How To Hire A Good Web Developer In 2025
AUTHOR
Talent JDI
READ TIMES
1 minutes
LAST UPDATED
Mar 03, 2025
As competition for top talent grows, businesses often struggle with how to hire a good web developer who can truly meet their needs. At the same time, growing user expectations push companies to enhance their website experience, further driving the need for skilled developers.
In this article, we’ll explore the key aspects of what to look for, where to find top talent, and how to recruit the right web developers effectively.
What A Good Web Developer Looks Like
A good web developer isn’t just someone who writes code—they play a crucial role in building functional, user-friendly, and visually appealing websites.
Their role extends beyond development; they collaborate with designers, UX specialists, and business stakeholders to ensure that every website is optimized for performance, accessibility, and engagement. So they often have a certain quality checklist similar to the one below:
- Strong Technical Skills
- Proficiency in key programming languages like HTML, CSS, JavaScript
- Knowledge of frameworks and libraries (React, Vue.js, Angular for frontend; Node.js, Django, Ruby on Rails for backend)
- Experience with databases (SQL, MongoDB, Firebase)
- Understanding of responsive design and mobile-first development
- Problem-Solving Ability
- Can troubleshoot and debug efficiently
- Thinks critically and finds optimal solutions for performance and scalability
- Attention to User Experience (UX) and Performance
- Writes clean, maintainable code for better site performance
- Ensures fast loading times and accessibility for all users
- Implements best practices for SEO and security
- Version Control & Collaboration
- Proficient in Git/GitHub for tracking code changes
- Comfortable working in a team using Agile or Scrum methodologies
What You Need To Consider Before Hiring A Web Developer
1. What Role Will He/She Be?
Web developers can be divided into three key subgroups:
- Front-end Developer: Responsible for everything a user experiences on a webpage, from logos and buttons to layout and interactions. Though it may sound like a designer’s work, their role is actually to convert those designs into functional, interactive websites.
- Back-end Developer: Focus on how your website works. This person will handle databases, manage server logic, and ensure data flows correctly between the server and the front-end interface.
- Full-stack Developer: A specialist who excels in both front-end and back-end technologies, able to develop complete web applications from start to finish. This versatility makes them a go-to choice for start-ups with limited resources.
Quick note:
Your project's complexity will define the developer’s role, but if it’s more extensive, you might need to bring in 2 or more manpower.
2. What Is Your Budget?
Hiring top talent can be costly, so it’s important to budget not just for their salary but also for additional expenses that come with employing them. Here’s an example of what the costs look like:
Hiring One Web Developer | Annual Estimated Costs* |
Salary (depending on experience and location) | $60,000 - $120,000 per year |
Benefit Package (health insurance, retirement contributions, paid time off, etc.) | $12,000 - $24,000 (20% of the salary) |
| Work Equipment | $1,500 - $3,000 |
| Hiring Process Expenses (in-house) | ~ $2,000 (one-time fee) |
| Training Budget | $500 - $2,000 |
| Workspace & Resources | $1,000 - $3,000 |
| Total Cost | $77,000 - $154,000 |
*Disclaimer: The calculated cost is intended for estimation and guidance only and should be used as a reference. For precise figures, professional consultation is recommended.
3. Are You Hiring Offshore or Onshore?
Choosing between offshore and onshore hiring can greatly influence your search for top web developers. Offshore hiring offers access to a wider talent pool at significantly lower salary rates, while onshore hiring provides the benefit of seamless communication and having developers available on-site.
Onshore Hiring | ||
| Benefits |
|
|
| Drawbacks |
|
|
Discover more: Onshore and Offshore Software Development Comparison
5 Steps On How To Hire A Good Web Developer
1. Your Expectations for The Web Developer
A web developer who has to spearhead the project and is in charge of managing the team will be very different from a web developer who needs to play a team member role and work with the CTO to build great websites.
If you need someone to take on multiple high-level responsibilities, they should be at a middle to senior level. Their key responsibilities would include:
- Technical leadership: Making architectural and technical decisions to ensure project success.
- Team management: Leading and mentoring developers, assigning tasks, and ensuring smooth collaboration.
- Quality assurance: Setting coding standards, conducting reviews, and optimizing performance.
- Stakeholder communication: This person will serve as the bridge between technical teams and business objectives.
- Problem-solving ability: Addressing complex technical challenges and ensuring scalability.
For the roles that are only required to collaborate with the team on the project, they can be junior to middle level (or even a fresher). In that case, the responsibilities will scale down to:
- Developing assigned features: Writing clean, maintainable code based on project requirements.
- Collaborating with the team: Working closely with designers, backend developers, and other stakeholders.
- Debugging and troubleshooting: Identifying and resolving bugs to maintain website functionality.
- Following technical guidelines: Adhering to coding standards and best practices.
- Learning and improving: Enhancing skills through mentorship and hands-on experience.
2. Ideal Hiring Channels To Find A Good Web Developer
Referrals are one of the best ways to find great developers. But if you're not confident in your referral network, you can turn to hiring platforms and specialized tech job boards to expand your search for qualified candidates.
Platforms | CareerBuilder | ||
How could it help? | LinkedIn provides access to a vast network of professionals, allowing companies to reach a wider pool of candidates with detailed profile insights. | CareerBuilder offers a wide range of tools and resources to connect employers with qualified candidates. | Upwork enables companies to find freelancers with the specific skills needed for their projects (mostly for short-term contracts). |
Pros |
|
|
|
Cons |
|
|
|
3. Get The Sourcing and Screening Process Right
Once you have a list of candidates, a thorough screening process is key to avoiding costly hiring mistakes. To make the right choice, here are the critical factors to focus on:
- Technical Screening:
Resumes provide a snapshot of a candidate’s experience, but technical assessments can give more reliable insights into their true capabilities. Methods like incorporating coding tests, problem-solving challenges, and role-specific practical tasks help you measure their real-world performance. - Portfolio and Past Projects Review:
Reviewing past projects allows you to gauge not only the quality of their work but also their coding style, attention to detail, and ability to deliver functional, scalable solutions. Plus, this comparison lets you determine whether they align with the needs of your project. - Cultural and Soft Skills Evaluation:
By observing their responses and behavior through interviews or situational tasks, you can get an overall picture of their work attitude, communication style, and team collaboration ability.
4. Shorten Your Interview Rounds
You might want to perform multiple interview rounds to ensure you get the best one, but if the process drags on, you might lose the candidate to another offer.
Remember, optimizing the process to keep things moving swiftly is key. Here’s a checklist of what’s truly important during your interview rounds:
Clear Evaluation Criteria | Implementing a structured and consistent set of criteria can save you plenty of time. Once you’ve checked all the important aspects, it’s simply about comparing candidates to finalize your choice. |
Virtual Interviews | A first-round 45-60 minute video interview is a great way to quickly assess candidates and decide who should move forward to an in-person interview. |
Focused Questions | Direct questions for each trait help you assess the most important qualities swiftly. If there's any doubt, technical assessments can provide further assurance of their skills. |
5. Quick Onboarding
Now that the talent is in place, it’s time to get them acquainted with the workflow so they can begin contributing to the company. Follow these steps to enhance your onboarding strategy:
Pre-onboarding Process | First Day at Work | First Week at Work |
✓ Send a welcome email ✓ Help with the paperwork ✓ Provide guidance, any information, and schedules | ✓ Introduce the company policies, vision, culture, etc. ✓ Set up communication channels ✓ Grant access to software tools ✓ Assign a supervisor and an onboarding buddy (for guidance) | ✓ Outline and hand over initial tasks ✓ Help him/her get familiar with the project ✓ Integrate him/her into the team’s workflow ✓ Address any questions or concerns early on ✓ Monitor performance through regular check-ins, feedback, and meetings (if needed) |
Read on: The Ultimate Remote Developer Onboarding Checklist
Cheat Code: Hire Web Developers In Vietnam Instead
Now you know how to hire a web developer from start to finish. But here’s a quick heads up: if you’re facing a tech talent shortage, even the best hiring process won’t help much. And if you do manage to find a great candidate, expect a hefty price tag.
In this case, many firms like ShopBack, V-Key, or Gigacover chose to tap into Vietnam instead. Why, you may ask? Well, a vast high-caliber tech talent pool at a more affordable rate is why.
Vietnam has become a leading hub for tech talent, boasting a highly skilled workforce of over 530,000 developers and significantly lower operational costs. Businesses looking to expand their teams can save between 40% to 80% on hiring costs compared to Singapore, making it a cost-effective yet high-quality option for scaling tech teams.
Get full insights into Vietnamese developers, including detailed salary rates for 21 tech positions: 2025 Vietnamese Developer Salary Report
Conclusion
The key to answering "how to hire a good web developer" comes down to two fundamental factors: understanding your business needs and executing the hiring process effectively. Finding the right talent requires a strategic approach, along with time, resources, and effort—but the results are well worth the investment.
For companies looking to focus on their core operations or hire talent from unfamiliar markets, in-house hiring can be challenging and inefficient. That’s where Talent JDI comes in.
With a network of 16,000+ skilled tech candidates, we help businesses secure top tech talent in a matter of weeks. We handle the entire process—from sourcing to onboarding—so you can focus on growing your business.
More importantly, we’ve successfully helped companies worldwide tap into Vietnam’s thriving tech talent pool. Let us do the same for you!
