How to choose a web developer
These are the checks I'd run on anyone you're thinking of hiring, me included. None of them need technical knowledge, and together they tell you more than any portfolio slideshow.
Open their live work on your phone
Ask for links to sites they've built that are live now, not screenshots. Open them on your own phone, on mobile data. Do they load quickly? Can you find the phone number and what the business does in a few seconds? Do the buttons work? A developer's real work, used the way your customers will use yours, is the best evidence there is.
Ask who will own the domain and hosting
The answer should be you, in your business's name, with your own login. Developers who register your domain in their own name can, deliberately or not, leave you unable to move or even renew it. This is the single most common trap I see small businesses fall into.
Ask what happens after launch
Who updates the site? What does it cost? How quickly do they reply when something breaks? What happens if you stop working together? A good answer is specific. A vague one usually means the question hasn't been thought about.
Listen to what they say about Google
Be wary of anyone who guarantees a first-page ranking or a number of visitors. Nobody controls Google's results. An honest developer will tell you what they'll do to make the site easy for Google to read and how you'll measure the results, usually in Google Search Console, and will avoid shortcuts like bought links or fake reviews that risk penalties.
Check the basics on their own website
Run their site through Google's PageSpeed Insights on the mobile setting. Look for a real address, a real phone number and a real name. Check whether their own Google Business Profile exists and has genuine reviews. A developer whose own site is slow and anonymous is unlikely to do better for you.
Compare quotes on the same brief
Give everyone the same written brief, then compare what each includes: number of pages, whether you can edit it, content writing, photos, domain, hosting, email, SEO setup and maintenance. The cheapest quote often leaves things out. My guide on what affects website cost lists what to look for, and my website brief guide shows how to write the brief.
Agency or freelancer?
An agency gives you a team and continuity if someone leaves. A freelancer gives you one person who knows your project end to end and is usually quicker to reach. Neither is better in general. What matters is whether the person you talk to understands your business and whether you'll be able to reach someone when something goes wrong.
I work on my own, so you deal with me from the first message to launch and after. If you're in Kashmir and comparing local developers, my page on choosing a web developer in Kashmir adds checks specific to the valley.