In-house vs. Outsource Web Development

Shawn Bouchard, January 21, 2009 at 1:47 AM

If I counted the number of times we've had marketing and communications executives come to us to re-build their website after yet another frustrating experience with the "in-house development team" we would quickly run out of fingers and hands. Don't believe me, ask your friends, colleagues and family and see what they have to say on the subject.

Though handling web development in-house is rarely successful there are always good arguments for doing it: perceived cost savings; control over IT requirements; brand control; close integration with corporate objectives. Eventually, and I would venture to say inevitably, most website projects end up being outsourced for a number of reasons, some of which include: perceived cost savings; control over IT requirements; brand control; close integration with corporate objectives.

Outsourcing web development doesn't guarantee the process will be without hiccups, but at the very least, if there are hiccups you will have someone to hold accountable. In the best scenario a professional web developer will deliver value above and beyond the cost for their services. Their experience, insight and knowledge is what you are paying for and its worth it to spend the time to find a partner that fits your needs. Additionally, outsourcing web development allows your company to focus on its core strengths, allowing you to do what you do best.

Here are a few things to look for when evaluating a web developer:

Experience/longevity
Project portfolio or reference links
Client testimonials
Break-down of what you are paying for and what you'll get

Ask to see examples of their past work. Ask for a demo of their software (if they use content management software). Ask for references. Ask about process, how things will work? Find out how many sites they have built.

When you decide on the developer you're going to move forward with make sure you provide them with all the information they will require - design/functionality/architecture considerations they will need to know before beginning the project. And, don't be afraid to ask questions!

Outsourcing web development is a good management decision, and it usually delivers a better and more effective result then you could achieve with an in-house solution.

Tags:web design

Posted In:Website Design, Content Management

Offshore Web Development(1 year ago)

Nice and Good informative post. Thanks for sharing this nice blog.

Domenic(1 year ago)

I'd say that you need to be more clear when you're talking about on/offshore outsourcing. In terms of keeping things in America for American development firms outsourcing is almost in all cases a better way for a start up. When you talk about offshore outsourcing the complete opposite can be said. I've had so many clients over the past 13 years who have been handed crap software. It is most often my Job as a Consultant/Developer to fix all of the mistakes and most often it ends up costing them double what they originally paid for it and it takes me quite a long while fixing things that shouldn't need fixed and quite often cannot be fixed without completely re-structuring it. For an American company, outsourcing IN America is a good way to go just be careful to make sure they don't themselves just outsource offshore.

rogerkk(1 year ago)

From the past decade, this outsourcing business is being in high track and we are also in this track from the past years in dedicated hiring of web professionals in LAMP and we are in very high peak in offering the web professionals..
Check out our sites ==>
http://www.outsource-website-development.com/
http://www.outsource-website-design.com/

Nimesh – Perception System(1 year ago)

Nice Post
Thanks for information

Phil-Am OSI(8 months ago)

We appreciate you posting this article. Thanks for this great information.

Call Centers Philippines(5 months ago)

There are pros and cons to both Outsource and In House Web Development. It will depend on the people who manage the business to decide which will be better for them, as there are many factors that need to be considered.