How to choose a freelance web developer in Pune.

I am a freelance web designer in Pune myself, so I have listed what I would check if I were hiring.

A freelancer suits you when you want one person who answers your calls, a lower cost without agency overheads, and a say in every detail. The risks are limited capacity (one person cannot also run a large team’s project), uneven experience from one freelancer to the next, and delays if that one person is unwell or busy.

An agency suits you when the project is large, needs several specialists (design, development, content, marketing) working in parallel, or needs a project manager. The trade-offs are higher fees and a less direct line to the person doing the work.

For a company website, a blog or an online shop, an experienced freelancer is usually enough. More on this in Freelancer or a web design company and in web designer versus web developer.

What to check.

1. The portfolio
   Look at live sites, not only screenshots. Open them on your phone. Do they load fast, read clearly and work? Does the style fit your business? A few sites in your field is a good sign. My own Work page shows how I present this.
2. Talk to past clients
   Ask for one or two phone numbers, and ask what went well, what went late, and whether the designer still answers after launch. Google reviews help, but a call tells you more.
3. Test the site’s speed
   Run two of their finished sites through Google’s PageSpeed Insights. Poor scores suggest a poor build. See why speed matters.
4. Ask who owns what
   You should own the domain, the content and the files. Get in writing who holds the hosting account and how the site can be moved to another host.
5. Ask what happens after launch
   Websites need updates, backups and security checks. Ask what is included, for how long and at what price.
6. Check what the price covers
   Pages, revisions, mobile layout, basic SEO, domain, hosting and training should each be named. Published prices help you compare; mine are on the pricing page.
7. Ask how they work
   Who is your contact, how fast do they reply, how many rounds of changes are allowed, and how do you approve the design before it is built?
8. Ask about the tools
   Find out what the site is built on (WordPress, for example), whether you can edit it yourself, and whether a different designer could take over later. If the designer uses AI tools for text or images, ask who checks the result.

Before you contact anyone

• Purpose and audience. Who is the site for and what should a visitor do on it: call, fill in a form, buy?
• Pages and features. A list of pages, and any shop, booking or payment need.
• Budget and date. Say the range openly. It saves everyone’s time.
• Your content. Who writes the text and supplies the photos? This is the most common cause of delay.

Put it in writing

Agree on a short written scope: pages, features, price, payment steps, delivery date, revisions and what happens after launch. It protects both of you.

Red flags

• No live sites to look at.
• A price far below everyone else’s, with no list of what is included.
• Promises of a number one place on Google. No one controls that.
• The designer will not say who owns the domain and hosting, or how you can move the site.
• Slow replies before you have paid, which only get slower afterwards.

Designer and developer, together

A website needs both a designer and a developer. The design can then be built as drawn, and the build matches the design. When they are two people, make sure they talk to each other. When it is one person, as it is with me, there is nothing to translate.

A few more questions

Does the designer have the time to take your project now? Do you feel comfortable talking to them? Can the site grow with you, with more pages, a shop or a blog later? Good design also depends on good graphics; see graphic design with web design, and my five rules for a winning website.

I would like to be on your shortlist. Read about me and how I work and judge me against this list. If you would like to talk it through, call or WhatsApp me and tell me about your business. One short call is usually enough for a clear quote.