The eCommerce industry is spreading like an epidemic. As soon as the number of online buyers is increasing, new stores are also opening every passing day. It is because setting up an eCommerce store does not require renting out an expensive shop in the downtown and limiting your business to a locality.
Instead, it gives wings to the merchants with an entrepreneurial mindset to expand beyond a city and rule the globe with top-notch products or services. Running an online store is simple and easier, but the crux of running it successfully lies in its foundation that is the development part.
Magento 2 is the advanced version of the most reliable eCommerce platform that comes with extensive features and functionality an online store may need. It needs to be installed, optimized, personalized, and molded into a perfectly functioning webshop. For all these matters, you need to hire Magento 2 developer. He or she must be a thorough professional, and well aware of the recent changes to the platform and what’s trending in the eCommerce.
To help you easily decide among a bunch of developers, I am sharing some of the core aspects you may need to look forward while hiring any of them.
Seek recommendations
Look at your friends and family if anyone of them is running an eCommerce website. Ask them for a quick recommendation to know the basics of setting up an online store. They may suggest multiple options, but you need to ask them the specific platform or web development agency they use.
Ask them why they have preferred Magento over other platforms and why a specific company they are seeking assistance from. Seek recommendations from your closed contacts and initiate your research on the web.
If you aim to set up an online store in a specific niche, then search for the people who have already work in it. For example, there is a difference in developing a webshop for the men dressing and pet’s dietary care.
Do they have industry exposure? An agency that is experienced in coding a tire shop may not know the design trends and requisites of a beauty shop. Evaluate web developers from the web through their review, portfolio, and customer feedback.
Know different development expertise
Web development is a huge industry, where individuals and companies select a specific niche where they are more competent. For example, most of the small to medium-sized companies accept projects regardless of specialized technology.
They may exhibit expertise in Magento, WooCommerce, OpenCart, BigCommerce, etc. They may be master of all trades, but may not master the platform you aim to use. They may be unaware of the fact that you need a specialized Magento 2 developer who is not limited to custom web development rather he must be able to device custom web solutions, extension and theme development, personalizing a module or shopping cart, moving or migrating to an eCommerce platform, modifying a tool for business-specific needs, etc.
Carry cost vs. benefit analysis
Define your budget and keep it flexible by deciding either you need the project completed within a budget or quality is the preference. Quality is the output of continuous effort and persuasion of achieving the best in every revision. The first draft of anything is useless and it cannot be given a final shape without regular tweaks and improvements. It all requires time and budget.
A website or its design may not help you achieve the impact you want to make in a market if these are not done with care by professionals. Quality always comes at a higher cost. Try to improve your funds for setting up the Magento to ensure your business foundation is laid stronger. Compromising on the budget means you are okay with the poor quality layout, design, appearance, and usability.
Questions availability of developer
Magento developers are busy like the rest of the web developers as they might be working on multiple projects and would have to provide continuous support to their existing clients. Ask as when will they initiate coding for your project and that will they be available during or after project completion if needed.
During a project, you may come across more enticing ideas that you may want to discuss and see if they are viable to adjust. After the project is handed over, you may need continuous assistance or training for your staff in using the platform.
Additionally, you may need minor changes in the design, color, or text. You will be able to get the business operations going if a Magento 2 developer assures a helping hand for the first 6 months or a year.
Know the communication difference
Hiring a web developer on the web means you would be working with an individual from any part of the world. The difference in language, culture, and time zone may affect your communication too. Like you may start the day with Good Morning, but the developer may be saying a Good night to his neighborhood.
In such a difference exists, get to know the timing your potential developer has defined for his or her work routine. Most of the developers stay awake all night as their prospective clients are available in only those hours of the day.
For meetings and collaboration, you may have live sessions, whereas, for coding, you may allow the developers to work on their schedule. And, they will be available for showing prototypes and demos at your working hours.
Ask for a privacy policy
Every business has its trade secrets that it never wants to disclose. You may want to work on a completely novel idea before anyone else comes with it. It can be a social startup, a store specifically for disabled women, a particular sport, or addressing a distinct disease.
It can be an innovation in carpooling, ride-sharing, laundry, or something more cool and amazing. Working on such projects may require more privacy and confidentiality on the part of the developer and his or her team.
Check out their privacy policy to make sure they do not share information regarding your startup to any unauthorized person.
Test SEO knowledge
Abiding by the SEO rules is a pre-requisite if you aim to get most of the web traffic from search engines. The on-page SEO or you can say the technical aspects depend on the architecture and design of your eCommerce website.
A web developer who does not even know the basics of SEO cannot design you a shopping platform to index and rank in search engines, and attract the target audience. Magento is a dedicated eCommerce platform, whereas you may still need to optimize the web pages for ranking signals.
Final words
Magento is a reliable technology to build your store with. To hire Magento 2 developers for your dream online business, you must know their varying expertise, ask for recommendations, and review their work in a similar niche or industry. The budget matters a lot when you are determined to own an online store that is attractive, and equally optimized for better user experience and SEO. Your developer must know all the prerequisites.
