Choosing a web developer on the French Riviera: how to avoid nasty surprises

Start from your project, not a name

The term “web developer” covers very different jobs. Someone who builds beautiful brochure websites is not necessarily the right person for a store with two thousand products, or to take over a website its creator has abandoned. Before asking who, be clear about what:

To choose the platform for your store, see WooCommerce or PrestaShop: which one to choose.

Find two or three candidates

There is no shortage of web developers in the Alpes-Maritimes: agencies in Nice or Sophia Antipolis, freelancers just about everywhere. The hard part is not finding them, it is choosing between them. Three places to start:

• Websites you like: their creator is often credited at the bottom of the page or in the legal notice. Also ask the business whether they are happy with their developer, and whether they would choose them again.
• Word of mouth: your accountant, a fellow business owner, a business club in your town. A recommendation is worth most for what it says about aftercare: did the developer respond when something went wrong?
• Google and freelance platforms: handy for finding names, as long as you check everything afterwards. Read the reviews, and above all how the developer replies to negative ones.

Two or three candidates are enough. Beyond that, you end up comparing prices rather than ways of working.

Look at their websites, on your phone

A portfolio shows websites on the day they went live. The websites themselves show how they have aged. Ask for three links, ideally in your line of work or for projects the size of yours. Open them on your phone, off Wi-Fi, as a customer would:

• Does the page load quickly, without the text jumping around while it loads?
• Can you find the address, the opening hours or the booking button within seconds?
• Is the website kept up to date: dates, news, legal notice?
• If it exists in several languages, is every version complete, or does the translation stop at the home page?

If you can, spend a few minutes talking to one of their clients: you will learn how the project really went. And ask who will write the code for your website, and who will be your day-to-day contact: it is not always the person you see at the first meeting.

Finally, find out how long they have been in business: a newcomer is not necessarily a bad choice, but it is better to know before signing.

Compare like-for-like quotes

Two quotes for “a website” can describe two completely different projects. Before looking at the amounts, check that each one covers the same things.

A detailed quote states at least:

• What is delivered: the number of pages or page templates, the languages, the features (contact form, booking, payment).
• What is left to you: the text, the photos, the translations. This is often where delays start.
• The schedule: the main stages and the target launch date, which also depends on how quickly you send your feedback.
• The yearly costs: domain name, hosting, paid plugins or modules.
• Aftercare: updates, backups, fixes, and on what terms.
• Payment: paying in stages is better than paying everything up front.

Keep everything in your name, in writing

This is the most important point, and the one most often forgotten. The day you want to change developer, anything that is not in your name will become a problem. Before signing, get it in writing that you will have:

• The domain name, in other words your website’s address, registered in your company’s name.
• The hosting: the account with the hosting provider, in your name.
• An administrator login to the website, with your own username, not a shared password.
• Your Google tools: visitor statistics, Business Profile and Search Console (which shows how Google sees your website), set up with your own account.
• The licences for paid themes, plugins or modules, in your name.

That leaves one point almost nobody checks: the rights to the website itself. Under French law, whoever creates a design, text, photos or code keeps the copyright, even when paid to create them. So that you can use and update your website without depending on your developer, ask for a clause assigning these rights to you in the quote or contract. The French Intellectual Property Code calls for it to be in writing, to list each right assigned and to state for what uses, where and for how long.

If it is already too late and your developer no longer replies, see my guide to taking back control of your website.

What matters on the French Riviera

Here, a website often has to speak several languages, hold up during the high season and stand out from many competitors. Whoever the candidate, local or not, check these six points:

• An international clientele

  Tourists, foreign residents, customers from Monaco or Italy: a multilingual website should be planned from the start. Ask who will translate, and who will update each language when a text changes.

• The rhythm of the seasons

  For many businesses in the area, summer brings in a large share of the year’s business. The website must be live and running smoothly before the high season. Ask for a schedule that allows for it. And if the website goes down in the middle of August, who will respond?

• Local search

  Many customers look for a service by adding the name of their town. Ask how your pages will be designed for these searches, and be wary of pages copied town by town (see below).

• Monaco and its own rules

  If you also work in the Principality, two more subjects come up: .mc domain names and Monegasque rules on personal data. Ask whether the candidate knows them. The details are in my guide for businesses in Monaco.

• Fierce competition

  In Nice, Cannes or Antibes, there are many businesses in each trade. Your work, your customer reviews and useful content make the difference. Ask the candidate how they plan to make you stand out, not just make you visible.

• Rules to follow

  Cookies, personal data, accessibility: the law applies to your website too. Since June 2025, for example, a European law has required online stores selling to consumers to be accessible to people with disabilities. Micro-enterprises are exempt: fewer than 10 people, and no more than €2 million in turnover or on the balance sheet. Ask how these rules will be taken into account.

The phrases that should worry you

Some phrases, heard at the first meeting, deserve a closer look:

• “I guarantee you the top spot on Google.” Nobody can guarantee it: Google says so itself, in its advice on hiring an SEO.
• “No need to give you the logins, I take care of everything.” Taking care of everything is fine. But the logins must remain yours.
• “I’ll make you a page for each town, we just change the name.” Near-identical pages where only the town name changes are what Google calls doorway pages: it classes them as spam.
• “No upfront cost: you just pay a monthly fee.” Paying monthly is not unusual in itself, but read the contract carefully. It may be a finance lease running for several years, which you cannot get out of early, with no option to buy at the end. The DGCCRF, the French consumer protection authority, warns businesses about these contracts.
• “This price is only valid if you sign today.” A serious developer gives you time to compare.
• “We’ll sort out maintenance later.” Aftercare is decided before signing, not the day the website goes down.

The checklist before signing

• You have seen at least three of their websites, on your phone.
• You know who will write the code, and who your contact will be.
• The quote details what is delivered, what is left to you and the schedule.
• The yearly costs are written into the quote.
• The domain name, hosting, logins and licences will be in your name.
• The transfer of rights to the website is in the quote or contract.
• Aftercare is planned: updates, backups, and who responds if the website goes down.

A project on the French Riviera?

I am a freelance web developer specialising in WordPress and PrestaShop, based between Monaco and Cannes. Ask me the questions in this guide: you talk directly to the person who writes the code, and I reply within one business day.

See also my pages web developer in Nice, web developer in Cannes and web developer in Antibes.

Tell me about your project → See my WordPress services

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Frequently asked questions

Sources

• No one can guarantee a #1 ranking: tips for hiring an SEO (Google Search Central)
• Google’s spam policies, including doorway pages (official documentation)
• Article L131-3 of the French Intellectual Property Code: transfer of copyright (Légifrance, in French)
• Finance leases offered to businesses that were canvassed (DGCCRF, the French consumer protection authority, in French)
• Directive (EU) 2019/882 on the accessibility requirements for products and services (EUR-Lex)