Do you manage your own website? If so, congratulations – you’re a small business owner who’s taking their online presence seriously. But if you’re not sure whether or not you should be managing your website, don’t worry – we can help. In this blog post, we’ll outline the pros and cons of managing your own website, and by the time you finish reading, you’ll hopefully have a better idea of what to do. So let’s get started!
Ask a Friend or Family Member to Manage Your Website
I’m sure at some point you’ve been asked to do something by a friend or family member that sounded like it would be a lot of work. But you did it anyways, because that’s what friends and family do for each other. Managing a website can sometimes feel like that – except the stakes are a little higher. Most business owners go to friends and family because of trust and money savings.
PROS:
- Money Saver
- Zero additional overhead by hiring a new staff member.
- Convenience of needed support
CONS:
- Possible lack of experience.
- Lack of proper turn-around time for support request.
- Ineffective maintenance that leads to website hacks
- No guarantee of quality for the work.
Allow In-house Staff to Manage Your Website
It’s no surprise that most small businesses see few or no results from their marketing efforts. The majority of these companies manage it themselves, but only spend a few hundred dollars per month on ads – which is why so many end up with less than expected outcomes in this area. It doesn’t mean an “in-house” approach isn’t effective; rather its just rarely fully implemented (which can be attributed to time constraints).
PROS:
- Leverage current employees technical knowledge.
- In-office technical support
- You have more direct control over messaging and content distribution.
- Focused solely on your company
CONS:
- Possible lack of experience.
- Ineffective maintenance that leads to website hacks
- No guarantee of quality for the work.
Hiring a Freelancer to Fix Issues When Needed
Small businesses are exploring the new way to do things. They’re taking individual tasks on one-time projects, rather than employing full time employees or retaining an agency that manages marketing efforts for them. This allows companies more flexibility when it comes down their budget – hiring freelancers from sites like Upwork who complete these smaller jobs and then move onto another assignment elsewhere in need of work; this is much cheaper than paying someone full time!
PROS:
- Pay only per request
- You can leverage freelancer’s expertise based on issue
- Large market
CONS:
- Not always available
- Lack strategic insight for leading your web performance efforts.
- Provide no consistent monitoring your web presence
- No guarantee of quality for the work.
- With multiple clients, not focused solely on your company
Partner With a Web Maintenance Company
By hiring a web maintenance company, you benefit from hands-on management of your website, and a mix of tactics that help protect your website and driving performance.
PROS:
- A team of expert professionals
- Quick response time
- Domain expertise that you can rely on
- Hands-on monitoring of your web presence
- Scalable services
CONS:
- More expensive
- Multiple points of contact for different services
- With multiple clients, not focused solely on your company
You’ve heard the saying that “If you want something done right, do it yourself,” and while this may work for some things, managing a website is not one of them. If your goal is to have an up-to-date site with minimal hiccups or maintenance needs, then hiring someone else will be best for you. Do you want to ask a friend or family member who probably knows a little about the internet to manage your site? Would in-house staff be able to take on some of those responsibilities? Or would hiring freelancers as needed and partnering with an experienced web maintenance company be best for your business’ needs? We can help you figure out what is right for you so please don’t hesitate to contact us.