The role of an eCommerce web developer can’t be overlooked when developing an eCommerce website. Why not? eCommerce businesses rely entirely on their online stores to generate revenue for their company, and each step/misstep can affect their profitability.
Therefore, planning an eCommerce project’s development and execution (including choosing an eCommerce developer) must be done carefully.
Below are five questions that you must ask your eCommerce developer:
#1 Which platform they will use
This is the most critical question you must ask your online store builder.
Several options are available for eCommerce website development, including open-source CMS like WordPress, Magento, OpenCart, Prestashop, etc. Choosing the best platform also depends on your budget, urgency, and ability to manage the back office of your eCommerce website.
For example, if you want a simple and easy-to-use eCommerce system for your company, you may choose WordPress for your store development.
Here is a brief comparison of the best open-source CMS for eCommerce web design.
#2 Do they have the ability to customize
Most website developers who use open sources for eCommerce development don’t like to customize the plugins or modules because it can sometimes become tedious.
Some developers can’t customize the open sources to meet their client’s requirements, which is why many eCommerce business owners are stuck.
In my experience as an eCommerce services provider, I encountered many companies/businesses that were not happy with their developers’ performance. They could not meet their expectations due to their lack of ability to customize the platforms.
So, before you choose the best eCommerce designer for your business, ensure they have the skills to customize themes and plugins/modules.
#3 Do they know SEO?
Before hiring an eCommerce website developer, ensure they have sufficient SEO knowledge (search engine optimization).
Developing a website that complies with search engine guidelines is as important as creating it.
Even if they are not SEO experts, they should have basic SEO knowledge. They must take care of crucial on-site SEO aspects like meta tag integration for each page, optimized loading speed of all web pages, SEO-friendly URLs, mobile responsiveness, etc.
If your website developer fails to build your online shop by SEO standards, your website may not be able to rank on the top pages of search engines.
After all, the primary objective of building an eCommerce website is to get more traffic & sales from it. Therefore, you must consider the SEO-ability of your developer very seriously.
#4 How much time they will take to develop
As with eCommerce website development, the completion timeline is crucial when planning any project.
Before hiring a website developer for your online shop development, you must ensure that he/she can complete the website before your planned launch date.
Also, ensure you get enough time to test and report for any bugs if required.
#5 Post-launch support
You may find some minor but critical bugs you overlooked during pre-launch testing after launching your eCommerce website.
You must hire a website developer who is available to resolve any bugs or issues arising after your eCommerce website launches.
You must also ensure that those bugs are resolved immediately. Your store will already be live, and users may start coming to purchase the products.
In other words, your eCommerce website provider must have a fast turnaround time to fix the reported bugs.
Recommended post: 5 Important things to take handover of from your website developer
Final words
Hiring a website developer is essential for all businesses because they need more than just a developer. They also need a long-term web partner to be associated with them and help them grow their online venture.