Like most things in business, you figured out your site on the fly. Your business needed a way to exist online, so you took care of it. When you realized it wasn’t a one + done thing, you kept watch with the guidance of Google. Now you find yourself wondering “should I hire someone to build my website” because your gut likely knows the answer.
The case for DIYing your website
Most solopreneurs should DIY their first website. Maybe that’s fresh coming from someone with the skills to do it right the first time, but hear me out. Think back to your first 3 months in business — picture your offerings, your process + your confidence. Now, have any of those things changed since then? I would hope so!
The very first iteration of tiny blue orange offered site photography alongside WordPress development. I would be so upset if I spent all of my marketing budget getting content + design for a service that I hate offering.
By DIYing the first version of your website you learn so much about your business. And because you built it, you know how to change it. Also thanks to products like WordPress, which make it genuinely doable to DIY a website
Signs you’ve outgrown your DIY site
Somewhere along the way, DIY can turn into a PITA (pain in the ass). When you can say yes to at least 2 of these things, it’s time to hire someone to build your website.
- You’re spending hours on your site instead of on client work
- You’ve hit a wall on something + YouTube searches aren’t cutting it
- Your site looks fine… but it’s not converting
- You’ve had a security scare, a hack or a crash you didn’t know how to handle
- You’re embarrassed to send people to your website
- Your business has grown + your site hasn’t kept up
- You keep putting off the updates because it feels too complicated
You have better things to do than “figure it out” when it comes to turning your site into a contributing member of the team. And when your business needs your site to be a specialist not a generalist, that’s your sign to bring in an expert. (Shoutout to Rachel Rodgers for the note about having a specialist vs a generalist on your team.)
What “hiring someone” actually gets you
When you’re ready to hire someone to build your site, or maintain it, the only “cost” you should be considering is what it’s costing you. Investing in a brand new site or a site care plan will immediately buy you time back to work on what you’re an expert at.
You’ll also gain a site that can convert visitors into customers, filling up your calendar with the clients you want to work with. Not just the ones you could find.
Hiring someone to care for your site means ongoing site maintenance, someone who knows what they’re doing + less risk to your business + your brand.
Can you afford to hire someone to build your site?
To answer this question, I want you to first estimate how long you spend on your site each month. Then multiply that by your hourly rate. Even if your site doesn’t improve, hiring someone to build your website is worth at least that much to you.
We both know that whether you hire someone to build you a brand new site or bring on a developer to keep things running smoothly, your site will improve. Which means more conversions (more subscribers, more clients, more revenue). Estimate 5% more revenue to keep it very modest. Add that number to how many more hours you can work each month, then multiply that total by one year. A site improvement should last at least 3 years, unless your business changes significantly.
Example:
3 hours per month on your site x $145/hour = $435
$8,000/month in revenue x 5% increase = $400
($425 + $400) x 12 months = $10,200
If the numbers are starting to make sense, the next step is figuring out what kind of help fits your situation. Some businesses need a brand new site. Others just need someone to take the wheel on maintenance so things stop falling through the cracks.
That’s exactly what I do. For $70/month, I handle your site care so you can stop worrying about updates, security + the occasional “why did that break” moment. Which means you can get back to the work that actually grows your business.
If you’re wondering if you should hire someone to build your website, ask yourself how much a site that isn’t working for you costs. That’s usually a good place to start.