Your website doesn’t care where it was built. Your visitors will never know whether your designer or developer sat in the next street or in another country. What matters is how well the project runs.
Still, hiring someone abroad raises fair questions. How will we talk? What about time zones? How do payments work? And how do you know you can trust someone you’ve never met in person?
I work remotely with clients in Hungary, across Europe, the UK and the US, so these are questions I answer often. This guide covers how remote website projects work, what to check before you hire and what a good remote project feels like.
Key Takeaways
- A remote project works like a local one: video calls, shared documents and clear approvals at each stage.
- Location changes the price. Clutch lists web design companies at $100–$149 an hour in the US and $50–$99 in the UK (Clutch).
- Time zones help more than they hurt when you agree on overlap hours and a reply time.
- Check live work, a written scope and payment in stages before you hire anyone, near or far.
- Make sure you own your domain, hosting and content, wherever your designer or developer lives.
Why Hire a Web Designer or Developer From Another Country?
Most owners start by looking locally. There are good reasons to look further:
- A wider choice. You can pick the person whose work and approach fit you best, not just whoever is nearby.
- Better value. Rates depend a lot on location. Clutch lists web design companies in the United States at $100–$149 an hour and in the United Kingdom at $50–$99 (Clutch).
- Specialists. You can find someone who focuses on businesses like yours, or who works in several languages.
- The same tools either way. Even local projects now run on video calls, email and shared documents.
What Worries People (and What Helps)
| Worry | What helps |
|---|---|
| “Will we understand each other?” | Clear, written feedback in one shared place, plus video calls at key points |
| “The time difference will slow things down” | Agreed overlap hours and a stated reply time |
| “What if they disappear?” | Payment in stages and everything registered in your name |
| “How do I know the work is good?” | Live websites, client reviews and a real result from a past client |
| “Payments abroad are complicated” | A clear invoice in one currency, paid by bank transfer |
| “Who helps after launch?” | A clear offer for support and maintenance before you start |
How a Remote Project Works With Me
Here’s how my projects run, step by step. Nothing here needs you to be in the same country.
- A short call. We talk on Google Meet about your business and what the website needs to do. You get a fixed quote afterwards.
- The first invoice. Projects are paid in two parts: 50% to start and 50% after the project is closed.
- Your client portal. I invite you to a shared Notion page. It holds the plan, the tasks, the files and your feedback.
- The questionnaire. In the first couple of days, you fill in my questionnaire about your business and clients.
- Three stages: copywriting, design and development. We meet on Google Meet at the start of each stage. In between, feedback happens in writing, so every comment stays in one place.
- Your approval. Nothing moves to the next stage until you approve it.
- Launch. I help with everything, from going live to setting up Google Analytics and Search Console.
For everything else, we use whatever suits you: email, Google Meet, phone or Messenger. I reply within 1 business day.
Here’s the full website design process, week by week.
Working Across Time Zones
I’m based in Hungary, on Central European Time (CET, or CEST in summer). In practice:
| Where you are | Overlap with my working day |
|---|---|
| The UK and Ireland | The whole working day (one hour apart) |
| Continental Europe | The whole working day (same time zone for most countries) |
| US East Coast | Your morning is my afternoon |
| US West Coast | Little overlap, so most work happens in writing |
A time difference can even help. If you send feedback at the end of your day, it can be done by the time you start the next one.
The key is to agree on two things at the start: when you’re both available for calls and how quickly each of you replies.
How to Check a Remote Web Designer or Developer Before You Hire
These checks matter for any designer or developer, but they matter even more when you can’t meet in person:
- Look at live websites, not just screenshots. Open them on your phone.
- Read reviews from real clients and ask for a result from a past project.
- Get a written scope that lists pages, features, the timeline and what’s not included.
- Pay in stages, never everything up front.
- Make sure you own everything: the domain, hosting and content registered in your name.
- Test the communication. How fast and how clearly did they reply before you hired them?
For the full list, here are the 17 questions to ask before hiring a web designer or developer.
Language and Copy
Language is a fair concern when your designer or developer lives abroad. It matters even more when they also write your copy.
I write website copy in English and Hungarian. Many of my clients need more than one language. Miamor runs in Hungarian and English. Iberia Costa Consulting runs in three languages. When a site needs a language I don’t write in, we agree at the start on who provides the translations, so nothing holds up the project.
A few habits help any international project:
- Keep feedback in writing, so nothing gets lost in translation.
- Share examples of websites and wording you like. They say more than long descriptions.
- Name one decision-maker, especially if your team speaks several languages.
What to Prepare Before the First Call
You don’t need a finished brief. These five things make the first call much more useful:
- A short description of your business and who your clients are.
- Your current website (if you have one) and what’s not working.
- Two or three websites you like and what you like about each.
- What the new site needs to do: inquiries, bookings, payments, languages.
- Your timing: when you’d like to launch and whether the date is fixed.
Payments, Invoices and VAT
Payments abroad are simpler than they sound:
- One currency. I invoice international clients in euros, by bank transfer.
- Two payments. 50% to start and 50% after the project is closed.
- VAT depends on where you are. Within the EU, invoices between businesses often fall under special cross-border VAT rules. Outside the EU, the rules are different again. Check the details for your country with your accountant.
An Example: A Website in Three Languages
One of my international projects is Iberia Costa Consulting, a real estate consultancy in Spain. Its website runs in three languages: Hungarian, English and Spanish. It’s a good example of a website built for people in several countries.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it safe to hire a web designer or developer from another country?
Yes, if you check the same things you’d check locally: live work, real reviews, a written scope and payment in stages. Make sure the domain, hosting and content are registered in your name.
How do remote website projects communicate?
Usually through video calls at key points and written feedback in between. I use Google Meet for calls and a shared Notion page for the project, plus email, phone or Messenger.
How do time zones affect a website project?
Less than people expect. Agree on overlap hours for calls and a reply time. From Hungary, I overlap fully with the UK and Europe and with US East Coast mornings.
How do I pay a web designer or developer in another country?
Usually by bank transfer against an invoice. I invoice international clients in euros, in two parts: 50% to start and 50% after the project is closed.
Your Next Step
Wherever you are, the process is the same. Tell me about your business and what you want your website to do. I’ll reply within 1 business day.
Tamas Pocs is a freelance web designer and WordPress developer based in Hungary. For 5+ years he has written, designed and built websites for service businesses (more than 50 so far) and looked after them once they’re live. See his work or connect on LinkedIn.
