project finishes well.
Questions to ask before you hire
- Can I see live work like mine, and speak to a client?
- Will I talk to the engineers, or only to a manager?
- Is the price fixed? What happens if we change our minds mid-way?
- How often will I see working progress?
- Who owns the code, the domain and the hosting accounts?
- What happens after launch — who fixes things, and how fast?
Red flags
- A price given before anyone has asked what you need
- No written scope, or a scope that only lists pages
- Accounts and code kept in the agency’s name
- Weeks of silence followed by a big reveal
- No plan for maintenance after launch
What should be in writing
Before you pay anything, you should have a scope that lists what will be built, the milestones and dates, the price and payment schedule, how changes are priced, and who owns what at the end.
Questions people also ask
- Should I hire a freelancer or a company?
- A freelancer can suit a small, well-defined job. For anything your business depends on, a small team gives you cover for holidays, reviews each other’s work and can keep maintaining it.
- Is it safe to hire a development company in India from the US?
- Yes, if the contract, code ownership and payment milestones are in writing and you see working progress regularly. We work with US clients remotely and have a US phone line.