Have you ever thought about transforming your traditional operations into digitized platforms? If you intend to redesign your website with some advanced functions, hiring a web development agency will be a perfect option for your business. In this blog, I will give you the ultimate guide to an outsource web development company in Singapore.

1. Why should choose a website development outsourcing company instead of hiring a freelancer or building an in-house team?

A Freelancer or a web development agency or an in-house team of developers all work great in different situations. As every project is different, the requirements also vary and so does the choice of a freelancer or an outsourcing company or an in-house team.

A web development agency will be a suitable choice for companies that want to focus on long-term website optimization. Meanwhile, a freelance web developer is considered a fitter for small tasks. An in-house team will be appropriate if the firm wants to entirely focus on working on its projects. Let’s evaluate the pros and cons of these three software development approaches and provide our view so that you can make the best decision.

>>> Readmore: Should building ecommerce web design or invest in Shopify?

1.1 Build in-house team 

1.1.1 Pros

• You are able to build a development team that both suits your needs and culturally fits the company.
• Managers can easily maintain the communication flow among all the developers.
• Developers can carry out all the coding and testing under the guidance of a manager to help maintain a high-quality product.
• The company also minimizes the situation of changing people for the next project if it is not suitable, as with agencies or freelancers
• With an internal team, there is less chance of data leaking outside the company.

1.1.2 Cons

• Managers can easily fail to hire developers with the necessary skills, resulting in project delays and added costs.
• Building an internal team will cost quite a lot, including monthly salary for staff, office costs, equipment, etc.
• The company must also think about how to retain employees after being recruited to ensure the quality of work.

Companies must invest time, money, and human resources in this approach to ensure that the team is strong enough to develop high-quality software. This also means they must have sufficient resources or infrastructure to facilitate their software development objectives.

1. 2 Hire a freelance web developer

1.2.1 Pros

• The price is cheaper than the website development company because freelance web developers only do small and simple services.
• Freelancer specializes in a specific skill and is able to optimize that area.
• There are many options for you to find on freelancing platforms such as Upwork, and Fiverr with information on hourly costs.
• Freelance web developers are more flexible in hours and you can find them anytime.

1.2.2 Cons

• The quality of work will be poor when a freelance web developer embraces a lot of different small projects and does not entirely focus on anyone. They also have no QA to check the work done.
• Reliability is also not as good as the website development company when working individually.
• A freelance web developer only specializes in one skill and cannot handle many different tasks, even on the same project.
• Most freelancers do not provide post-deployment maintenance, and you will have to hire someone else to do this.

Overall, employing a freelance web developer makes sense if your budget is restricted and the project does not require more than one person to accomplish. Furthermore, if long-term collaboration is not your objective and the project is not urgent, you should spend on finding one skilled freelancer to optimize the entire website.

1.3 Web development agency

1.3.1 Pros

• Hiring a web development company that offers all the specialized skills that can be tailored to your whim.
• Companies always provide high-quality work to ensure prestige in the market.
• Firms also have a QA team check the product before delivering it to you.
• Companies apply effective work management methods such as Agile, Lean….
• Firms focus on quality over quantity since having a team responsible for each project.
• Most service packages of website development companies will provide post-deployment maintenance support at no additional cost.

1.3.2 Cons

• The rate is higher than hiring freelancers as it includes several fixed and variable expenses, but it is still cheaper than building your own new team.

1.4 Comparison Table among Agency, Freelancer and In-house Team

You can consult the table below to compare the expenses and factors involved in the web development methods.

Factors	Agency	Freelancer	In-house Team
Cost	Average	Low	High
Communication	Difficult	Easy	Easy
Scalability and Flexibility	Flexible	Limited	Flexible
Security	Hard to leak data	Easy to leak data	Hard to leak data
Skill sets	Unrestricted	Restricted	Unrestricted
Work Quality	Stable	Poor	Stable
Reliability	Reliable	Unreliable	Reliable
Post-deployment maintenance service	Included	Excluded	Included

If you own an SME, you should outsource web development company in Singapore to redesign and/or develop your website. The website is analogous to your company’s storefront. It is the branding that you provide to potential customers, and your website must be professional and well-developed by actual professionals. In general, hiring a web development company will be better in terms of quality of work and cost savings for the accompanying services.

2. Cost of software development approaches in Singapore

After learning about the advantages and disadvantages of each software development method, the cost is the next consideration. More price savvy, making better choices.

As a general rule, the overall project cost will be impacted by some factors such as:

• Project scope
• Project type
• Project complexity
• Desired technologies
• Predefined deadlines
• Required roles and responsibilities 

The larger and more intricate the project, the higher the cost. Furthermore, a project that must be done fast or requires highly specialized skills will cost more than a simpler and more basic project.

2.1 Hiring a freelance web developer

It is not hard to come across freelance job postings on freelancing platforms like Fiverr/ Upwork with prices ranging from SGD$20 to SGD$40 per hour. So the total cost for a simple website building can range from SGD$50 to SGD$600. However, if you are looking for more quality freelancers with years of experience, the cost can be a bit higher, ranging from SGD$899 to $10,000. And for these fees, it usually takes 2 to 6 weeks to accomplish the project.

2.2 Building an in-house team

An internal team to operate well needs at least one Project Manager (PM), one Software Engineer, and one Web Designer.

According to Payscale, the average salary for a software engineer in Singapore is SGD$59,647/year, equivalent to SGD$4,970/month (updated on 30 Jan 2023). A PM earns SGD$6,590 per month, whereas a web designer earns SGD$2,775 per month. Maintaining such a team for one month requires SGD$14,335. This is purely an expense for personnel, excluding fixed fees such as office space and equipment investment. And for the internal team to work well, they must spend one to two months becoming acquainted with everything before beginning work on the project. As a result, the firm may initially spend two or three times the needed capital.

2.3 Hiring a web development agency

There are currently numerous outsourcing service providers in Singapore, offering a range of costs. The pricing ranges from SGD$3000 to SGD$150000 if you select service packages depending on the entire project. If you choose an hourly service plan, charges will vary between SGD$25 and SGD$300/hour based on the solution provided.

3. Considerations when working with a web development agency

Before you outsource web development company, you should be aware of the potential risks. We’ll go over some of the issues you might encounter when delegating a project. How can you outsource web development without running into major problems?

3.1 Lack of Research 

Authorizing a third-party company to carry out your project and use company data without any research or reference checks can be extremely unsettling and dangerous. There is always the possibility that the company you select will fail to deliver the required product. However, if you do your diligence and investigate the company, you are unlikely to be disappointed with the results. Thorough research will also protect you in the incident that the vendor fails to deliver.

3.2 Data Safety

Giving your sensitive data to another company can sound terrifying and extremely risky. If customer or employee data is leaked or damaged, a data breach can have serious consequences and damage your reputation. This is why a well-thought-out Non-Disclosure Agreement covering data transfer and protection, as well as possible repercussions for the vendor in the event of a breach, is essential.

3.3 Loss of Control 

Many businesses worry about losing control of their projects after entrusting them to an IT vendor. Companies may be understandably concerned about causing harm to their organization, especially if the project is associated with core business processes. A requirement-tracking software that allows you to monitor progress and make changes along the way is a good solution. It is also suggested that regular reports including comprehensive status updates should be established. 

3.4 Unclear Expectations

A lack of specific project criteria will result in a website that does not meet your company’s needs and costs money and time. To avoid this, determine what goals your site must achieve and who will use it. Then, outline the requirements in appropriate documentation. If you don’t understand something, don’t be afraid to ask the team for clarification, or seek advice if you don’t have a clear vision for the product.

3.5 Short-term Partnerships

You are likely to fail if you intend to work briefly with an outsourced team. Because of the short time frame, both parties might experience misunderstandings and miscommunication, as it is impossible to establish proper familiarity in such a short period of time. Furthermore, due to a lack of time, the outsourcing company will be unable to develop a customized solution that meets the needs of the company. To avoid this scenario, try to plan long-term software outsourcing.

>>> Read more: The ultimate guide to hiring company doing app development in Singapore 2023

4. A Step-by-Step Guide to hiring a web development agency

Before spending a lot of money to outsource web development company, you will need to do due diligence. Following the steps below will assist you in finding a suitable service company for your company:

• Determine the business goal and requirements of the website-building project to find the right team.
• Define clearly your affordable price bracket and find the right service within that price range.
• Research the company that will provide web services for you including:
  • projects they have done
  • the field of those projects
  • reviews from customers
  • the company’s interface on laptop and mobile devices
  • years of experience
• Look for companies that have clear and easy-to-communicate working processes, making it convenient for you to work together.
• Discuss with the service you often choose to limit unnecessary errors.
• Sign in Non – Disclosure Agreement to secure your company and customer data.

5. The difference between KVYTECH and other web development agencies

KVY Tech is confident it to be the most efficient software development company for Startups & SMEs from Singapore, Malaysia, and Vietnam. We help businesses elevate their values by transforming traditional operations into digitized platforms. With more than 10 years of experience building software, we have mastered our tools and developed a unique set of tech stacks that help us be super efficient with our solution. 

While there are many reasons to work with other agencies, we believe that our four fundamental principles including fast delivery – responsive communication – flexible solutions – lean process will make our company stand out. From now on, you don’t have to worry about software development, even if you don’t have experience or expertise. KVY Tech is definitely a worthy partner for your fast delivery at a reasonable cost. We can assist you in transforming your business through the latest tech capabilities to stay ahead of the curve. Our services include web/ mobile development, QA & Testing, software development/ maintenance, DevOps & Architecture. 

Give us a call or drop by anytime, we endeavour to answer all enquiries within 24 hours on business days. We will be happy to answer your questions and help digitize your own business.