Freelancer or agency?

A freelancer for a defined build with a single point of contact. An agency when you need design, development and content coordinated and someone accountable for all three. The freelancer is usually better value; the agency is better at surviving one person being unavailable.

How do I check someone is real?

Open their live sites. Ask for one client you can contact. Reviews on a platform help because they are attached to a profile that persists.

Should I pay hourly or fixed?

Fixed when the scope is clear and both sides can describe "done" in a sentence. Hourly for fixes, changes and anything exploratory.

What if it goes wrong mid-project?

This is why the deposit is a deposit and why staged payments exist. If you hold the domain and hosting, a bad engagement costs you a payment. If you do not, it costs you the site.

How long should I expect it to take?

Two to four weeks for a small business site when the content exists. Longer, always, when it does not.

Do I need a contract?

A written scope, a payment schedule and a handover list in an email thread covers most of what matters for a small project. For anything substantial, write it properly.

How to Hire a Web Developer in Lebanon Without Losing Your Site

A practical process for hiring a web developer in Lebanon — how to shortlist, what to test before you commit, and the handover list that decides who actually owns your site.