Can’t I just have my (insert family member) build my website?
When it comes to building a new website, you usually don’t have to look far to find many options. As I meet with law firms across the mid-west, I have to laugh when – at least weekly – I will speak to a law firm who had their website built by “the partner’s son” or “my nephew” or my all time favorite “a former client who owed me some money”. With so many low cost options out there, does it make sense to just use one of these resources instead of investing more money to hire a professional website developer?
As the old adage says “you get what you pay for” and this definitely applies when building a website. There are many factors to building a good website and building an effective Internet marketing presence. When you consider the shear volume of people who are using the Internet to hire an attorney, these “cheap” websites can be a very expensive mistake.
Here are a few questions that you should keep in mind:
Does the website developer understand Search Engine Optimization?
A website that is properly built with basic search engines optimization best practices can make the difference between an effective site and a site that might as well be a billboard in the desert. Unfortunately I regularly analyze beautiful websites, some even with award winning designs, that have no presence on keyword based search results. An innovative, cutting-edge website design is great, but it must be coupled with an effective optimization strategy that is in place both during and after the website build is complete. In some cases, it is better to have a basic website design if it means more time and money can be spent after the build is complete on optimization.
Does the website developer understand what your customer is looking for?
The potential customers that are on your website have very specific questions that they need answered before they decide to contact you for more information. If you don’t address those questions, they will leave your website and search for another that does. From the content that written to the image it conveys, speaking to the right customer with the right message is essential in making sure your website is contributing to your bottom line.
Will your website developer be around next week?
In basements all across America you will find home-based website builders. Nothing against these noble entrepreneurs, but a reputable company that has website development as a focus of their business is far more likely to be around when you need to change or update your website. These ongoing changes to your website are critical for helping your website gain and maintain rankings on the search engines. Far too many businesses are held captive to a website that can’t be updated because the developer is M.I.A.
