How to Outsource Web Design and Development? The Ultimate Guide

Are you planning to outsource website design and development but are unsure how to do it? You are not alone. Many of us go through the same dilemma. So, we have made this simple for you in this article. You will find all your questions about outsourcing your website design or development. Let’s explore;

Every company, including Microsoft, Google, Facebook, and other Fortune 500 companies, are outsourcing. If you are not, then you should. There’s always more work than time to do it, no matter what industry you are in. And web design and development are not immune to it.

Outsourcing your software development overseas can help you tackle the most challenging part: meeting your expectations and deadline.

Most entrepreneurs praise the merits of outsourcing development work, while some have sworn off due to bad experiences. So, many of you are left with the intriguing question, “should you outsource web design and development?”

When you find an answer for this, you are encountered with another question, “should you outsource?” Then next, then next, and next, it keeps adding more complex questions for you to solve. We have put all your questions to the rest by answering everything you should know about how to outsource website development and design in 2023.

What Is Outsourcing?

Outsourcing is the term usually used to define a situation when one company hires a third party to handle a few operations and tasks. This third-party company is also known as the ‘service provider.’ The service provider arranges all the resources required to complete their assigned tasks.

This external hiring is done for many purposes related to information technology, including outsourcing design services, web development projects, and so on. Other areas where outsourcing comes in handy are financing, manufacturing, human resources, and the list goes on.

How does this system of outsourcing work? Here, the factor of responsibility and business partnership is of utmost importance. Outsourcing is more about managing the relationship, building trust, and standing true to the exit clause of the service contract.

There are a gazillion reasons why businesses prefer outsourcing web development companies website development. However, the crucial ones are – low costs, improved efficiency, and quick service delivery. Given these benefits, let’s glance through why business companies outsource website design and web development services.

Data-Supported Reasons Why Companies Outsource Web Design & Development

According to Findstack, 45% of the companies in the world have planned to increase their outsourcing to find relevant skill sets that they otherwise couldn’t access in-house. This hike in the market has come to notice since the pandemic started paralyzing the businesses through economies.

There is no doubt that outsourcing has been one of the dominating business processes. This industry alone is set to elevate the valuation to 8.5% between 2021 and 2028. These ‘coming of age’ statistics have amazed the world by outsourcing web development services and web design-related tasks.

These numbers have highlighted a number of benefits to companies looking for professional design and development services. To expand your knowledge, here we shed light on some significant advantages:

On average, the in-house team of web developers charges approximately $90,000 per year. Whereas hiring web development companies in India and China cut a huge development cost for them. And, 59% of businesses believe that outsourcing cuts their cost.

According to a statistics report by Deloitte, other core reasons for companies to outsource are:

• It enables the companies to focus deliberately on their ‘core business operation,’ says 57% of the surveyed businesses!
• About 31% of businesses believe that outsourcing enhances their service quality.

Fast-forwarding to 2022, these reasons are still relevant to the market as a majority of companies are outsourcing companies in Asia-specific regions to increase time efficiency, get a fresh perspective, and even get high-quality websites.

Later in this blog, we’ll get back to the ‘benefits of outsourcing.’ For now, let’s learn a little in-depth about outsourcing and its different models. Most of you probably won’t have known that even outsourcing had other types!

Understanding the Different Types of Outsourcing Models Useful for It Projects

Web development and web designing are part of IT. An IT project consists of a number of phases, right from design to deployment. Thus it gets a little daunting for the company alone to handle everything. Therefore, they tend to switch to outsourcing an entire skilled team that could work on their project, shrugging off the excess worry and tension.

So, selecting any one of the three outsourcing models is necessary, and it will help the company strategize its business better.

1. Team-based outsourcing model

In this model, the vendor company will handpick several professionals’ web designers & developers and form a separate team that will handle your project. Thus, you don’t have to worry about managing or delegating tasks to them. This outsourced team will act as your in-house team and hand over the project on or before the deadline.

The only drawback of this model is – it is not for short-term projects. Plus, you’ll have to wait until the vendor doesn’t hire the right team.

2. Process-based outsourcing model

Web development projects must have centralized control because things can get pretty messed up if it isn’t. Here, you can give the entire technical process control to the outsourcing web development company. Thus, the team will:

• Manage the team
• Handle the project
• Understand your client’s requirements
• Take responsibility for all the failures and risks

3. Staff augmentation outsourcing model

In this model, the vendor company will hand over the 100% control access of the remote web developers team in your hand. Here, you will get a ready-made skilled team of IT professionals. Therefore, you will directly communicate with them and even ask for progress reports.

Here, the drawbacks are – maintaining the communication channel plus the outsourcing team will be cut off from taking responsibility for project risks and failures!

Which is better for web design and development: Outsourcing or In-house?

Here, clearly defining the requirements will provide a brief insight but such decisions should be better taken after reviewing every aspect, and further whichever option is selected it must be ensured that the processes are defined and the path is clear. Let’s have a look at some of the basic pros and cons of both which can provide you a peek into the aspects that need to be considered;

In-house Web design and development

Pros:

• You will have a team of your liking. Thus, there will be no dearth in communication or time lost in passing on the message to key professionals working on the project
• With the professionals working at the same place, it would be easier to keep everyone on the same page throughout the web development process and any changes required can be embedded faster
• You would have complete control over the team working on your website. Thus you can keep a keen eye on the progress of your website development process and changes that change in the flow that needs to be incorporated in real-time.

Cons:

• It is very costly as you would need to build everything, right from the human resources (HR) to the technical requirements from scratch.
• The complicated hiring process, as it sometimes becomes difficult to find the right candidate who has the same vision for the website as you.
• It requires you to set up the required infrastructure and will need to hire people to maintain it as well.
• You will have to brainstorm and create a well-defined process that helps to streamline various processes.
• There is a possibility that additional resources will be required and that might arise during the various stages of development and you would have to rope in an expert for consultation.

Outsourcing Web design and development

Pros:

• Reduced HR work, and you can start instantly with your website development as soon as you finalize the best website development agency based on your requirements.
• You could have flexible hiring depending on the needs and wants of your project requirement.
• You would save a lot on office infrastructure, and thus outsourcing website development would be very easy on your pocket as well.
• You will be only paying for the services offered and no additional costs.

Cons:

• There is a possibility that you and the tech-partner your select might be from different time zones as the company you outsourced could hail from a different country. But this disadvantage can be addressed as companies these days work round the clock or will decide on suitable time-frames to get in touch with so that the communication aspect will not be a hindrance.
• You not only hire web designers or developers but different professionals who would be required at different phases of developing a website. Thus all the tiny bits of the requirements if any are foreseen by the expert web development company and notified so that appropriate steps can be taken timely and the project doesn’t suffer.

What Are the Benefits of Web Development Outsourcing?

Coming back to where we left, let’s take a thorough look at the benefits of outsourcing a web design and web development company.

1. Helps you build a strong foothold in the competitive environment

The constant pressure and stress to succeed and become #1 in the market make outsourcing web development and design companies a boon! Thus, sometimes, bringing outstanding results and satisfying clients is hard to find amongst the in-house IT staff.

2. Saves your cost

As already stated above, companies like cost-efficient and quality products, that is why outsourcing keeps you away from splurging a million dollars just to hire the team, pay them a six-figure salary, and incur other expenses!

3. Experienced people handle your project

Outsourcing design services give the satisfaction that your project is in good hands with added expertise required for the project. Top professionals handle the project and its risks. Don’t doubt their expertise! Most of them hold at least 10+ years of industrial experience in a tech firm like us.

4. They’ll keep you updated with what’s new in the market

Outsourcing web development services and design requires you to stay on the market’s billboard; otherwise, the competition will eat you up. Outsourcing skilled IT professionals mean that they are working on ten more projects. This means they are proficient, and these professional web developers are adopting and implementing the technology at a bolting pace.

Web Design and Development Outsourcing Problems

However, the most significant challenges to getting great results come with perks and benefits! Let’s explore the challenges related to hiring a web development company.

1. Trust issues

In this context, the true meaning of ‘trust’ is more than just ensuring that your chosen partner has expertise in what they promise to do. Trust is about the extra mile that your web development and web design partner is willing to go! You need to find someone who wholeheartedly shows the will to dig deeper into the industry, the company, and your customers, and even work on your goals as if they are theirs.

2. Communication challenges

Communication is one of the most challenging things when it comes to outsourcing a team that isn’t yours (in-house). However, the situation can be challenging, with slight ups and downs everywhere. However, both the companies are to be held responsible for any communication gap. Remember, even the minutest communication issues can cause serious damage to the web project.

3. Failing to understand the scope of the project

Challenges related to understanding the project’s scope often emerge because of the ‘communication gap.’ Most web development company work in silos, and even their professionals might show little knowledge about what they are doing. So, ensure that the company you hire properly gives their team members relevant background checks on the project. This way, the team members will be able to ask ‘why’ and even come up with fresh ideas!

5 Steps to Outsourcing the Best Web Design & Development Companies

Avoid making hasty decisions when hiring web design and development experts. Before outsourcing, read the following steps to start project development with the right foot forward.

#1 What are your goals?

Formulate your expectations, brainstorm, and jot down your final goals and whatever the outsourced company needs. Undefined goals and expectations can lead to money wastage. So, start asking yourself these questions:

• What is the object of website development?
• What do I expect from my final product?
• What does the project need?
• What kind of issues will the website solve?
• How would your users be benefited from the solutions?
• What is the roadmap related to web solutions?

#2 Define the project requirements

In this step, the hirer needs to consider the business goals and other tech requirements. To be specific with your requirements, ask these questions:

• What are your business goals?
• Tech requirements of the project
• What technology stack should I use?

It would be best if you could define the functionalities of the project as it will help you determine if the company you have chosen is a perfect fit or not. Moreover, you can then calculate a much more accurate estimation of your project budget.

#3 Calculate your budget and time frame

Apart from defining the budget of your web development project, I’ll say, also scale out the time frame and the location you’re willing to look for the web development companies.

The project’s time frame majorly depends on the scope of the project, the number of features required, the experience of your chosen development team, and the testing & quality assurance process.

Location and budget go hand in hand. Once you decide which country or region you want to hire the developers, their hourly rates can then be calculated to outline the budget.

#4 Shortlist the best web development agencies

It is time to figure out the company you want to hire. The final step here is to compare the different companies based on a few factors (listed below). You can also do a long, exhaustive internet search to find the company that fits your budget.

Look for the work they did in the past. If you cannot find any project related to your niche, it is best to move on to comparing the next company on your list.

Check the company’s portfolio. Look at the products they have made so far, what their clients are saying about them, what technologies they have used, and so on.

Check the hourly rates of the company you’re hiring. Choosing a big company can cost you more. Although a budget-friendly company would be a great choice, falling for ‘cheaper’ ones can be a costly affair.

#5 Make the final comparison and outsource the right company

Once you have shortlisted all the companies, it is time to talk with them. Hold meetings, ask for quotations, clear your doubts about the product, and much more.

To better judge who can be the right choice, ask these questions before you outsource a website design company.

• Which communication channels do they follow?
• What deliverables to expect?
• NDA policy.
• Breakdown of the total budget.
• What technology stack do they follow?
• Ask about references or clients you can talk with and take a personal review of the company and its product.

The five steps to outsource the web development project demystify the process of web development outsourcing. Still, if you want to know the web development process in more detail, the guide will help you.

Outsource Website Development: Who Should Do It?

The question is, who can outsource web design and web development company? Here is a list of almost everyone who can best use the outsourcing services for web development projects:

Those working with a limited budget in hand

Outsourcing will help you delegate specific tasks you don’t have the right skills, technology, and budget to purchase!

Too much work and no time

Too much workload is yet another reason you can think about outsourcing the tasks. Outsourcing will help you avoid delays when you have too many projects in the pipeline with stricter deadlines

Don’t have the right web development team

Outsourcing the web designers and developers brings all the necessary skills and resources to the table, assuring timely completion of the project!

If you want quick results, outsource!

The IT industry is constantly changing, making it necessary for you to keep pace with it. Therefore hiring outside companies will deliberately generate desired results in the given timeframe.

The pointers help you know if web development outsourcing is the best bet to place for your business. However, with the plethora of choices for outsourcing companies, it’s difficult to narrow down the choice to one company. That’s where a couple of questions to ask when outsourcing web development can help in finding the best fit for the web project.

How Much Does It Cost to Outsource Web Development Services?

When calculating the cost of outsourcing the best web development agencies, consider these high impacting factors once:

• Do you want to follow the custom web design approach or template?
• The hourly rate of the agency you are outsourcing.
• Functionalities you’re willing to integrate into the product.
• The total number of website pages.
• Custom messaging.

However, if you are connecting with one of the best web development companies in the USA, the cost of development services may differ from one company to another. It will range anywhere between $80-$250/hr. Besides, the outsourcing web development companies can charge you a fee based on:

• Their hourly fee
• Per-project fee
• Result-based fee
• Flat fee

Want more clarification on the cost to build a website and the rest of the factors? The cost breakdown in detail will clear up the air.

Factors to consider before outsourcing your web design and development project

Beginning with a Trial Project

It is okay and essential to be cautious at the beginning of the project; most of the entrepreneurs do so. Most of the professional web development companies would provide a trial project for you. A trial project would be the perfect method to test the company’s skills and see how the top officials react to different situations during the website development process.

In addition to this, you will understand whether your future outsourcing partner is reliable and trustworthy. During the trial project, you will get an idea about how responsive and skilled web developers are and the efforts they put into communicating things to keep everyone on the same page during the website development process. Do they ask relevant questions? Can they follow your instructions? These are some of the critical issues through which you will be able to judge and make a better decision for which trial project can be a good option.

Opting for the leading web development companies will ensure your punctuality, and they will meet the deadlines every time. The trial project will even give you an idea about whether the web development company you select can deliver the product on time or not.

Have clarity about your Goals

Finalize your goals; understand the concepts before handing over your website development project to the third-party website development agency. Before outsourcing your work, you need to do your homework correctly as the web development process is approached differently by different companies.

To understand what you want to achieve with the website, create a general description of the web project. List out the objectives like tech requirements, application of tech stack, etc. and then develop a list of questions that you would like to ask the web development company before giving them your project.

You need to be very sure about the budget that you are allocating for the website development. If you have a pre-defined budget, it will become easier for you to decide what payment method (hourly or fixed) you want to opt for and what would be the best for your business.

The importance of setting the expectations right first-up is high as things tend to fall apart rather quickly if you understand the technicalities differently and have a completely different perspective with respect to that of the expert web developers you hired. The solution here is to be clear with your thoughts for better coordination between you and your web development firm so that everyone is on the same page.

Keeping up with the changing Technologies

Once the website is built, you will look to keep it fresh and updated according to the changing trends. Your professional website developers should be able to maintain and upgrade the website according to the changing trends. With tough competition in the market, you might also need to optimize your website according to the SEO parameters in the future.

Opt for a company that follows a specific dedicated model that suits your requirements and makes it easier to maintain your website most efficiently. Make sure that your website is responsive and is perfectly accessible even on smaller screen devices, as a majority of the users like to use their mobile phones to access websites today.

Selecting the correct Type of Outsourcing Model

There are three different types of website development outsourcing model

• Offshore outsourcing: It means you hire a top website development team from a foreign country. There might be a chance that an offshore website development firm might speak a foreign language, but majorly most of the vendors speak English, so that is not an issue. Offshore outsourcing stands high on cost-effectiveness, speed, and quality expertise. Moreover, the security risks in offshore outsourcing are highly manageable
• Nearshore outsourcing: If you outsource the web development project to a company in the same timezone as yours, it is known as nearshore outsourcing. It is advantageous at times, as the development partner will be hailing from the same culture or even understand and speak the same language as you.
• Onshore outsourcing: Onshore outsourcing is about finding the best web development partner in your region itself. If you outsource web development projects locally, it reduces the language and culture barriers. Here, the nearness of your web development company will be better. Thus you would get less grey hair thinking about the safety of your website. These are just some of the aspects but these it hardly makes a difference with better technology and connecting devices you can be in touch with your service provider as and when required.

From Where Should You Outsource the Web Designer and Development?

Are you confused about which region offers the best web design and web development services in the entire world? Here is a list that might help you figure out where you should outsource your project.

Eastern Europe

Ukraine, Romania, and Poland compete on the top lists of specialists who can provide high-quality services at a lower cost. The best reasons to outsource from Eastern Europe are:

• They have top-notch professionals with affordable service rates.
• They have a vast talent pool.
• They are proficient in English.

The hourly cost to hire web design and development company in Eastern Europe is approximately $30-$85 per hour

South And South East Asia

Most of the best web development talent in the world is outsourced from India and the Philippines. The primary reasons to outsource web developers from the web development company in India and the Philippines are-

• They are cost-effective.
• They already hold the reputation of having the most extensive outsourcing resources.
• The talent pool is enormous.

The hourly cost to hire a company providing website design and development services in South and South East Asia is approximately $20-$70 per hour

South America

This continent is new in the ‘outsourcing market,’ but they have web development and web design experts who can provide you with a good website at an affordable cost.

The hourly cost to hire web design and development company in South America is approximately $40-$100 per hour

Takeaways on Outsourcing Website Design and Development

To summarize the blog, let’s take a quick walk through the significant lessons learned today.

While outsourcing, remember the following pointers:

• Precisely define your requirements so that the outsourced web development company can understand what you want and give you precisely what you asked for.
• Communicate with them directly because communication gaps can impact your project progress and the overall cost. Make timely feedback, openly communicate with them, instruct, and even order if required!
• State your project expectations correctly, as even a minor misunderstanding about your expectations can give birth to costly mistakes. Be clear about what’s in your mind and highlight them when interviewing the company.