You should give utmost research if you need to hire a Drupal development company. Doing the fundamental analysis to choose the right vendor is not sufficient. Since Drupal users are increasing daily, picking a Drupal development company at random should be avoided.
But when there are several options available to choose from, it is obvious to get confused when choosing the best one. Drupal is the first choice of companies who need websites with rich features, SEO friendly, and highly customizable.
When Will A Drupal Development Company Helpful?
If you have a basic knowledge of Drupal, you can build your Drupal website yourself. If you want to set up a highly professional and customized Drupal website, you will need to hire an experienced Drupal development company to do the job for you. By hiring a reliable Drupal development company, you will get many competencies and services in one place and be assured of the best quality development.
Drupal offers nearly unlimited development possibilities, and to get the most out of your Drupal CMS, you need complex support and maintenance services. So, under which circumstances Drupal development company’s help is the right choice? Usually, it is suitable for companies and large enterprises which need internal communication tools like intranets. Drupal can easily manage such solutions as vacation calendars, contacts base, etc.
Also Read: 10 Things You Need To Know Before Starting As a Drupal Web Developer
What Are The Qualities I Should Look For While Hiring A Drupal Development Company?
Now that you know about Drupal and the need to hire a Drupal development company, let’s see some of the skills you should look for while hiring a Drupal development company for your business:
Professionalism
Professionalism is something significant to consider when you hire a Drupal website development company. Most Drupal development companies commit a lot in the initial phase and deliver nothing when receiving the final product.
Your Drupal web development must have a team of professional and certified Drupal technocrats. Please make sure they are well-experienced in effectively managing multiple projects simultaneously.
Experience
Many companies have recently stepped into Drupal development and don’t have much exposure to this field. An experienced Drupal company is trustworthy and would be able to develop out-of-the-box solutions. It would help if you did a quick research about the Drupal development company and its experience in this field. Make sure you hire the one with extensive experience working with a wide variety of Drupal projects and different versions.
Portfolio
A portfolio is self-sufficient to help you know what you can expect from the company. Make sure to check the company’s portfolio section and the clients they mentioned. Some of the websites also showcase their developer’s portfolios and experience. Have a look at the developers’ expertise and skills in Drupal.
Compare their completed projects with that of yours and your project requirements. It will give you an idea of their work nature. If necessary, you can also take feedback from the companies they have mentioned in the portfolio. You can also read their testimonials to know the experience of their past clients.
Communication skills
Clear communication is the key to the on-time delivery of your project and affects its outcomes. The company should be available to communicate with you regularly. Here, effective communication doesn’t mean that they will be responding to your messages or calls outside business hours.
You need to update any changes in the work scope or deadlines with the company properly. Remember, consistent meetings with the company must stay updated with every development aspect and minimize delays in project delivery.
Activeness on Drupal Community skills
Unable to get a sneak peek of the company’s project? No issues! Go to Drupal.org and do a quick search for the company you have chosen for Drupal development. You will get all the project details that the company has completed and their contributions to the Drupal community.
You will also get to know the modules they have worked on, their developers’ profile, company’s profile, and more. The company you will hire as your Drupal development company should be active.
Maintenance and Support
Keep in mind that regular maintenance and support are crucial for a Drupal website. When you choose Drupal for web development, active maintenance and support service must keep your website up and running. Drupal comes with a new version almost every year. Due to this, website, content, and features also keep changing.
Also Read: 20+ Drupal 8 Features That No One Has Told You & You Must Know
A professional Drupal development company should provide support and maintenance for every Drupal version and help you stay away from website downtime. The Drupal company you are going to hire must be aware of the latest tools and features of Drupal.
Drupal As Their Specialty
Several website development companies develop CMS using various platforms like WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, etc. Whenever a company says that they are “Drupal Experts,” you need to verify this claim.
If they have a front-end team, back-end developers, site architecture, site builders, themes, etc., and specialization in Drupal framework, you might consider them a genuine company. Drupal should be their specialty rather than another framework if you are hiring a Drupal development company.
Reputation In The Market
You can check out the kind of projects they have listed, customer reviews, employee reviews, unique output and exposure in various sectors, innovative ideas to know their brand reputation.
It is always advised to hire a development company that its clients and employees have trusted. Ensure to hire a Drupal developer with a good reputation among peers and in the technical market. To check this, you can also visit their social media pages and their posts to know what they formulating
Budget-Friendly
Getting a quality output from a Drupal Development company must not burn a hole in your pocket with hefty charges. However, it is not wise to go for the cheapest option. If you are hiring a Drupal development company, make sure they do not have any hidden charges that may come as a surprise once the project is delivered.
Ensure they do not add anything in the work scope you don’t need. Any additional cost added to the bill should be communicated to you in advance.
Meeting Deadlines Of Project
The Drupal Development Company should have the necessary resources, developers, and availability to deliver the projects on or before deadlines. Yes, sometimes there can be a slight delay due to unavoidable circumstances, and it should be communicated to you in advance.
A reliable and reputational company has the habit of delivering the projects as confirmed without delay. One more thing is that your project quality should not be compromised in a hurry to deliver the project on time. Make sure to establish an effective communication process to stay updated with every aspect of the project.
Technology Stack
Before hiring a Drupal development company, you need to be aware of all the tools and technologies your potential company must be skilled. Write down any “must-have” skills or any specific quality you want in your Drupal development company.
Your Drupal development company needs to understand what and why you want them to work with them. Decided where you need a back-end, a front-end, or a full-stack development requirement for Drupal. It will help you find out the one that suits your needs and budget.
Conclusion
Drupal is one of the most flexible CMS, and such elasticity can give you a real headache as well. It is crucial to choose the Drupal development company with appropriate competencies and industry experts, but the customer-oriented one. An excellent Drupal development company will address your technical issues and present the latest solutions that suit your business.
Let’s Talk Solution
If you are looking to hire a highly experienced and competitive Drupal development company, then AddWeb Solutions is the right destination for you. We have a pool of efficient and dedicated Drupal developers who follow the best practices to develop a Drupal website. Get in touch to know more!
Frequently Asked Questions
Start with online tutorials and explore the Drupal documentation. Join the friendly Drupal community, attend webinars, and consider beginner courses on platforms like Drupalize.Me.
You’ll need a good understanding of HTML, CSS, and PHP. Knowing some JavaScript is a bonus. Drupal primarily uses PHP, so getting comfy with it is key.
Drupal is versatile! While great for larger projects, it’s equally suitable for smaller websites and applications. Its flexibility allows you to scale your projects based on your needs.
Grab a good code editor like Visual Studio Code, set up a local development environment (try Acquia Dev Desktop or Docker), and get familiar with version control using Git. These tools will make your life easier.
Knowing theming basics is helpful, but you can collaborate with dedicated themes for intricate designs. Having a basic understanding allows smoother communication with your theming colleagues.
Stay connected! Follow Drupal blogs, join forums, and attend Drupal events. Keep an eye on broader web development communities to stay in the loop about the latest industry trends.
