Hiring a developer is one of the highest-leverage decisions a small business can make. Your website is not just “online presence”, it is your lead flow, your credibility, and (for many local businesses in Los Angeles) the first impression people get before they call, book, or walk in.
The challenge is that website developers for small business can look identical on paper. Everyone says “fast, modern, SEO-friendly.” This guide gives you practical hiring tips to separate real capability from marketing, even if you are not technical.
What you are really hiring a website developer to do
A developer is not only “the person who builds pages.” In a small business project, you are usually hiring for outcomes:
- A site that loads fast on mobile and does not frustrate customers.
- A site that converts (calls, form fills, bookings, purchases).
- A site you can actually maintain, update, and expand without breaking.
- A site that supports local visibility, especially Google Business Profile and location intent.
It also helps to know where “developer” ends and other roles begin:
- Web design (UI): what it looks like.
- UX and conversion strategy: what people do, and how you guide them.
- Development: how it works, how it performs, how it integrates.
- SEO and tracking: how you get found, what you measure.
In small teams, one person or one vendor may do multiple roles. That is fine, as long as they can clearly explain what is included, what is not, and how decisions affect results.
Before you talk to anyone: write a one-page scope in plain English
Most small-business website projects go off-track because the scope was vague. You do not need a 20-page spec, but you do need clarity.
Write a one-page brief with:
- Goal: “Increase calls for HVAC estimates,” “Book more dental consultations,” “Sell 50 products a week online,” etc.
- Primary conversion: call, form, booking, purchase.
- Must-have pages: Home, Services, Service Area(s), About, Contact, FAQ (if you want it as a page), Policies.
- Must-have features: online payments, appointment booking, shipping rules, quote forms, chat, membership, multilingual, etc.
- Integrations: CRM, email marketing, scheduling tools, payment processors, QuickBooks, inventory.
- Content readiness: do you have photos, reviews, brand assets, copy, and service details?
- Compliance constraints: accessibility, privacy policy, cookie consent (as applicable), industry rules.
This document makes vendor quotes comparable. Without it, you will get three proposals that cannot be meaningfully compared.
Pick the right hiring model (and know what you are trading off)
There is no universally “best” option. The best choice depends on your risk tolerance, timeline, and how much ongoing help you need.
| Hiring option | Best for | Pros | Watch-outs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solo freelancer | Small, well-defined sites with light integrations | Lower cost, direct communication | Capacity risk, may not cover SEO, copy, accessibility, security, or maintenance |
| Local dev team / small studio | Most small businesses that need results and ongoing support | More coverage (design, dev, SEO, integrations), better continuity | Costs more than a solo freelancer, process matters |
| Large agency | Complex brands, multi-location, bigger budgets | Full service teams, established processes | Can feel less personal, higher overhead, junior staff execution risk |
| In-house hire | Ongoing product development, multiple web properties | Full control, fast iteration | Recruiting, management, benefits, and scope creep, often overkill for one site |
If you are a local business competing in a crowded market like LA, the biggest hidden cost is not the build. It is the months spent on a site that does not rank or convert.
How to vet website developers for small business (without being technical)
You do not need to read code. You do need to review evidence.
1) Look at live work, not mockups
Ask for 3 to 5 examples similar to your business model (service business, local lead gen, e-commerce, bookings). When you review them, check:
- Mobile experience: Is it easy to tap? Are buttons obvious? Does it feel “tight”?
- Speed: Does it load quickly on cellular?
- Clarity: Do you know what the business does in 5 seconds?
- Calls to action: Is it obvious how to contact, book, or buy?
If you want quick, objective checks, use Google’s free PageSpeed Insights on a few portfolio sites. You are not looking for perfection, you are looking for competence and consistency.
2) Ask how they handle SEO fundamentals
A developer does not need to be an SEO agency, but they should build a site that is SEO-ready. Listen for basics:
- Clean URL structure
- Proper heading structure (H1, H2, etc.)
- Indexing controls (no accidental “noindex”)
- Image compression and alt text support
- Schema basics where relevant (LocalBusiness, Product, FAQ only if you actually publish FAQ content)
If they dismiss SEO as “just keywords,” that is a red flag.
3) Ask about accessibility and real-world usability
Accessibility is not only about compliance, it is about conversions. A site that is hard to read, hard to navigate, or impossible to use with a keyboard will lose customers.
A credible answer sounds like:
- Mobile-first layouts
- Adequate font sizes and contrast
- Form labels and error states
- Keyboard navigation checks
- Testing with Lighthouse or similar tooling
4) Ask how they prevent security and uptime problems
You are not buying “a website,” you are buying an operating system for your marketing.
Ask:
- How updates are handled (especially on WordPress)
- How backups work and how often
- What happens if the site breaks after launch
- Whether they use a staging environment before pushing changes
Even for simple sites, these practices separate professionals from hobbyists.
Interview questions that reveal the difference between builders and partners
The best hiring tip is to ask questions that force process clarity.
| Question to ask | Why it matters | What a solid answer sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| “How do you run discovery?” | Prevents wrong site, wrong message | They ask about customers, offers, service areas, competitors, and conversion goals |
| “What will you need from me, and by when?” | Avoids delays and confusion | Clear content checklist, timelines, and who owns what |
| “How do you handle revisions and scope changes?” | Protects budget and timeline | Defined revision rounds, change order process, transparent hourly or fixed add-ons |
| “What is your approach to mobile performance?” | Mobile is most local traffic | Image optimization, caching, Core Web Vitals awareness, testing on real devices |
| “How do you set up tracking?” | You cannot improve what you cannot measure | GA4, Search Console, call tracking considerations, form event tracking |
| “Who owns the domain, hosting, and the website assets?” | Prevents lock-in | You own the domain and content, clear handoff terms for code and logins |
| “What does post-launch support look like?” | Most issues happen after launch | Maintenance options, response expectations, update and backup routines |
If a vendor cannot answer these without jargon, or tries to rush you past them, keep looking.
Proposal and contract essentials (the stuff that saves you later)
A good proposal is specific. A good contract reduces misunderstandings.
Look for these items in writing:
- Scope and deliverables: page list, feature list, integrations, copy support, migrations.
- Timeline with milestones: discovery, design, build, content, QA, launch.
- Payment schedule tied to milestones (not just dates).
- Revision policy: what counts as a revision, how many rounds.
- Performance and quality expectations: speed targets (or at least a commitment to optimize), mobile-first build.
- Ownership and access: domain registrant, hosting admin access, CMS logins, analytics ownership.
- Warranty period: bug fixes after launch (time-bound).
- Maintenance and support options: what is included, what is billed.
One more practical tip: if you are comparing vendors, request that each proposal includes a short section called “Assumptions” (for example, “Client provides all photos,” “No multilingual setup,” “No custom CRM build”). Hidden assumptions are where budgets and timelines break.
Budgeting for a website build (and avoiding surprise costs)
Small businesses often underestimate the cost drivers that are not “design”:
- Content creation or rewriting
- Photo sourcing and editing
- E-commerce setup (taxes, shipping, product variants)
- Booking systems, payments, and automation
- CRM integration and lead routing
- Accessibility remediation
- Ongoing maintenance and security
A helpful way to budget is to separate:
- Build cost (one-time)
- Run cost (hosting, maintenance, software subscriptions)
- Grow cost (SEO/content, ads, conversion improvements)
If you want to keep spending visible, track your web project just like any other business initiative. Even a simple dashboard helps you avoid “death by small subscriptions” (forms, chat, booking tools, email marketing). Tools like the MoneyPatrol budgeting app can be useful for monitoring recurring expenses and seeing the real monthly cost of your site and marketing stack.
A realistic success metric: what should your website return?
For local service businesses, the website does not need to be perfect, it needs to pay for itself.
A simple ROI framing:
- If one new customer is worth $1,000 in profit (or lifetime value), and your site helps you close 2 additional customers per month, that is $2,000/month.
- If your “run cost” (maintenance plus basic SEO or ads management) is $300 to $1,000/month, the math can work quickly.
The important part is aligning the build to the conversion path:
- Click-to-call and tap-friendly forms for mobile visitors
- Service pages that match what people search in your city
- Trust signals (reviews, photos, licenses, guarantees)
- Fast load times and clear calls to action
Red flags when hiring a developer
A few warning signs consistently show up in failed projects:
- They quote without asking questions about goals, customers, or competitors.
- They promise rankings (“#1 on Google in 30 days”). No legitimate vendor can guarantee this.
- They want to own your domain “for convenience.” You should own it.
- They cannot explain the tech stack in plain language.
- They have no plan for post-launch and treat launch as the finish line.
Trust your instincts. If communication is confusing before you pay, it will not improve mid-project.
When it makes sense to work with a local development team
For LA-area small businesses, local can be a real advantage, especially if you need coordination across web, lead capture, and follow-up.
Local teams tend to be strong when you need:
- Faster collaboration and clearer communication
- Local SEO understanding (service areas, competition density, review strategy)
- Ongoing iteration (seasonal promos, new services, landing pages)
- Help connecting the site to real business workflows (CRM, automation, reporting)
Brother Web Design, for example, positions itself as a local, in-house development team serving Los Angeles and the Inland Empire, with services that span custom web design, e-commerce, workflow automation, CRM development, lead generation, SEO, and ongoing support. If your website is tied to operations and growth (not just a digital brochure), that “full loop” approach can reduce vendor handoffs and keep implementation moving.
A simple next step: request a proposal that is easy to compare
If you are currently talking to vendors, ask each one to send:
- A one-page summary of your goals and proposed approach
- A fixed scope with optional add-ons
- A timeline with milestones
- Post-launch support options
That format makes it much easier to choose the right fit, even if you are not technical. And it is the fastest way to find website developers for small business who operate like true partners, not just page builders.
