10 steps to hire a magento developer: a complete guide

You've probably already heard of Magento. Accounting for 12% of all ecommerce sites and powering 1.2% of the Internet, estimates suggest there have been over one million websites built with Magento since its initial release on March 31st, 2008. As if that wasn't enough, merchants who use Magento grow three times faster than those who don't (on average).

The decision to hire Magento web developer isn't one to be made lightly. You need to make sure that you have a thorough understanding of what you're hoping to get from your Magento build. You also need to find a reputable Magento development company that's going to be able to deliver what they promise.

The good news is that you have options available to you above and beyond just Googling "hire Magento web developer" and going with whoever ranks first. The key to finding affordable Magento development services is to know what you're looking for and to scrutinize every company to make it onto your shortlist to see whether they're the right Magento development company for you.

And so with that in mind, let's go ahead and take a look at what you need to know to hire a Magento developer.

10 Steps to Hire a Magento Developer

Now that you're ready to hire Magento developer, the next step is to make sure that you have a trustworthy process to follow. Make sure that you find a reputable company and make the process as smooth as possible from start to finish. You don't have to become a Magento expert to be able to tell the good from the bad, but it does help to have some basic knowledge about the platform.

Fortunately, you can teach yourself most of the basics, and you only need an excellent understanding of what Magento is and how it works. This way, you'll be up-to-speed with the platform's capabilities. After all, hiring a Magento development company is all well and good, but they'll need guidance from you if they're to the best job possible.

That's where this list comes in. If you're looking to hire a Magento developer, the best way for you to go about it is to follow the ten steps we're sharing here. And so without further ado, here are the ten steps you need to follow to hire a Magento developer.

1. WRITE A DECENT BRIEF

One of the first and most important things you need to do when you're looking for Magento developers is to create a detailed brief which covers all of the critical details about your build. Make sure to include both technical requirements to the timeline you're working to and the budget that you have for the project.

It's essential to get this brief right because it helps every potential Magento developer to understand what you're looking for. As a result, they can provide a more tailored proposal that explains precisely how they can help you. It can even be self-selecting once a Magento developer looks at your brief and knows it doesn't match their stack, they won't apply and waste your time.

Another good thing about using the brief to hire Magento developers is that it's a document that you can refer back anytime. Just to make sure the project is still on brief. Any disputes can be easily managed because the brief will cover the scope of the project and state the areas of responsibility. This is a crucial step to take when you hire Magento developers because this document will outline what's involved in the project and prevent any surprises either on your part or on the part of your Magento developer.

2. UNDERSTAND FRONT-END VS BACK-END

You don't need to be a certified Magento developer to understand the difference between front and back end web development. But it's certainly a good idea to have a basic understanding of what to expect if you're looking to hire a Magento developer. That's because if you're not careful, you'll hire someone who can only do half of the job.

The main difference is that a front end developer will focus on the look and feel of the website and how visitors interact with it. Back end developers focus on the database and the way that the site accesses, adds and updates data. When it comes to Magento development, front-end developers cover the user journey from the product page to checkout. Back-end developers make sure that payments are processed and that orders are filled correctly.

That's why, when it comes to Magento website development, there are two ways you can go.

Hire a freelance Magento developer with both front and back end experience.Hire two different providers who can work closely together to get the job done.3. SET A BUDGET

Budget is one of the most important considerations when you're working on a Magento website development project. A considerable number of factors go into the decision of how much a Magento developer will charge. For example, a certified Magento developer charges more than those who don't have a certificate. The same is true if they have a proven track record of Magento development with a history of success. Experience doesn't come cheap.

Even if the brief for your Magento website development build doesn't specify a budget, you'll want to have an estimate in your head because the chances are high that you can hire a Magento developer to suit any budget. As with most things in life, you get what you pay for.

As for how much you can expect to pay, it depends. You may be able to keep costs down by working with a freelance Magento developer as opposed to an agency. It's cheaper to work with junior Magento developer than with a Magento expert. Agency fees for Magento development often start at around $50,000 for an average project, while hourly rates vary as widely as from $15-500/hour depending upon experience.

4. INVESTIGATE BOTH FREELANCERS AND AGENCIES

The next step in your Magento website development journey is to start looking at providers. Here, you have two options:

Hire a freelancer.Work with a Magento development agency. Each approach has its own set of advantages and disadvantages, and it can even come down to personal preference, or just whoever was able to create the most compelling response to your brief.

When you hire a Magento developer who works as a freelancer or a consultant, you can potentially work directly with a recognized Magento expert who writes about Magento development or delivers presentations at industry events. The cost is higher, but you'll still pay less than you would if those same people were working for agencies.

That's because Magento development agencies have operating costs that they need to cover, and they also need to run at a profit. However, while they charge more than freelancers, they can also benefit from a broader range of experience. If you're looking to hire Magento developers who can cover both front-end and back-end Magento development, you're probably better off looking for an agency.

Ultimately, it shouldn't really matter whether you hire a freelance Magento developer or whether you go with an agency. As long as you set expectations beforehand and your Magento developer can work within your budget, you should be okay. The same holds true if you're thinking about outsourcing – it's all about whether they can get the job done, and not what business model they use or where their company is headquartered.

5. LOOK AT REVIEWS, RATINGS, AND TESTIMONIALS

Whether you're looking for a new book to read or whether you're looking to hire a Magento developer, the chances are that you'll look for social proof. The idea is that we trust what other people say about products and services more than we believe what the providers say about themselves.

Social proof can take a variety of different forms, but for Magento developers, it's most common to see it in the form of reviews, ratings, and testimonials. Looking at these before you hire a Magento developer can give you a better feel for what you can expect if you start to work together. For example, if communication is particularly important to you, then it makes sense to hire Magento developers with a bunch of testimonials about how excellent their communication is.

Be sure to check third-party websites as well as providers' websites to get a more comprehensive view of what people are saying about each Magento developer. You'll want to look at negative reviews as well as positive, but don't let the occasional scathing review put you off a Magento development team that otherwise ticks all of the boxes. It's a good idea to be wary of any provider that has positive reviews only because it's a sign that they might be faking them without soliciting genuine client feedback. Read more at: https://www.zfort.com/blog/hire-magento-developer

Hello, my name is Drue, I work in custom software development company Zfort as a highly professional magento developer. Zfort Group is a web and mobile app development company providing software development services since 2000.