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Ask HN: What ever happened to 'custom' webdev agencies?

7 points by ShrimpCocktail ↗ HN
Maybe my search skills have simply degraded with age more than I care to admit, but where does one find a good custom webdev agency these days? And I don't mean some company that will simply spit me out some templated riffraff but one that will actually sit down with me and plan something specific out. Somewhere where I can say "I'd like to rely on web components on the frontend and node in the backend" and that not seem like some asinine request...

17 comments

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chovybizzass
I decided to quit my fulltime job a couple of years ago and focus on building custom MVP web applications. We are out there, the problem is you can't find us. Ranking in Google is incredibly difficult compared to 10 years ago. Without large budgets you simply won't be found.
learningwebdev
I am still learning web dev but my guess would be that there probably just isn't a very big market for custom webdev agencies anymore, due to social media like Instagram and Facebook pages acting as de facto websites for many businesses, as well as generally most businesses being happy enough with a basic, and relatively inexpensive, website using a Wordpress templates (of which there are of course many to choose from). That's just my guess anyway.
learningwebdev
And to add onto this, an old acquaintance ran into me quite a while ago and we got to talking about web dev and he said he wanted me to make a website for him and asked "How much?" I said $500 (he really was just an old acquaintance and not a friend) and he balked at that figure (quite rudely actually). I think a lot of people probably think "Well I can make a Squarespace website myself so it can't be that hard, time-consuming or expensive..." and they probably don't know enough to know that their Squarespace website kind of sucks.
ShrimpCocktail
Indeed. I still feel like there must be some sort of agency somewhere that will do this type of work though. It might cost a pretty penny, but it can't be impossible to find..
jonnycomputer
$500 is cheap. Tell them to go and build something for themselves, and come back when they have a clue how hard it is.
ShrimpCocktail
Probably one of the more relevant usernames to comment on my post :)

I have the feeling that you're right; there just isn't a market for it. The alternative would be to try and filter through the army of Fiverr, Upwork & Freelancer - but I fear the risk of spaghetti code or copypasta is high and there isn't much accountability on these platforms once the job is considered 'done'. Maybe I'm wrong though.

learningwebdev
I'd advise you to stay well away from Fiverr based on my past experiences (as a buyer, not a freelancer) especially for something as big as a custom web development project. It's been a few years since I've been on the site though so perhaps it's changed (but I doubt it). I haven't used either of the other two.

There are many proficient web developers who I'm sure could do a great job of whatever it is you are looking to build, and would be happy to build it to your specifications (like using Node for the backend).

I could be wrong, but I think it's likely that good independent web developers don't need to advertise because they probably already have full-time jobs or contract work via recruitment or word of mouth.

And I think that probably applies even more to good web dev agencies - they likely have enough work via word of mouth referrals and those little "Website made by Super Web Design" links in footers that they really don't need to advertise.

ShrimpCocktail
That begs the question of where do you search to find them then? If you don't already have an ear in the business, how do you reach out?
learningwebdev
Here on HN? Maybe on Reddit? Although again, I'd be surprised if there's many very good web developers advertising on or looking for work there.

I have hired somebody on Reddit for a small job before (an illustration) and could not have been more impressed by the job they did. And I was really surprised by how little it cost, too - I'm not a wealthy person (currently a student) but I still paid them more than we had agreed on, because I felt like they deserved it.

What exactly are you looking to build? Could you perhaps put an email address in your bio and I could reach out and discuss it with you? I may not be experienced enough (although I'm familiar with Node) but I do have friends who are very proficient web developers (which is how I got into it). One of my close friends has been the CTO of multiple well-funded companies and I know he uses Node a lot.

This friend also developed a well-known web technology and somehow remains more humble about that achievement than I am about winning a spelling bee in 7th grade.

I don't believe he's currently looking for work (although I guess I could check) but he is a very friendly and generous person who is always willing to help people, and either he or I might be able to help point you in the right direction.

I guess what I'm saying is that if nobody else steps forward, I could be your ear in the business, if you're a reasonable person who would respect my time, which you do seem to be.

ShrimpCocktail
Sure thing, I just added it. I'm signing off for tonight, but shoot me an email and I'll reach out in the morning :)
learningwebdev
And I do really want to emphasize that I'd recommend staying away from Fiverr or any similar gig marketplaces for a bigger job like this. If it was just a simple website using Wordpress or some other CMS, I'd probably roll the dice, because, well working with Wordpress isn't exactly rocket science. But there's so many ways a developer could screw up building a custom website with a Node backend, and you might end up paying $$$$ for something you throw in the trash.
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trinovantes
I'm pretty sure the (good) custom web design agencies just rely on word-of-mouth for new work. I used to intern at one back in my undergrad that does what you described "sit down with me and plan something specific out". I just tried and literally could not find them on Google with generic web design keywords + city name. I had to use their actual name before being able to find them.
ShrimpCocktail
At least I take comfort in knowing that it's not all just down to my searching ability! Out of curiosity, would your previous employer work around their client's specific requests (e.g. use Node in the backend? Use X database?).
learningwebdev
I think that good web developers and agencies can probably really pick and choose their clients as well, and they probably don't like to waste time entertaining numerous "potential" clients who after 3 hours of listing all the custom features they'll require, look shocked and disgusted when presented with a cost estimate.
trinovantes
Yup, they're pretty flexible with client requests. I once had to implement a backend with SOAP protocol support for a very niche client