How to Talk to a Web Developer Without Getting Ripped Off

Most people hire their first web developer through a friend-of-a-friend referral, look at one proposal, and sign. That's how $3,000 projects turn into $30,000 projects with three months of delays.

I'm writing this as someone who competes against agencies every day. I win some of those competitions. I lose others. The ones I lose mostly come down to one thing: the client couldn't tell what to actually evaluate.

Here's how to evaluate a web developer or agency so you can tell the real ones from the polished ones.

Red flags before you even call

You can filter out 50% of bad fits before you ever take a meeting. Watch for these in the first contact:

Red flag 1: Vague capabilities list

"We do custom websites, apps, SEO, branding, social media, and more." If a single company is claiming to do everything, they don't do anything particularly well. Pick a specialist.

Red flag 2: Testimonials with no specifics

"John is a pleasure to work with." Okay. What did John build? What problem did he solve? What did it cost? How long did it take? If testimonials are this generic, there's nothing real behind them.

Red flag 3: No portfolio

A portfolio without case studies, or with vague case studies, tells you they either didn't do the work or can't talk about it specifically. Both are bad signs.

Red flag 4: "We need to get on a call to discuss pricing"

Legitimate reason: complex scope requires conversation. Illegitimate reason: they want to qualify you and pitch you for 45 minutes before you know if you can afford them. Ask for a rough range before the call. A good dev will give you one.

Red flag 5: "Starting at" pricing with no ceiling

"Starting at $2,500" means absolutely nothing. What does a typical project cost? What did your last 5 projects cost? Good developers know these numbers and share them.

Questions to ask on the first call

These are the questions I wish every prospect asked me. If a dev or agency fumbles any of them, be careful.

"Can you walk me through a recent project like mine?"

Listen for:

• Specifics: they remember details, names (where allowed), specific numbers
• Honest challenges: what went wrong, what they'd do differently
• Ownership: they talk about what they did, not what "the team" did

Red flag: vague, upbeat descriptions with no specifics. They're pitching, not telling.

"What happens if I'm not happy with the final product?"

Listen for:

• Specific revision policy (e.g., "2 rounds of revisions included")
• Clear scope for what counts as a revision vs. new work
• A statement of what they've done for unhappy clients in the past

Red flag: "We've never had an unhappy client." Everyone's had an unhappy client. A dev who won't acknowledge that isn't being honest.

"Who exactly will be doing the work?"

Listen for:

• A specific person (or small team) with names
• Clarity on whether work is outsourced, onshore, offshore
• A sense of whether the person you're talking to is actually doing the work or just selling it

Red flag: the salesperson can't tell you who's building your project. That means it's probably going to a junior contractor or overseas team and marked up 3x.

"What's not included in your quote?"

Listen for:

• A clear list of things they're NOT responsible for (content, images, hosting costs, third-party API fees, etc.)
• A reasonable answer, not an exhaustive CYA

Red flag: "We'll figure it out." No. Figure it out before I sign.

"What's the change order process?"

Listen for:

• Clear policy on how mid-project scope changes get priced and approved
• A reasonable process (written change order, you sign it, work begins)

Red flag: "We're flexible." Flexible turns into $5K of mystery line items at the end of the project.

“

Any developer who won't tell you exactly what's in scope and exactly what's out of scope is going to surprise you with invoices later.

"Who owns the code?"

This is critical. Listen carefully.

The correct answer is "you do, upon final payment." Many agencies technically own the code you paid for, and will only give you the files if you beg. Some agencies hold the code hostage if you leave them.

Get it in writing. Non-negotiable.

"Can I see a reference from a past client my size?"

Real developers have clients happy to get on a 15-minute call with a prospective client. If they can't find anyone willing to do that, something is off.

Red flag: "We protect our clients' privacy." Fine, then let me see case studies with enough detail to be real. If they won't do that either, the work doesn't exist.

Red flags in the proposal itself

Once you get a proposal, these are the specific things to scrutinize:

1. Vague scope language

If the proposal says "custom website with modern features," it says nothing. Real scope looks like:

"1 homepage, 4 inner pages (About, Services, Contact, Blog index), blog post template, 1 contact form integrated with [service], basic SEO setup (meta tags, sitemap, Google Analytics 4)."

You should be able to count the deliverables.

2. Hourly estimates instead of fixed pricing

"Estimated 120 hours at $125/hr = $15,000." This always, always, ALWAYS goes up. Any project that's been done before should be quotable at a fixed price. Hourly billing is for unusual / exploratory work, not a standard business website.

3. Big upfront deposits

"50% upfront, 50% on completion" is standard and fine. "100% upfront" or "75% upfront" is not fine. You're taking all the risk and they have no incentive to finish.

4. No milestone-based payments for large projects

Anything over $15K should have milestones. Homepage approved → 25% payment. Inner pages approved → next 25%. Full build complete → next 25%. Launch → final 25%. Every honest developer I know works this way.

5. "Custom framework" or "proprietary CMS"

This is how you get locked in. If they build your site on their proprietary CMS, you can't move it without rebuilding from scratch. Ask what framework / platform they use and Google it. If you can't find documentation for it, walk away.

Acceptable answers: Next.js, React, WordPress, Shopify, Webflow, Squarespace (situationally), Astro, Gatsby, Remix, SvelteKit.

Red flag answers: "CustomBuilder3000" or "our proprietary stack."

6. No post-launch support included

Most good developers include 30 days of post-launch support (fixing bugs discovered after launch). If there's no such window, you'll be paying for every "why isn't the contact form working?" email.

7. SEO promises

"We guarantee first-page Google rankings" = liar. Nobody can guarantee that. Anyone who does is pulling a trick (usually ranking you for keywords nobody searches for).

Real SEO discussion: meta tags, semantic HTML, page speed, schema markup, content strategy. That's the honest version.

Questions to ask yourself before you sign

After the calls and proposals, before you sign, answer these honestly:

1. Do I know exactly what I'm paying for?

If you can't list the deliverables on a napkin, you don't. Go back and ask.

2. Do I trust this person with the keys to my business?

They'll have access to your website, email systems, maybe your CRM. This is a trust relationship, not a transaction.

3. What's my plan if this goes badly?

Is there a kill-switch clause? What do I do if they ghost me 3 weeks in? If you don't know, find out now.

4. Am I hiring them because I like them, or because they're the best fit?

Likability is not a qualification. I've watched people sign $15K contracts with likable agencies over the skilled-but-slightly-awkward solo developer. It's a common mistake.

What a good proposal looks like

For reference, a proposal you should be able to trust looks something like this:

If a proposal is missing any of these sections, it's not a complete proposal. Ask for the missing pieces before signing.

The final gut check

Here's the honest gut check: how did they make you feel about asking questions?

A good developer welcomes hard questions. They'd rather you understand exactly what you're buying than sign out of confusion. If you asked the hardest question in your head and they were defensive, dismissive, or evasive — trust your gut.

I actively train clients to ask me harder questions. Every time someone asks "wait, what if X happens" it's a chance to write a better contract. That's not a threat to me, it's collaboration.

The developer who makes you feel stupid for asking is not the one you want.

---

If you're comparing proposals right now and want a second opinion on what you're seeing, I'll look at them for free. No pitch. Just a read from someone who's on the other side of the table. Book a Discovery Call and bring the proposals.