The most common frustration in working with a developer isn’t technical — it’s communication. Business owners don’t know what to ask for, and developers don’t always explain what they’re doing or why. The result is work that doesn’t match expectations and money spent on the wrong things.
What’s the most important shift in how to talk to a developer?
Describe the problem, not the solution.
Business owners often say “I need a new homepage” or “I need better SEO.” These are solutions. Developers take them literally and build exactly that — which may not solve the actual problem.
Instead, describe the outcome you need: “People are visiting my site but not contacting me — I need to understand why and fix it.” Now the developer can diagnose the real issue rather than building what you asked for rather than what you need.
What should you know before contacting a developer?
You don’t need technical knowledge. You need to be able to answer:
- What problem are you trying to solve? (visitors not converting, site not showing in Google, site looks bad on mobile)
- What does success look like? (more enquiries, appear on page one for X search, load in under 2 seconds)
- What’s your budget range?
- What access do you have to the site? (hosting login, WordPress admin, domain registrar)
The clearer your answers, the more accurate the quote and the less likely the work goes in the wrong direction.
How do you ask about a specific technical problem without understanding it?
Use plain language and describe the symptom, not the cause. You don’t need to say “my robots.txt is blocking Googlebot” — you can say “my site doesn’t appear in Google searches and I need to find out why.”
A competent developer will ask the right questions and diagnose from there. If a developer needs you to already know the technical cause before they can help, that’s a sign to look elsewhere.
What should you ask a developer before hiring them?
- Can you show me examples of similar work?
- What specifically will you check or fix?
- How will I know if it worked?
- What access to the site will you need?
- What’s your timeline?
The answer to “how will I know if it worked?” is especially revealing. A developer who can’t explain the expected outcome in plain terms may not understand it clearly themselves.
What’s the biggest mistake business owners make when working with developers?
Approving work without understanding what was done. If a developer tells you they “fixed your SEO” or “optimised your site,” ask what specifically they changed and how you’ll measure the improvement. Vague deliverables produce vague results.
→ Read more: What to ask before hiring someone to fix your website
→ Read more: How to hand a report to your developer without explaining everything
→ Back to the full picture: What does a website audit actually tell you?
GhostSite produces a technical report you can hand directly to a developer — no explanation required on your part.