As a small business owner, I understand the dilemma of wanting to build and maintain a successful website with limited resources. When I speak with other small business owners who wonder, “should I pay for web development services or do things myself?”, I get it. Unfortunately, there is no black-and-white answer.
So many small business owners ultimately reach their decisions about website development based mainly on budgetary constraints. Small business budgets can be extremely tight. And if a company owner is struggling to pay the bills, things low on the priority list are cut. That includes web development services.
Core Web Development Services
There is an old adage that says one has to spend money to make money. That is absolutely true. So maybe there are other things in the budget that can be cut in favor of paid web development services. Before a business owner starts cutting though, it helps to know what types of services agencies provide.
Webtek Digital Marketing is a Utah company that offers SEO, digital marketing, and web development services. Here are the core services they say most agencies offer in the web development space:
- Responsive website development
- Content creation and management
- Ecommerce development
- Mobile app development
- Web application development
- Website maintenance and security
If a small business is looking only for a basic website that can be used as an online calling card, perhaps stripping the budget of other essential items in favor of paid services is not the way to go. A business owner with moderate technical skills could put together a decent website with a content management system (CMS) like WordPress.
You Get What You Pay For
The other side of the budget coin is the reality that you get what you pay for. Handling website development in-house directly ties the results of that development to the knowledge and skills of the person who does the work. A small business owner with limited skills is unlikely to produce stellar results.
What must be understood is that web development directly impacts user experience. Moreover, user experience impacts everything from SEO to customer conversion to repeat business. A website that offers a poor user experience will not be very effective in bringing in new customers and keeping them.
Security and Mobility Are Critical
The web development services offered by companies like Webtek go beyond the surface of user experience. They dig deeply into things that can require quite a bit of technical skill. For example, consider website security and mobile friendliness.
It goes without saying that a website needs to be secure at every level. Websites that collect personal information need to be even more secure. Those that accept online payments need to be at the top of the security food chain. Building a basic website with a popular CMS does not necessarily guarantee iron clad security.
As far as mobility is concerned, consumers are increasingly using their mobile devices for more online activity. Google understands this, which is why they introduced a mobile-first update to their search engine a couple of years ago. Simply put, a website that is not mobile friendly loses standing with both Google and consumers. It is not going to help the company behind it.
Paid Services Are Worth It
Paid web development services or expensive. In some cases, they are prohibitively so. But if a small business can fit the expense into its budget, paying for professional web development is worth the investment. In today’s highly competitive digital environment, paid services provided by experts in the field tend to deliver the best results.