Hiring a developer is one of the easiest ways to waste serious money — not because developers are dishonest, but because most business owners don't know what to ask. And what you don't ask, you don't find out until the invoice is paid and the project is stuck.
I'm going to give you the five questions I'd ask if I were sitting on your side of the table. Ask these of anyone — including us.
"Who owns the code and the accounts when we're done?"
This is the question that saves businesses the most pain, and almost nobody asks it. If your developer registers the domain in their own name, hosts on their personal account, and keeps the code on their machine, you don't own your website. You're renting it from them — and you'll discover that on the day you try to leave. The right answer: everything is registered in your name, on your accounts, and the code is handed over to you. Get it in writing.
"What happens after launch?"
A website is not a building. It's more like a car — it needs maintenance, updates, and occasional repairs. Ask specifically: who fixes it if it breaks at 11pm? Is support included, and for how long? What does it cost after that? The developers who disappear after the final payment are usually the ones who never mentioned support at all.
"Can I see something you built that's still live and still working?"
Note the wording. Not a screenshot. Not a design mockup. A live URL you can open on your phone right now. Then check two things: does it load quickly on mobile data, and is it still online at all? Plenty of portfolios are full of sites that died within a year.
"How will this actually make or save me money?"
If the answer is a list of technologies, be careful. You didn't ask what they'd build it with — you asked what it would do for your business. A good partner will talk about enquiries captured, time saved, customers converted, or costs avoided. A weak one will talk about frameworks. You're not buying code. You're buying an outcome, and the person you hire should be able to name it.
"What could go wrong, and what's the plan if it does?"
Anyone who tells you nothing will go wrong has either never shipped a real project or isn't being straight with you. Scope changes. Timelines slip. Third-party tools break. What you're testing here is honesty. The person who tells you the uncomfortable truth before you sign is the person who'll tell you the truth after you sign — and that's worth more than the cheapest quote you'll receive.
The bottom line
The cheapest developer is almost never the cheapest project. The real cost shows up later, when you're locked out of your own domain, or paying someone else to rebuild what you already paid for once. Ask the five questions. The answers will tell you far more than any portfolio.
Looking for a web development partner who is transparent from day one? Loukama Tech Solutions builds fast, modern websites and apps while giving you complete ownership of your code and assets.