Do you think about what it takes to have a website that is a real asset to your business?
We hear it all the time…”A friend, a friend of the family, my son, cousin, some random hobbyist knows how to build a website. Best of all s/he does it for cheap too. So, why would you want to hire a professional web designer to build your website.
The reality is that saving a little money will cost you a lot in loss of opportunities, prospects, sales and revenue.
Hiring an amateur to build your website will hurt your business several ways.
Here are ones with the biggest negative impact:
Loss of opportunity due to delayed delivery.
Your website could have been built in a few weeks, yet months later your website is still unfinished. If you are dealing with a real business, you can call and complain about delays. Professionals give you an exact timeline of what will happen by when. When a friend builds your website, you are luck if they finish.
Use of incorrect technology.
The hobbyist will have a limited knowledge, so they won’t build what you need. They will build what they know. There are many different ways to build a business website. If the person you hire has limited knowledge they will build what they are comfortable with instead of what will benefit your business the most.
Contact us now to get help with the right website for your business.
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They will bid too low.
An amateur will bid too low because they are not running a real business. So, they will be cheap. The problem is that the amount they told you to build your website is not enough to sustain them. The money you give them is enough to get started, but as they start working on your website they’ll realize that it takes much more time to build your site than they have thought. At that point, they will not ask for money, but they will also ignore your project. You know when they they have lost interest on your website because they will stop returning your phone calls and avoid responding to your emails.
Here today gone tomorrow.
Often our company ends up finishing websites that were started by amateur web designers. After months of waiting and little or no progress entrepreneurs turn to us to, please finish their website. An amateur will be happy to start on your website, but if their schedule fills up they will drop the ball. You will find yourself in a situation where your website is started, but far from being finished. You could chase this person for months without getting any closer to getting your website completed.
Wasted time on managing your designer.
Because you are not working with a professional website designer, you will have to manage them. You’ll have to spend precious time managing your web designer instead of working on your business. You end up wasting time managing your website project which leads to loss of revenue in your own business. The money you have saved on your website is costing you more in loss of business.
Your website is a service not a product.
Amateurs look at websites as products. Some people, incorrectly, think that websites are commodities. The truth couldn’t be farther from the truth. The only way to build the right website for your business is to treat it as a service. Every business is different and every website should be different.
If you want it built right, you have to plan it right.
If you don’t plan your website right, you end up with something that does little good for your business. Detail is an essential part of website development. You might want a password protected area on your website. I could ask you 20 different questions. Based on your answers I would recommend the best solution for your business. Based on your answers we can determine how many hours it will take to build the feature you want. The key here is that your business has unique needs and you and I will work together to make sure your website aligns with your goals.
Ignore the importance of maintenance.
Amateur web designers will not advise you about the importance of website maintenance. When you hear about websites that are hacked that happens because sites go without maintenance. Just like cars and buildings need maintenance, so do websites.
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Professional web designers will consider several areas of a web presence:
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- What are your goals for your website? Is it to build credibility? Is it to attract investors? Is it to generate more leads? Whatever your business goals are should align with the way your website is built.
- Mobile-friendly design is a must. Responsive websites will get you an improved user experience and higher conversions.
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is important if you want to use your website for increased leads and sales. Having a website is not enough. It has to be optimized for the search engines.
- The right website platform will be easy to maintain and update.
- The content on your website will have a direct impact on how you will rank on the search engines.
- Align the website with your marketing strategy.
- Website hosting is more important than you think. Many entrepreneurs, incorrectly, think of website hosting as a commodity. Just get something cheap, they are all the same, right? Wrong. Cheap website hosting could hurt your business several ways. Cheap hosting servers are hacked all the time and you won’t even know about it until it is too late. When the sever is hacked, so is your website. Often, malware is installed on your website and you only learn about it when Google drops your website from its index. What that means is Google removes your website from the search results. Your website will no longer exists in search. That is a death sentence for a website. Consider your hosting a mission critical part of your web presence.
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We have built and worked on hundreds of websites over the years. What we have seen is that companies who hire amateurs pay extra in the long run. They end up with websites they are unhappy with. They think that they have saved money when in reality they have lost time, money, and revenue.
Contact us now to get help with the right website for your business.
photo credit: Assets