Web development: a guide for pros
What customers ask, how to win the job, and what to put on your profile.
Offering web development
You build working websites from designs, so customers judge you on reliability, speed and how easy the site is to maintain. Clear scope, honest timelines and documented handover keep clients satisfied after launch.
What customers ask
- Can you build the design exactly?
- Will the site be fast?
- Do I own the code?
- How long will it take?
- What will it cost to change it later?
How to win the job
- On the first call, ask the goals, the features, the content, the design status and the launch date
- Write a scope with pages, features and integrations listed one by one
- Test the site on phones and slow connections before showing the client
- Document the site and set up the hosting in the client's account
- Hand over the code, the access and a short guide on changes
- Offer a support period and explain what it covers in writing
What to put on your profile
- Project examples with the problem, the build and the result
- The technologies and tools you use
- Your testing and handover process in plain words
- Your contract terms for code ownership and support
Follow-up that helps the customer
- Offer a performance check after the site has been live for a few weeks
- Suggest a maintenance plan for updates and backups
- Send a note on adding features the client has asked about
Licenses and permits
Web development is usually not licensed. Check state and local rules for business registration and contract terms, and confirm that any third party software you use is licensed for the client's use.
Questions
How do I handle a client who wants features added after the price was agreed?
Write the new feature into a change request with its time and cost, and get approval in writing before the work starts.
What do I do when a client's hosting account is not in their name?
Recommend that the client own the account, and set up the transfer as part of the handover.
Pro reviewers
Pros who offer web development remotely can improve this guide, like Wikipedia. We check every edit before it goes live. Every approved edit is credited in the edit history and on the pro's profile.
Edit history
- Oct 29, 2026: Drafted by infinibell to our content guidelines.
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