The same method works for a business website, an online shop, a portal and custom software.
A website, an online shop, a portal or custom software is an investment for years. The right contractor delivers on time and helps you grow the project. The wrong one can leave you with unfinished work, code nobody else wants to take over, or a domain registered in someone else's name. This guide does not recommend any specific companies. It shows you how to assess a contractor yourself and what to watch out for – whether you are ordering a simple business website or a complex system.
Before you start looking: describe what you need
The most common mistake is a request like "how much does an online shop cost?". Without a description of your needs, every company quotes for something different and the offers cannot be compared. One or two pages of text – a brief – are enough:
• goal – what the project should achieve: more enquiries, online sales, less manual work, customer service;
• users – who will use it: customers, staff, partners, on a computer or on a phone;
• features split into essential, useful and "later";
• connections to other systems – payments, couriers, accounting software, stock management, newsletter;
• content – who prepares the texts, photos, product descriptions and translations;
• examples – websites or apps you like, and what exactly you like about them;
• deadline and the person on your side who makes decisions.
Send the same brief to every candidate. That way you compare quotes for the same scope, not different ideas of the project.
Website, shop, portal or software – how the orders differ
Business website. Usually built on a ready-made content management system or written from scratch. Ask whether you will be able to change texts and photos yourself, whether the site works well on phones, how fast it loads and whether it covers SEO basics: individual page titles and descriptions, a sitemap and readable addresses.
Online shop. You can choose a subscription-based platform, shop software installed on your own server, or a custom-built shop. What matters: payments, delivery options, invoices, returns, terms and conditions, and how the shop copes with peak-season traffic. Since 28 June 2025, online shops selling to consumers in the European Union must meet accessibility requirements for people with disabilities (the European Accessibility Act). Microenterprises – fewer than 10 employees and no more than EUR 2 million turnover or balance sheet total – are exempt. Ask the contractor how they will handle this.
Web portal. User accounts, roles and permissions, content moderation, search, notifications. Data security matters most here, together with how the system will cope as the number of users grows.
Custom software – desktop, browser-based or mobile. First check whether a ready-made program would do (see our guide "How to choose software or a phone app"). Writing software from scratch makes sense when the way you work is unusual or ready-made solutions would need too many workarounds. Plan for moving data from the old system, staff training and a user manual.
Budget – more than the build price
The cost of a project depends mainly on its scope, not on what kind of site it is – which is why the brief matters so much. When planning the budget, remember three things:
• a reserve for changes – new ideas almost always come up during the work; keeping around 15–20% in reserve is sensible;
• running costs after launch – domain, server, SSL certificate, licences for paid add-ons, backups, security updates and small fixes; add them up for a whole year;
• working in stages – instead of building everything at once, launch a version with the essential features first and add the rest based on how customers actually use it.
Six steps to choosing a contractor – from writing down your needs to accepting the finished work.
Who to look for: freelancer, small company or software house
A freelance developer or designer is often the cheapest and most flexible option – a good choice for a simple website. The risk: illness, holidays or a new, bigger client can stall your project, and one person rarely masters everything (design, programming, servers, security).
A small company or studio usually means a few people with different skills, direct contact with whoever does the work and reasonable prices. Check who will step in if someone is away.
A software house or digital agency has a team, a project manager, testers and procedures. It suits large shops, portals and systems. It costs more, and with a small order you may end up with the most junior team members.
Location matters less today, as most work is done remotely. What matters is a common language, similar working hours and knowing who you deal with – and under which country's law – if there is a dispute.
How to check a contractor
• Portfolio – ask for links to live projects similar to yours. Open them on a phone, check how fast they load and whether anything looks broken.
• References – ask for contact details of 2–3 clients and actually call them. Ask about deadlines, communication, extra charges and what happened after launch.
• Independent reviews – not only those selected on the contractor's website. Nothing but enthusiastic reviews from a single week should make you cautious.
• Company details – check the company in the official business register of its country (for example Companies House in the UK), how long it has existed and whether the details in the contract match the register.
• Who will do the work – their own team or subcontractors? Who will be your permanent point of contact?
• Technology – popular and well documented, so that someone else could take the project over if needed. Be careful with a closed, in-house system whose code you will never receive.
Pay attention to the conversation itself, too. A good contractor asks about your goals and users, suggests simpler solutions and sometimes says plainly that they don't do something. Someone who quotes a price straight away, without a single question, is pricing their own idea of the project, not your needs.
How to compare quotes
Send the same brief to 3–5 contractors and put the answers side by side in a table: scope, what the offer does not include, schedule, billing model, warranty and the cost of maintenance after launch. Price differences often come from a different scope rather than from one company being "expensive".
A fixed price works when the scope is described precisely and won't change much. The cost is predictable, but every change means an amendment and an extra charge, and the contractor builds their risk into the price. Time and materials (an hourly or daily rate) gives you freedom to change things and suits projects that cannot be fully described at the start. It does, however, require trust and regular checks of reports and budget. A fixed price for each clearly described stage is often a good compromise.
The cheapest offer is not always a bargain. Ask what is missing: visual design, mobile version, testing, deployment to the server, training, warranty. For large projects it is worth starting with a paid analysis or workshop – a few days of work that produce a detailed specification. You also find out what working with that contractor is like.
The contract – what it must include
Eight points worth checking in the contract before you sign it.
Scope and acceptance criteria. A description of the features (ideally as an appendix), the browsers and devices the project must work on, the acceptance procedure and the time you have to report issues. "Done" must mean the same thing to both sides.
Schedule and payments. Payment in instalments for accepted stages, with a moderate deposit at the start. Paying everything up front to a new contractor is a big risk.
Copyright and source code. In many countries – including the UK and the US – a contractor who writes code for you usually keeps the copyright unless a written contract assigns it to you; paying the invoice is not enough. Make sure the contract assigns the rights (or at least grants a licence broad enough for everything you plan to do), allows other people to modify the work, and requires the source code (for example, access to the repository) and documentation to be handed over. Ready-made components – themes, plugins, libraries – come with their own licences. Ask for a list and check whether any of them require an annual fee.
Domain, server and accounts in your name. The domain, hosting, shop account, payment gateway, analytics and advertising accounts should be registered to your company. The contractor can be given access, but should not own them. When the work is finished, make sure you receive all the passwords.
Personal data. If the contractor will have access to your customers' data (for example while maintaining the shop), you need a data processing agreement in line with Article 28 of the GDPR (in the UK, the UK GDPR).
Warranty and maintenance. How long the contractor fixes bugs free of charge, how quickly they respond and what counts as a bug rather than a new feature. Ongoing care after launch (updates, backups, monitoring) is usually a separate agreement with defined response times.
Changes and ending the cooperation. How you request a change, who prices it and when you approve it. What happens if the contract is terminated – above all, handing over the code, access details and documentation for the work done so far.
This guide is not legal advice. For a large project, it is worth having a lawyer review the contract.
During the project
Agree on a regular rhythm of contact, such as a short weekly meeting, and ask for access to a test version. After each stage, test the project yourself, ideally with real data: add a product, place an order, fill in a form on your phone. Report issues in writing, in one place. Record new ideas as change requests with a price, not "while you're at it" – that is the most common reason for missed deadlines and blown budgets.
Warning signs
• a price given on the spot, without questions about the details;
• no contract, or a contract without a scope of work and acceptance rules;
• a demand for the full amount up front;
• refusal to hand over the source code, passwords or domain;
• the domain or shop account registered to the contractor;
• no contact to a single satisfied client;
• a promise of "guaranteed first place in search results";
• time pressure: "this price is only valid until tomorrow".
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take?
A simple business website usually takes a few weeks, a shop or portal a few months, a complex system longer. Much of the time is often spent waiting for content and decisions from the client.
Do I need to know programming?
No. You need to know your goal and your customers well, test each stage and make decisions. The contractor is responsible for the technical side – and a good one will explain it without jargon.
Ready-made platform or built from scratch?
A ready-made platform is faster and cheaper to start with, but limits unusual features and often comes with a subscription. A custom solution costs more, but does exactly what you need and belongs to you – if the contract says so.
Who owns the website or software?
Whoever the contract assigns the copyright to. Paying the invoice alone is not enough – which is why the clauses on rights and source code matter so much.
What if the contractor disappears?
If you have the source code, documentation, passwords and a domain in your own name, another contractor can take over. Without them, you often have to start from scratch.
