


Many businesses worldwide choose to outsource web development.
It’s a no brainer for businesses who need technical expertise.
Using the right outsourcing strategy, businesses keep pace with their 1-, 2- and 5-year plans and projections.
How does your business benefit when you decide to outsource web development?
But you must be cautious. The direct and indirect costs of choosing the wrong company can be crippling.
Choose carefully.
To stay ahead of your competition, you need a reliable resource that keeps promises and finishes required functionality within specified timeline and budget.
You need to outsource web development to an experienced, reliable team.
How do you find such a reliable provider? How do you get the best expertise for your money?
Read our answers below to help you make an informed decision.
The biggest reason why businesses choose to outsource web development is scarcity of local professionals. When demand is high and supply low, possibilities to hire at a reasonable price are slim to nonexistent.
Why? Demand for IT work grows as technological progress grows.
Spending on various IT services has been increasing for over a decade despite any challenges.
Businesses keep:
The demand for IT services continues to remain high and will not abate any time soon.
To find, hire, and retain software engineers, businesses can either increase their annual budgets or simply line item and outsource web development.
How does web development outsourcing help?
Here is a list of the most common benefits companies get when they outsource web development:
Businesses that outsource web development maintain and improve a project at a lower cost while speeding up the software development process.
Businesses that outsource web development can launch a product faster and for less.
And they continue to remain competitive in the long run.
Check out how web development outsourcing helped two IT Craft’s clients keep pace with their plans:
MyCarrier TMS is a startup focusing on the logistics industry. Its founder envisaged functionality that lets users manage less-than-a-truck carriages with just a few clicks. User groups include shippers and logistics companies.
MyCarrier software contains functionality needed to negotiate on delivery price and schedule and to monitor shipments. Both groups benefit from an optimized truckload and lower shipment expenses.
MyCarrier has been implemented as a large Web portal that the development team designed from scratch. The client chose Ukraine as the priority destination to outsource web development. The chosen development team became a valuable resource and kept the project on track despite a tight deadline.
Adorama is a NYC-based family business that focuses on consumer electronics and photography equipment and supplies.
Adorama’s ecommerce system needed regular updates. The company chose to outsource web development to keep pace with the rapidly changing ecommerce landscape. The scope of work was too large for the company’s internal team.
Adorama’s own in-house team of software engineers worked with IT Craft’s outsourcing team on various tasks but mainly on back-end development and testing. IT Craft’s team ensured the company’s clients enjoyed fast, uncompromised access to its online store.
The entire process of outsourcing web development includes three essential steps:
It is important to go through all steps carefully to outsource web development with a service provider capable of launching on time and on budget.
Before you start your search, set up your own expectations. Make a list of requirements:
Clarifying the above helps you decide:
Should you outsource web development to a company or a freelancer?
Unless you have already outsourced web application development, it is wise to search for a company with proven expertise and experience of projects similar to yours.
On search and selection step:
How do you evaluate candidates?
Choose you outsource web development to a company that:
To avoid having to pay for hidden costs, clarify in writing what services are included in the price.
Not sure whether you are going to outsource web development to a reliable partner? Ask for recommendations from former clients.
In this step, your chosen development team turns project software into reality.
This is how outsourcing web development workflow looks:
Sprint 1-4 weeks ≈ 2 weeks
The same team continues to work on a project—Sprint after Sprint—until it is launched and through the maintenance stage.
Remember these following four crucial points for a successful Web app or website launch:
Adhere to these four crucial points to help you avert problems on a project or solve them quickly.
What hourly rates can a business expect from service providers when planning to outsource web development?
This depends. Hourly rates differ based on:
Let’s take a look at each one.
The countries with higher cost of living tend to have higher hourly rates and vice versa:
Software development companies from South-Eastern Asia and India offer the cheapest hourly rates for services of web development outsource. However, miscommunication is possible due to different cultural backgrounds.
Eastern Europe and Latin America are more expensive but still cost-effective regions. Many US- and EU-based companies prefer to outsource web development there due to a strong quality-for-price ratio.
North American, European, and Australian companies are the most expensive options. In return, businesses get clear, comprehensible communication when they choose to outsource web development to an onshore company. No cultural barriers.
Hourly rates for Web app and website development outsourcing vary within a region based on a company’s experience and specialization.
Companies with proven experience and expertise tend to ask for higher hourly rates. Companies specializing in a particular industry charge more for their accumulated knowledge. Keep in mind, knowledge and expertise mean faster work and greater efficiency. A company with relevant, proven expertise can be the perfect option.
You benefit. And your clients benefit. The product will be of higher quality, and the total development and maintenance costs will be lower.
Obviously, complex projects are more expensive. Other factors affecting cost for Web app and website development outsourcing include:
Additionally, businesses need to be prepared for flexible budgeting when they outsource web development of complex projects. A development team, especially an inexperienced team, can spend more time than estimated trying to solve unforeseen problems.
An important note: Whatever destination you choose, do not accept an unreasonably cheap offer. The team might say yes to everything just to get the outsourcing website development contract but fail to present a plausible plan. Such teams often fail to deliver any functioning software. It makes fiscal sense to outsource web development to an experienced, professional team.
Try the following options:
Use the following resources to study potential candidates:
Clutch is a web platform provided by a US-based research company. Clutch publishes verified interviews with real customers and builds rankings on their basis. An extensive search is available. Users benefit from the Lead Matching program.
Designrush is a B2B marketplace aimed initially at creative agencies, designers, and marketing specialists. However, web development companies are included too. Rankings and search are available.
Goodfirms is another research and review service. It is similar to Clutch offering users search through a vast catalog of different companies. The platform also provides free reading resources and a community to help outsource web development or any other types of projects.
LinkedIn is a professional network with thousands of company profiles available. Users benefit from an extensive search. They can refine search results based on multiple criteria and quickly get in touch via messaging.
Upwork is an online platform where users can find the right contractors for their projects based on contractors’ reviews and ratings. They can outsource web development to both single freelancers and companies.
When browsing through Google search for rankings on a Web platform, take time to carefully read providers’ profiles and reviews. Verification is important.
Read more on the topic in our article: “How to find programmers for your startup in 2021”.
Web development outsourcing is popular. When companies, large and small, outsource web development, they get access to a wide pool of talented engineers. For some businesses, this is the only option to keep pace with competitors and launch a product on time.
However, web development outsourcing is only successful when both the client and outsourcing web development team stay on the same page, clearly understanding each other’s capabilities and limitations, if any.
Below is a recap on how to outsource web development successfully:
Make sure you outsource to a web development team that can deliver on its promises.
Schedule a call with the team to discuss your requirements and ensure it has relevant resources to implement them.
Together with the chosen team, determine the right cooperation model for the project. Discuss your expectations from the project and make sure the team understands them. Ask for an NDA, if needed.
If you want to test the development team, start with a small pilot task to see how well it can manage.
Assign a person responsible for project priorities and timely decisions. This helps streamline the development process and eliminate idle time when the development team waits for approval.
Does the team provide a guarantee period? How long? Ensure the same team works during the guarantee period.
Every software requires regular maintenance. Do you need help from the same team? Or will you hire an engineer in-house? Decide what happens after the guarantee period ends.
Does the team develop well-documented source code? Does it accurately prepare and update project documentation? To retain control over your software, you need clarity. This way, you ensure smooth and fast knowledge transfer to other developers.