If the creation of your web site is what is stopping you from getting your business online, you may want to consider outsourcing, which allows you to work only on what you do best: delighting your customers with outstanding products and services. This article will show you how much money and headaches you can avoid by outsourcing your website development.



Many people think that hiring a programmer is going to cost a lot of money. That is true if you choose a local web designer. What few people know is that they can get the same or even better quality by outsourcing overseas. You can find programmers and designers that are willing to work for a fraction of the fee that a local developer charges you.

How can you find someone in another country who is willing to work for you? Do you have to spend hours searching the web or, even worse, fly there and look for a company that can support you? None of this: there are specialized websites that have a database of thousands of developers who are willing to bid on your project.

The website that I recommend is called RentACoder.com. There you can post your project, decide what your budget is going to be and even specify which countries you want to work with, in case you have a preference for Indian coders, for example.

Is it safe to work with someone you never met face-to-face? That website developed a system protecting both the buyer (you) and the seller (the programmers). They are going to hold your money in an escrow account until you approve the coder's work: if you are not satisfied with it, you can simply ask for an arbitration and your funds will be given back to you. You just need to prove the requirements specified in your project details and later communications weren't met by the coder.

If you are considering this opportunity, here are some words of wisdom that come from my experience with outsourcing the creation of several websites and software packages.

1. Check Their Feedback

When you are going through the various bids that you received, be sure to check out the coders' feedback. If you do so, you can not only know whether they have already dealt with a project similar to yours, but also find out what their previous customers thought about them. The more satisfied customers a coder has, the safer you should feel. If someone doesn't have any feedback, it means that he is new to Rent A Coder: he is usually going to charge you less, but you need to decide whether the lower price is worth the extra-risk you are taking.

2. Ask if they are available on Instant Messaging

Since calling someone at the other side of the globe would cost you a lot of money, you can use software such as Skype to talk to your developer for free. Before choosing a coder, make sure he is willing to communicate with you via Instant Messaging and hold a short meeting where you can assess his English level. All of the coders I dealt with spoke very good English.

3. Hold regular meetings

Once you start with your project, make sure to hold at least a meeting a week, so that the coder can show you what he has done up to that moment and you can give him your feedback. If you don't do this, you risk to find out that his work is unacceptable the day he is supposed to hand you the final result. If you check regularly, you can decide to cancel the project in advance and ask for a refund without wasting any additional time.

4. Write Meeting Notes in Your Account

Every time you hold a meeting with your developer, make sure to write the follow-up actions he needs to take directly in RAC, so that he will be held accountable for them. This is an extra-measure you can take to protect you in case the coder doesn't do his job properly. You are collecting proofs that you communicated to the coder what needed to be done.

By using these simple techniques, you can make sure that your outsourced project is a success. By looking back at your wise decision, you will realize how much money you saved without compromising for lesser quality.