Web Developers in Kenya: What to Look For and Who to Trust
Jun 23, 2025
Web Developers in Kenya: What to Look For and Who to Trust
There are two types of websites in Kenya:
- The generic, template-built, copy-paste kind.
- And the kind that actually gets you results.
If you’ve ever looked at a site and thought, “This looks exactly like five others I’ve seen,” you’re not imagining it.
Because most web developers in Kenya aren’t really developers - they’re just reskinned WordPress installers.
No shade. Just facts.
But at RatifiedTech, we do things differently.
We don’t build your website off of a theme. We build it from custom code, tailored around your business, your offer, and your goals.
What Most Kenyan Businesses Get Wrong When Hiring a Developer
Here’s the problem: anyone can call themselves a web developer.
All it takes is a WordPress dashboard, a pre-made theme, and a YouTube tutorial.
But when the time comes to customize features, optimize SEO, improve performance, or integrate real tools...
They hit a wall. And you’re the one who suffers.
How to Spot a Real Web Developer in Kenya
If you're looking for someone to build your site, don’t just look at how the site looks, look at how it’s built.
Here are some ways to filter the real from the fake:
1. Ask about their tech stack.
Real developers talk about frameworks like Next.js, React, Tailwind, Prisma, Cloudinary, and so on.
If all they say is “We use WordPress” and they can’t explain what’s under the hood, you’re not dealing with a builder or developer, you’re dealing with a click-and-drag operator.
2. Test the domain with /wp-admin
Want to see if a site is built on WordPress? Just try adding /wp-admin at the end of the domain.
Example: www.businessname.com/wp-admin
If a login panel pops up, it’s a WordPress site.
Try that on any RatifiedTech website, you won’t see anything. Because we don’t use WordPress.
3. Ask about SEO performance
WordPress sites often require multiple plugins just to perform well. Custom-built sites (like the ones we build with Next.js) come with native performance, server-side rendering (SSR), and SEO optimizations built in no clunky extras. This keeps the code clean, light and consequently making your site faster.
Why RatifiedTech Doesn’t Use WordPress or Wix Templates
We’ve heard this before:
“Are your websites built with WordPress? They look really good.”
That’s the irony, our websites look clean, fast, modern…
So people assume it must be WordPress with a fancy theme.
Wrong.
Our websites are hand-coded.
Each one starts with a blank canvas, and is developed using tools like Next.js, a React-based framework that brings SSR (Server Side Rendering) for better SEO and blazing fast performance.
Why?
Because we don’t believe in cookie-cutter websites.
Every business has a different identity, different goals, different audiences.
So why should their websites all look the same?
The Custom Code Advantage (And Why It Matters)
Here’s what you get when you work with real web developers in Kenya who build from scratch:
✅ 1. Unmatched Customization
Want a pricing calculator? Scroll-triggered animations? API integration? Booking logic?
No problem. We write it into your code. Not a plugin in sight.
✅ 2. SEO Power by Design
Next.js gives us full control over metadata, page structure, speed, and caching. That means:
- Google loves your site.
- Your site appears faster in AI Overviews.
- You get ranked based on structure, not guesswork.
✅ 3. Speed and Performance
Custom-built sites don’t rely on heavy third-party themes or bloated plugins.
They load faster. They respond better. They perform.
✅ 4. Built-In Security
WordPress sites are frequently attacked through plugin vulnerabilities.
We write clean code that’s harder to break into period.
✅ 5. Unique Brand Identity
Every site we deliver is visually and structurally unique.
No two are the same, because no two brands should be.
Imagine this:
A website that feels like you, not a pre-made theme that thousands of other businesses also use.
How Fast Can We Build?
Even with custom code, we don’t waste time.
Most websites (2–5 pages) are done in 3 days or less.
That’s faster than most WordPress agencies — and 10x cleaner.
How? Because we’ve streamlined everything.
From design to deployment, the RatifiedTech pipeline is fast, focused, and optimized.
You don’t have to choose between quality and speed.
How to Know If a Web Developer Is Right for You
Here are 5 questions you should ask any web developer in Kenya:
- Can I see the tech stack you’ll use?
- Will my site be SEO-ready from day one?
- Will this be custom code or a pre-built template?
- What’s the load speed like on mobile? (You can test yourself using tools like pagespeedweb.dev
- Will I have flexibility to expand later (e.g., blogs, eCommerce, bookings)?
If they can’t answer those clearly run.
Why It Matters
Let’s stop pretending that websites are just for showing off your logo.
Your website is your online headquarters.
It should:
- Represent your business professionally
- Speak directly to your target customer
- Load fast and rank even faster
- Make it easy for people to take action
- Be unique to you, not copied from someone else’s theme
And most importantly, it should work.
Related Reads:
If you haven’t read it yet, check this one out:
Why Most Website Designs in Kenya Fail — And How to Fix It
Final Thoughts: Don’t Just Hire a Developer. Hire a Partner.
You don’t need a site just to “be online.” You need one that pulls its weight.
At RatifiedTech, we’re digital architects.
We build with your bottom line in mind. Leads. Clients. Visibility. Scale.
So if you’re looking for web developers in Kenya who get it...
Not just the code. But the strategy behind the code, then you already know what to do.
Book a Strategy Session Today
👉 Explore Our Web Development Services
👉 Talk to a Real Developer (Not Just a Designer)
Let’s build you a site that doesn’t just look good. It performs, converts, and puts your business on the map.