Agencies and marketing departments alike are faced with the complicated decision of hiring talent in-house or hiring outsourced web development talent. There are cost, productivity, commitment and quality implications that factor into this decision. When considering hiring for development specifically, should you be hiring an in-house developer or outsourcing to a web development team?

The benefits of hiring in-house

A higher level of control
Developers who hold a desk in your office, are working with you and beside you every day. They are your employees and can hop between projects based on internal needs. Additionally, when a client changes their mind or a tweak is required to a website's design, your in-house developer absorbs those changes in direction immediately.

Their interests are your business's interests
As an employee, an in-house developer has an automatic buy-in or tie to your brand. They are physically apart of the team that helps your client's projects come to life and that’s an invested interest not seen from outsourced team members. Many times, independent freelancers are pulled in different directions by their own clients, their interests are inherently tied to their own success.

Operational budget
The salary of your in-house developer is paid through your operational budget, not your 'by-project' budget. This means that when you are putting together a proposal, you will not have to budget the expense to hire outside help.


The benefits of outsourcing web development


You can focus on the marketing
The true benefit of hiring an outsourced developer is the relief they bring to your time. You remain focused on your area of expertise, marketing while your outsourced development agency makes your vision come to life technically.


Highly technical skills
When you hire a web development agency, you hire a team, a highly specialized team with skills and certifications across many digital platforms. It’s access to this wide range of skills that provides your agency with the resources to accomplish even the most technical development problems. All areas of development are highly technical and complicated, one in-house developer cannot be expected to have the breadth of skills a development team can provide.


Hours when you need them
Your digital agency or marketing department may not have enough project work to merit hiring a salaried full-time developer. Outsourcing allows you to “hire” on an employee for the exact hours your project requires instead of struggling to make hours for your in-house employee. Development agencies offer the added benefit of service when you need it. A larger staff that is used to working with many clients at a time has the resources to handle your requests in a timeline you can deal with.

 

In-house vs. outsourced development calculator

The most important factor for many businesses when choosing between the two options is cost. Weighing the financial implications of your decision before moving ahead with a solution is something that can not be overlooked. This free calculator tool from Computan will help you to break down the true costs so that you will be one step closer to finding the right answer for your business.

Should I outsource web development?