Hindsight is a wonderful thing!

Outsourcing our website development overseas to India was a big mistake in my opinion; it caused us major delays and extra costs and we eventually had to enlist the help of a UK based developer to finish the project. Unfortunately, we cannot go back and change what has been but maybe our experience can help you and give you a bit of hindsight!

It was after a lot of research and cost comparisons that we decided to outsource our website development overseas, not only for the cost savings but for the technical expertise. What we didn't know then was that it would take 18 months to complete the development and more than double the costs involved.

The advantages turned into disadvantages for us and here's why:

* Costs - a lot of people think it is cheaper to go abroad to places like India, but the initial quote is likely to increase when you realise you don't have everything you need. There are added costs in time and the overall management of the development. These costs far outweigh the initial monetary savings.
* Working times - they can work whilst you sleep. But you are unable to speak to anyone after approximately 12pm during your UK working day. It means waiting until the following day to speak to someone and more often than not waiting another day for them to get back to you. Days roll into weeks and weeks roll into months. It becomes extremely drawn out and frustrating.
* Experience - it has to be said that the expertise of overseas developers in second to none, with their American influences, they really are the best. As a video sharing website, it seemed logical for us to go to the most experienced people in this area. This level of technicality would have cost a lot more in the UK. However, we found there was a real lack of attention to detail and it cost us more in the end.
* Language barrier - we had a lot of spelling mistakes, incorrect grammar and wrong wording on the website. You have to read everything over and over again and specify exactly the wording you want. Communication can be very difficult when they speak in severe broke
English.
* Accountability - you have to be very specific in what you want. they do not always provide advice or opinion. So if you don't know what you want, this could become a problem. If you are not experienced in web development, it is difficult to identify when things are not as they should be, until something goes wrong.
* Coding - every web developer will write website code differently so if like us you find yourself no longer working with your overseas developer and you need to use a UK developer, it will cost you for the new developer to read and understand that code to be able to work with it.

If you have some experience in web development, outsourcing overseas could prove a real advantage because you know what you should be getting. We would recommend UK based developers, there are some really great ones around that are not too expensive, you are able to speak with them at your convenience and you have peace of mind with regulations in place to protect you against bad work. It may appear to cost more initially but in the long run it is worth it.

Tips for choosing the right web developer:

1. Always do your research - look for any bad reviews and look over previous work. Validate their work by looking at their portfolio and actually going on to some of the websites they have built.

2. Make sure that you have in writing; a specification detailing what your website should look like and include, a signed contract, and a checklist of all the functions your website should have.

3. Get a customer service agreement in writing from the company you choose detailing what you should expect from them if anything goes wrong.

4. Request a clause is put into the contract for any undue delays over the deadline.

5. Get testimonials from previous customers, speak to them if necessary to find out what their experience was.

Like with any project, website developments will come with their share of ups and downs, some will be easier than others depending on the complexity of your website. It is possible to avoid some common problems if you do your research and preparation beforehand.

When your website is your business, it is vital that you get it right.

We hope that our experience can help you choose the right developer for you.

Best of luck!

Cassie Lang.

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