How to hire a web developer

How to hire a web developer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step web developer hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a web developer job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new web developer
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a web developer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your web developer job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a web developer for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a web developer to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a web developer that fits the bill.

   This list shows salaries for various types of web developers.

   Type of Web Developer	Description	Hourly rate
   Web Developer	Web developers design and create websites. They are responsible for the look of the site... Show more	$28-49
   Mobile Applications Developer	A mobile application developer is responsible for designing programming applications for mobile devices according to clients' specifications and business demands. Mobile application developers must have excellent knowledge of the technology industry, as well as computer system commands to develop efficient scripts and smooth navigation of operating systems... Show more	$36-62
   Applications Developer	An application developer is responsible for creating program applications for devices based on clients' specifications and business needs. Application developers must have excellent knowledge of computer systems, as well as a strong command of programming languages to develop customized programs... Show more	$32-56

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • JavaScript
   • Html Css
   • HTML
   • CSS
   • Web Forms
   • JQuery
   • Front End
   • Java
   • PHP
   • WordPress
   • Web Development
   • GIT
   • Database
   • HTML5

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead front-end design and creation.
   • Manage high transaction databases including all database objects, triggers, procedures, user rights and functions.
   • Manage social media including Facebook advertising.
   • Interact with java controllers (JQUERY, AJAX, and JSON to write/read data from back end systems).
   • Used JSP, HTML, CSS and JavaScript to render the dynamic web pages (presentation layer) for the application.
   • Re-Design, update and maintain LinkWorth's WordPress plug-in using PHP and XML files to import data from LinkWorth's servers.

   More web developer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your web developer job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A web developer salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a web developer in South Dakota may be lower than in Washington, and an entry-level web developer usually earns less than a senior-level web developer. Additionally, a web developer with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average web developer salary

   $78,975yearly

   $37.97 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level web developer salary

   $60,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 14, 2025

   Average web developer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Washington	$97,056	$47
   2	California	$96,741	$47
   3	District of Columbia	$82,751	$40
   4	Minnesota	$81,106	$39
   5	Connecticut	$79,733	$38
   6	Massachusetts	$78,976	$38
   7	Maryland	$78,571	$38
   8	New Jersey	$78,088	$38
   9	Pennsylvania	$77,850	$37
   10	Virginia	$77,587	$37
   11	North Carolina	$75,793	$36
   12	New York	$75,687	$36
   13	Arizona	$75,240	$36
   14	Illinois	$74,757	$36
   15	Colorado	$74,214	$36
   16	Texas	$73,863	$36
   17	Georgia	$73,226	$35
   18	Missouri	$72,623	$35
   19	Ohio	$72,601	$35
   20	Indiana	$70,867	$34

   Average web developer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Google	$126,616	$60.87	440
   2	Mayo Clinic	$124,924	$60.06	20
   3	First Republic Bank	$121,526	$58.43
   4	Barclays	$121,010	$58.18	4
   5	NVIDIA	$120,736	$58.05	41
   6	BGC Partners	$119,436	$57.42
   7	Apple	$117,932	$56.70	336
   8	PayPal	$117,845	$56.66	14
   9	Safeway	$117,729	$56.60
   10	Western Digital	$117,702	$56.59	2
   11	Adobe	$117,642	$56.56	32
   12	Xilinx	$117,525	$56.50
   13	Parsons	$116,764	$56.14	35
   14	Skillshare	$116,465	$55.99
   15	Avid	$116,059	$55.80	19
   16	Poshmark	$114,958	$55.27	7
   17	Brocade Services Corporation	$114,788	$55.19
   18	Cadence Design Systems	$114,406	$55.00	38
   19	Oracle	$114,223	$54.91	8,298
   20	Intuit	$114,099	$54.86	19

4. Writing a web developer job description

   A good web developer job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a web developer job description:

   Web developer job description example

   The Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University brings together biomedical, nutritional, clinical, social, and behavioral scientists to conduct research, educational, and community service programs in the field of human nutrition.
   What You'll Do
   
   Reporting to the Director of Communications, the Web Developer has primary responsibility for maintaining the Friedman Schools web presence, which can involve everything from updating content to creating new functionality as needed.
   
   Responsibilities include: Maintain, enhance and provide ongoing design of all currently existing websites, including implementing marketing functionality, the creation of special content, and custom designs for clients Design and develop new web pages/sites incorporating user-friendly interfaces (UX / UI) Utilize pre-established web and style guidelines, while including some of your own independent creativity and latitude to perform job functions Partner directly with school faculty, students, and staff to design and deliver content platforms tailored to their needs Collaborate with university level technical teams and external vendors, to deliver a secure and efficient environment for all our digital properties Leverage creativity in approaching problem-solving while building requested services Research, design, and implement user-focused digital structures, databases, and interfaces for ease-of-use while adhering to web standards and progressive accessibility standards May lead or participate on discrete project teams for affiliated and grant project sites What We're Looking For
   
   Basic Requirements: Knowledge and skills as typically acquired by a Bachelor's degree and 2+ years of related experience Must have experience working with each of the following: Drupal, WordPress, PHP, CSS, HTML, JavaScript, jQuery, MySQL Preferred Qualifications: Knowledge of LAMP stack and basic Apache setup in order to easily collaborate with system administrators as needed Experience working with APIs and Drupal/WordPress Experience with Git and Git workflows Adobe Creative Suite/Other graphic software, for occasional altering/adjusting of assets as needed An employee in this position must complete all appropriate background checks at the time of hire, promotion, or transfer.
   
   Equal Opportunity Employer minority/females/veterans/disability/sexual orientation/gender identity.
   
   recblid 16p0zolyuy58wih180wgmlumh0hkqq

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right web developer for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your web developer job on Zippia to find and recruit web developer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as dribbble, authentic jobs, working not working, coroflot.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with web developer candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   While interviews are great, you will only sometimes learn enough from a conversation with a web developer applicant. In those cases, having candidates complete a test project can go a long way in figuring out who's the most likely to succeed in the role. If you aren't a technical person and don't know how to design an appropriate test, you can ask someone else on the team to create it or take a look at these websites to get a few ideas:

   • TestDome
   • CodeSignal
   • Testlify
   • BarRaiser
   • Coderbyte

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new web developer

   Once you've found the web developer candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new web developer. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a web developer?