01. What to Look For
- Real experience with server-rendered frameworks and structured data implementation, not just a page builder.
- A track record of Core Web Vitals discipline that holds up months after launch, not just at delivery.
- Understanding of accessibility as engineered craft, WCAG 2.2 AA verified with real screen-reader testing.
- Comfort building conversational search and personalization grounded in the site's own content, not a generic bolt-on widget.
02. Questions to Ask
- "How would you keep structured data in sync as we add new content?" A vague answer usually means schema will drift out of date within months.
- "Walk me through your approach to performance budgets." Tests whether performance is enforced continuously or only checked at launch.
- "How do you verify accessibility beyond automated scanning tools?" Listen for real screen-reader testing, not just a Lighthouse score.
- "What's the first thing you'd build?" Foundation, information architecture, structured data, performance, should come before intelligent-layer features in a good answer.
03. Red Flags
- A portfolio focused entirely on visual design with no mention of Core Web Vitals or structured data.
- No plan for ongoing performance or accessibility monitoring after launch.
- Structured data described as "we'll add some schema" rather than a comprehensive, content-type-specific plan.
- Conversational search proposed as a generic third-party widget with no grounding in the site's own content.
04. In-House vs. Agency vs. Freelancer
- In-house — best when the website is a sustained, evolving platform and the team can justify dedicated headcount for ongoing performance and content operations.
- Agency — best for a redesign or a new site build, brings established technical SEO and performance discipline without a long ramp-up.
- Freelancer — workable for a narrow, well-defined build with existing brand guidance, riskier for a large content migration or multi-market platform requiring coordinated ongoing maintenance.
See our AI website guide for the architecture whoever you hire should be building toward, and our AI websites cost guide for what a realistic budget looks like.
05. Frequently Asked
Do I need someone with technical SEO experience specifically?
Yes, this matters more than most teams expect. Structured data, semantic HTML, and performance engineering are the foundation everything else builds on, and they're skills distinct from general web development.
Should the same team handle design, build, and the intelligent experience layer?
For a first project, having one team own the full build avoids handoff gaps between the visual system and the technical foundation it needs to sit on. Specialized capabilities can reasonably separate once the site scales.
How much does an AI website developer cost?
Rates vary by market and seniority, but total project cost matters more than hourly rate. A cheaper build with no real performance or structured-data discipline often costs more once it needs remediation to actually rank or get cited.
Cloudz Computing's engineers treat performance, accessibility, and structured data as core craft, with the intelligent layer built on top of that foundation.
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