Hire A Web Developer, Don’t Build It Yourself

Why would I hire a web developer? Isn’t it cheaper to sign up for Shopify, Wix, or Squarespace? Can’t I just buy a theme and set it up all by myself?

If you’ve asked these questions before then chances are you tried to do it all by yourself and didn’t realize what you had gotten yourself into until you began. Sure you may be a DIYer who loves to create pallet furniture and find new uses for old hardware around the house, but your website (be it personal or business) is not something you can afford to mess up.

You can’t afford to mess up your website for 2 reasons. 1) because your site is a public display of you or your business and 2) because fixing a mess takes more time and money which could’ve been put to better use from the beginning.

I understand though, you like to get things done for yourself. Me too! There are plenty of projects that I take on that have nothing to do with web development, but there are things that I simply can’t do, or can’t do well at least.

For instance, I wouldn’t dare try to fix electrical problems in my home unless I were an electrician. You likewise wouldn’t try to raise your ceilings unless you were a contractor. Why? Because these are projects that require a lot of skill, knowledge, labor, and experience.

But building a website is different right? You don’t need to hire a web developer. After all anyone can create a website, so it doesn’t require much skill or knowledge. Wrong! Sure anyone can try to build a website, in the same way anyone can try rewire a kitchen’s electrical outlets. The question you have to ask yourself is how much time and effort can you really devote to this? How many hours will it take you just to move the ball a short distance down the road?

Ok you got me, so why should I hire a web developer? What are the specific benefits of not just doing it myself?

Well to begin, anytime you hire a professional you are hiring that person to do a job that he/she is qualified to do. A professional web developer has spent countless hours learning and doing that task which you want them to do for you. When you hire a web developer you are paying him for the expertise that he has picked up over the years.

That may not be news to you, but it must be stated simply because many people think that to hire a web developer is pointless today.

Web development has evolved exponentially over the past decade to mean many different things. It used to be as simple as writing code, and then publishing that code online. Nowadays a web developer is almost always expected to be able to meet the following requirements.

  1. Install & update themes
  2. Install plugins
  3. Manage a server
  4. Manage email
  5. Write code for SEO
  6. Build websites from scratch
  7. Build themes from scratch
  8. Build plugins from scratch
  9. Implement new technologies on old projects
  10. etc

It’s evident that the bar has been raised quite a bit, and this is exactly why you should hire a web developer to handle your website. A web developer is fit for the task ahead of him, and he can perform that task quickly and professionally. Whether you decide to install a theme, or create a project from scratch, your best bet is to hire someone who knows how to do the job so that you can continue to do what you’re good at; running your business.