You’re thinking of hiring a web developer – but what now? If you want to make sure you hire the right person for the job, there are some things you need to know and think about very carefully. We have put together a list to help you make the best decision for your business when hiring a web developer:

• Make sure your developer has a professional qualification. This shows that they have studied their subject and understand it fully. This will help you to know that they are capable of doing a good job.
• Consider setting them some tasks. Web development can involve writing intricate and complicated code, so see whether they are able to work well in a real life, pressurised situation.
• Ask them about their experience. Get a clear idea of the kinds of industries they know and the types of development work they have done.
• Ensure you can offer them a competitive package. Web design and development are incredibly popular at the moment, with lots of companies needing to hire someone to complete programming work for them. You will need to make sure the position you are offering is reasonable, as a good developer will probably have a lot of job options. Carry out some market research to see what other employers are offering.
• Think about how their role in the company will actually work. What will you require your developer to do? What kind of systems will they be working on? Will they be part of a large IT team? Will they have any contact with your clients? By carefully considering these questions, you will be able to work out what kind of person you need to fit into your existing team.

Hiring – and keeping – a good web developer can be tricky, as it’s the kind of profession where people are used to moving around regularly. However, if you have a role that is well rewarded, you can find the right person for your company.

Selecting a good hosting service is essential for user experience. This can affect things like the speed at which your website loads, and the amount of downtime that you experience – of course, you want to keep this to a minimum so that people are actually able to access your website. Here are some of the things you should look out for to make sure your hosting service ticks all the right boxes:

• Clear terms and conditions. It’s important to fully understand what you are getting from your hosting service. Does the price include support? Is the price fixed? Do you have to pay for a year upfront to secure the lowest price? Make sure you read everything available to you thoroughly so there are no surprises.
• Good customer service. This is essential, especially if you have an eCommerce site and can’t afford for it to be down. If something goes wrong, you need to know that you’ll have access to the support you need. Check how/ when you can get in touch and how easy it will be to get technical help.
• Clear communication. Is the information that is available about the service clear and concise? Do you understand exactly how everything will work? If there is any uncertainty, this can be a sign that the company isn’t fully trustworthy and isn’t the right host for you.
• An inclusive package. It can get very confusing when there are different prices for different things. Look for a package that includes everything, or the costs can build up without you noticing.
• Positive customer reviews. This is perhaps one of the most important things to look out for. If other people are happy with the server and customer service, chances are you will be too. This is a good way of finding out what it’s actually like to be a customer, first hand.

Follow these tips to find the right hosting service provider for your blog or website. You will be online in no time at all.

Having a new website built is no mean feat. It’s probably not going to be cheap, and it could take a while to put together. When you’re going to all that effort, it’s important to make sure you’re getting something that is worthwhile. Spend some time sourcing a web design agency who will be able to complete work to meet with your own high standards.

Check the work that an agency has done before. Luckily, this is very easy as you will be able to access previous websites they have built on a device that has internet access. See if these look professional and like the kind of thing you might want for your own website.

Have a chat to the agency and see if they’re able to design the kind of site you want. Some will specialise in brochure sites and others in ecommerce so find out what they do best. Consider whether they’re the right agency for a client like you and if not, look elsewhere – there are lots around to choose from.

Nothing says quality like a bespoke, tailor-made website to show off your business. You will be able to ensure that the design is perfect for you and that all the functionality you need is included. It’s the modern way to attract customers and build up a new audience.

A beautiful, bespoke, designer website will probably come in at a higher price point than a run-of-the-mill template. However, it’s worth every penny. Once you have a good website, it will act as a strong sales tool for your business and will take on a central role within your marketing strategy. Whether your business model requires an ecommerce site or a brochure site, you will be able to get your name out there and expand your influence.

A custom-made website will give you ultimate control. It will allow you to edit and update your website as and when required, and will give you the freedom to play around with the layout, the design and the copy. If you work with a reputable agency, they will also be able to give you ongoing support and advice relating to your website.

When you push the boat out, it really shows. A website is your business’s most prominent online presence. If you use it to show your customers that you’re professional, trustworthy and pay close attention to detail, it will really work in your favour.

Blogs are incredibly important in the digital world. Many people are now making use of them, and businesses often have people or even whole departments dedicated to their digital content. Here are some of the reasons why you should make use of blogging:

• To showcase you business. A blog is an excellent way to communicate your achievements and write about what you’re doing well. Use your blog as a way to show potential clients what you can do.
• To demonstrate your ability to pay attention to detail (as long as your blog is well written, of course!) Make sure that you use good punctuation and grammar and spell everything correctly. Ask someone to proofread your work before posting.
• To boost SEO. Fresh content is an important factor in helping your website to rank well. Regular, detailed blog posts that make use of keywords can make your site more visible.
• To build up a more personal relationship with your clients. Blogs are your opportunity to communicate directly with your target audience. Tailor your content to them and ensure that you have something worth reading.
• To give you more content to share on other platforms. If you write a good blog post, make sure people know about it. Share it on your business’s Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn accounts to spread the word.

A headless server is defined as a computing device that operates without the use of a graphical user interface. Instead, it will receive inputs from elsewhere and will be able to function without the use of a monitor or peripherals, such as a keyboard or mouse. Its overall purpose is to provide services for users and other computers.

Many servers are headless, which can have a lot of advantages for a company. Perhaps most importantly, it allows for easy and compact storage. Large data centres will often use rack-mounted servers, where the computers are stored in large racks that keep them neat and easily stored away. They will usually have uniform storage compartments and will therefore be stored with other similar servers that are the same size and shape.

The advantages of a headless server over other kinds of server include security benefits, accessibility and usability. You can leave the server on, so it can always be reachable from the internet, yet it will be reasonably secure.

Web development encompasses lots of different processes to do with the development of websites. It can range from creating pages of plain text to developing complicated functionalities which will make a web page look and behave in a certain way.

Usually, web development and web design will be two separate fields. Web designers will put together a concept for how the finished website should look, and then programmers will build this and make it into a usable website.

Developers will have to complete a number of tasks in the overall process of making a website. This can include client-side and server-side scripting, network security configurations, coding and writing markup.

Web developers are usually very highly skilled, and proper professionals will have studied to gain a qualification which will show that they have the necessary developing and programming experience.

If you want a new website for yourself or your company, use a professional web developer to produce it for you. This will give you the best results and will ensure that everything looks professional and works as it should.

It couldn’t be easier to make a blog in the age of the internet. There are many websites which offer user-friendly platforms for writing and hosting blogs. However, depending on what you want to do with your blog, you might decide that you would prefer to have a self-hosted service. If you do decide to go down this route, there are a number of benefits and you will be able to get far more out of your blog. Here are some of the most important reasons to self-host:

• You can choose your own domain name. Whilst you can choose a domain name on other sites, it will cost you extra and you’ll be paying more than you need to be.
• Freedom. You have far more options, such as whether or not to use advertising.
• You won’t be restricted to themes. Lay out and design are much more in your control.
• SEO. If you want good SEO, you really need to be self-hosted to stand any kind of chance with the search engines.
• Upload space won’t be limited to 3GB. This can be a problem if you want to use lots of images and videos.
• There won’t be any hidden costs to unlock features. Blog sites are notorious for trying to charge users for access to additional functionality.

There are a number of different reasons you might want to buy a domain. You might want to begin a blog, start up a business website, have a personal website, and many more. The first step is finding the right domain name for you.

Find out whether the name which you want is still available. There are numerous websites – called domain name registrars – which will allow you to search for domain names and see which ones are available. If there is a name which you particularly want but which is currently taken, keep an eye out. Domains need to be renewed each year so it’s possible that your preferred domain name will become available at some point.

Think of a name which truly represents you or your business. You will want it to be as easy and accessible as possible so choose something very relevant. The registration process will usually cost around £10, though domain names which are more in demand might cost you more. For example, domain names ending in .com might be more expensive than .co.uk

Cloud hosting is undoubtedly a convenient choice for many companies. It allows for low-cost, low-maintenance storage which is easy to access. However, is it secure?

There are lots of differing opinions about whether or not cloud storage is a secure option to choose, so it can be very difficult for businesses to make an informed decision. Some people have expressed concerns about the cloud being a multi-tenant storage method, as numerous people will be remotely accessing the server. There are also some worries that sensitive data might not be properly deleted and that cloud storage is more permanent than a physical server – will your data always exist somewhere?

It is in fact completely possible to wipe any data which you want to, in exactly the same way as you would on a physical network. It’s also possible to ensure that other people can’t access your data by isolating environments on a multi-tenant cloud. You can isolate your VMs on its own network, ensuring that nobody else can see your data.

It is possible for cloud hosting to be safe and secure, but make sure that you choose a company that you can trust. It’s possible for people to abuse the system, so you need to feel comfortable with your selection. Read about potential companies as much as you can, and look at plenty of reviews.