How to Check If a Web Developer's Results Are Real Before You Pay

Quick answer: Ask for five things before you pay a web developer in Nigeria: a live client website you can open, a dated Search Console screenshot rather than a typed figure, the exact searches the site ranks for so you can run them yourself, a public review with the client's real name, and a named person behind the business. Anything that cannot be checked in five minutes should be treated as marketing, not evidence.

See what we built and what it did

Why This Matters More Than the Price

Every web developer says the same things: fast, SEO-friendly, mobile-responsive, affordable. None of that is checkable, so it tells you nothing. What separates developers is whether their claims survive five minutes of checking, and almost nobody gets checked, which is exactly why weak claims keep working.

This guide is the checklist we would want a client to run on us. It works on anyone, including us.

The Five Checks

Check	Ask for this	What a good answer looks like
1. A live website	The URL of a site they built for a paying client	It opens, it loads fast, and the business is real and reachable
2. Dated evidence	A Google Search Console screenshot with the date range visible	Clicks, impressions and average position for a stated period, not a round number in a slide
3. The searches	The exact keywords the site was built to win	Specific commercial terms you can type into Google yourself
4. A public review	A link to a review on Google, Clutch or a similar platform	A named reviewer describing the actual project, not an anonymous quote on their own site
5. A named person	Who exactly will build it	A real name, a profile you can find elsewhere, and credentials with numbers on them

Check 1: Open the Client Websites

Portfolio screenshots prove nothing. A live URL proves the site exists, and thirty seconds on it tells you more than any pitch: does it load quickly on your phone, is the text readable, does the contact form work, is there a padlock in the address bar? If a developer shows only images, ask why.

Check 2: Insist on Dated Screenshots

"We got them to page 1" is a sentence anyone can type. A Search Console screenshot showing the property, the date range, clicks, impressions and average position is an artifact that is much harder to fake, and it is the standard format every honest agency already has.

Watch for three things: the date range should be visible, the period should be long enough to mean something (two months, not two days), and the numbers on the screen should match the numbers in the text.

Check 3: Run the Searches Yourself

This is the fastest check and almost nobody does it. Ask which searches the client site targets, then search them. A developer who has really ranked a client will hand you the list without hesitating, because the result is the same whether you check or not.

Be careful with vanity terms. Ranking first for the client's own company name means very little, because nobody else is competing for it. Ranking for what customers actually search, such as a service plus a place, is the result that brings money.

Check 4: Find the Reviews Where They Were Left

Testimonials written on a developer's own website cost nothing to invent. Reviews on a Google Business Profile carry a name, a date and a public page the business does not control. When you read one, look for detail: a real client mentions specific features, timelines and problems. Invented ones are generic and enthusiastic.

Check 5: Ask Who Is Actually Building It

Ask for the name of the person doing the work, then look them up. Do they exist elsewhere? Are their certifications listed with certificate numbers you can check, or just logos? Logos are decoration, numbers are evidence.

Red Flags Worth Walking Away From

• Guaranteed number one on Google. Nobody can guarantee a position. Anyone promising one is either inexperienced or counting on you not checking later.
• Results with no dates. "300% growth" with no period, no baseline and no source is a decoration.
• No admin access after launch. If you cannot edit your own content, every small change becomes a bill.
• A price with no scope. One number and no list of what is included cannot be compared with anything.
• No contract and no written scope. The cheapest quote becomes the most expensive project this way.

Questions Worth Asking Before the Deposit

• Which client sites can I open right now?
• What did they rank for, and what search terms should I try?
• Who owns the hosting and the domain when we are finished?
• Can I edit pages, prices and products myself after launch?
• What happens in the first two months after the site goes live?
• What is not included in this price?

How We Publish Ours

We wrote this checklist because we would rather be checked than believed. Our case studies carry dated Search Console screenshots, the IMT Computers case study lists the exact searches that site was built to win so you can run them, our reviews link back to the Google profile where they were left, and the certificates on our About page open as PDFs with their certificate numbers. Our website prices say what is inside the price before you ask.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know a Search Console screenshot is genuine?

Ask for the date range to be visible and for the figures in the text to match the figures on the screen. You can also ask the developer to open the account live on a video call, which nobody with a real result refuses.

Is it rude to ask a developer for proof?

No. You are about to spend a few hundred thousand naira. Any professional expects the question and has the answers ready.

What if a developer has no client results yet?

That is not automatically a problem, but the price should reflect it, and you should be told plainly rather than shown borrowed or invented results.

Can I check a developer's own Google ranking?

Yes, and you should. A developer who says they do SEO but cannot rank their own website for anything is asking you to take a lot on trust.