ChatGPT can help you structure your research, compare options and ask better questions before you commit.
It cannot choose the perfect developer for you. But it can help you avoid choosing the wrong one.
Start by Explaining What You Need
The quality of the answer depends on the quality of the brief.
Before asking ChatGPT for recommendations, give it context about your business, your target market and what the website needs to achieve.
For example:
“I run a South African B2B industrial equipment business. I need a website that generates quote requests, ranks for product and service searches, works well on mobile and integrates with our CRM. Recommend the type of website developer or agency I should look for, the likely scope and the questions I should ask before appointing one.”
This is much more useful than simply asking:
“Who is the best website developer?”
The more specific you are, the more commercially relevant the guidance will be.
Ask ChatGPT to Help You Build a Website Brief
Many website projects fail before they start because the client does not have a clear brief.
ChatGPT can help you create one.
Ask it to help define:
- Your business and target audience
- The main purpose of the website
- Required pages
- Products or services to feature
- Lead-generation goals
- E-commerce or enquiry functionality
- CRM, payment or third-party integrations
- SEO requirements
- Analytics and conversion tracking
- Content and photography needs
- Deadline and budget range
Example prompt:
“Create a simple website-development brief for a South African company that wants a modern WordPress website with service pages, case studies, lead forms, SEO foundations, GA4 tracking and a contact page.”
A clearer brief makes it easier to compare quotations and prevents important elements from being left out of the scope.
Use ChatGPT to Create a Developer Comparison Checklist
Do not only compare the price.
A cheap website can become expensive when it does not generate leads, cannot be updated, has poor mobile performance or needs to be rebuilt within a year.
Ask ChatGPT to create a comparison table covering:
- Website platform
- Number of pages included
- Custom design versus template build
- Mobile responsiveness
- SEO setup
- Speed and performance work
- Forms and lead routing
- Analytics and conversion tracking
- Hosting and domain support
- Training and handover
- Ongoing maintenance
- Content creation
- Integrations
- Project timeline
- Cost exclusions
Example prompt:
“Create a checklist I can use to compare three website-development quotes. Include design, development, SEO, analytics, lead forms, security, hosting, maintenance, training and exclusions.”
This makes it easier to see whether one proposal is genuinely cheaper or simply missing important work.
Ask Better Questions Before You Appoint Anyone
ChatGPT is particularly useful for helping non-technical businesses ask the right questions.
Questions worth asking a website developer include:
- Can you show examples of websites built for businesses similar to mine?
- Will the website be designed around lead generation, e-commerce or awareness?
- Is the build mobile-first?
- Which platform will the site be built on, and why?
- Will I be able to update content myself?
- What SEO work is included before launch?
- Will Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager and conversion tracking be installed?
- Will the website be tested across desktop, mobile and major browsers?
- Who owns the website files, domain and hosting accounts?
- What happens if I need support after launch?
- What is excluded from the quote?
- How will change requests be handled?
- What is the expected project timeline?
Example prompt:
“Give me 20 questions to ask a website developer before signing a proposal for a lead-generation website.”
A strong developer should be able to answer these questions clearly and without avoiding detail.
Use ChatGPT to Review a Website Proposal
Once you receive a quotation or proposal, you can upload it to ChatGPT and ask for a plain-English review.
This can be useful when a proposal contains technical language or vague deliverables.
For example:
“Review this website-development proposal and identify what is included, what is excluded, what may be unclear and what questions I should ask before accepting it.”
ChatGPT can help you identify gaps such as:
- No SEO setup
- No analytics or conversion tracking
- No content migration
- No mobile testing
- No maintenance agreement
- No ownership clarity
- No provision for forms or CRM integrations
- No defined number of design revisions
- No timeline or approval process
The goal is not to use ChatGPT to attack the supplier. It is to make sure everyone is clear on what is being delivered.
Ask for Local and Industry-Relevant Recommendations
A good website developer for a restaurant may not be the best fit for a mining company, industrial supplier, legal firm or e-commerce business.
Use ChatGPT to narrow the search.
Example prompts:
“Find website-development agencies in Johannesburg that have experience with B2B lead-generation websites.”
“Which South African web agencies have experience in industrial, logistics or manufacturing websites?”
“Find WordPress development agencies that also provide SEO and analytics support.”
When asking for recommendations, request sources and verify the results yourself. Look at the agency’s actual work, not only a list of names.
ChatGPT search can provide cited web sources, making it easier to check where information came from.
Do Not Ignore the Portfolio
A portfolio is still one of the best indicators of whether an agency or developer is a good fit.
When reviewing examples, look beyond whether the site “looks nice”.
Ask:
- Is it easy to understand what the business offers?
- Is the navigation clear?
- Does the site work properly on mobile?
- Are there strong calls to action?
- Does it load quickly?
- Does the design suit the target market?
- Are forms easy to find?
- Does the website feel credible and current?
- Is the content useful, or is it only decorative?
A developer may have strong technical skills but weak UX. Another may have beautiful designs but limited experience with lead generation, SEO or integrations.
The best fit is the one that understands your commercial objective.
Check References and Ownership
ChatGPT can help you build questions, compare proposals and identify potential issues, but it cannot replace due diligence.
Before appointing a developer, ask for client references and speak to at least one or two previous clients.
Ask them:
- Did the project launch on time?
- Was communication good?
- Were costs managed properly?
- Did the developer handle changes well?
- Is the site easy to maintain?
- Did the website achieve the intended business objective?
- Would they use the developer again?
Also make sure you understand who owns:
- The domain name
- Hosting account
- Website files
- Premium plugin licences
- Design assets
- Analytics accounts
- Search Console access
- CRM or email integrations
These details matter if you ever need to move suppliers.
Red Flags to Watch For
Be cautious when a developer or agency:
- Promises a full website without first asking about your goals
- Gives a price without defining the scope
- Has no live portfolio examples
- Does not discuss mobile responsiveness
- Does not mention SEO, speed or tracking
- Cannot explain who owns the website and accounts
- Offers extremely low pricing without explaining what is excluded
- Has no support or maintenance process
- Uses technical jargon but cannot explain it in plain language
- Guarantees first-page Google rankings as part of the build
A website should support your business for years. It is worth taking the time to choose the right partner.
How IMS Approaches Website Development
At IMS, we start with business objectives before design.
We look at your audience, customer journey, services, lead-generation requirements, SEO opportunities, analytics needs and integrations before we build.
Our website-development process combines:
- Strategy and planning
- UX and design
- WordPress and custom development where required
- GEO/AEO ready site structure
- Analytics and conversion tracking
- Lead forms and integrations
- Mobile responsiveness
- Testing and quality assurance
- Ongoing maintenance and optimisation
The result is not just a website that looks good. It is a website built to support visibility, leads, sales and measurable growth.
ChatGPT can help you make a smarter website-development decision, but it should be used as a research and planning tool, not as the final decision-maker.
Use it to sharpen your brief, compare quotes, ask better questions and identify potential gaps.
Then choose a developer or agency that understands your business, has relevant work to show, communicates clearly and can explain how the website will support real commercial outcomes.
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