About 50% of online users believe that website design is a vital part of business branding. If you want your small- or medium-sized business to grow, it’s not enough to set up a good physical store. You need an appealing website that showcases your products and services, too.

With the rising cost of operations, you may be thinking that building and managing your own site is the most practical option. However, doing things on your own can do more harm than good. Read on to learn the dangers of DIY website management.

Lack of Technical Expertise

Website management requires more than just creating a WordPress Michigan site. You’ll need to be knowledgeable in several areas such as algorithms, SEO, and cybersecurity. 

Moreover, you need to have the skill to maximize web design tools like Divi to create a functional and aesthetic site layout. First impressions matter to 90% of online users. If your website fails to immediately attract viewers or contains disorganized content, you’re unlikely to generate online traffic.

Hence, if your expertise is only in business management, you’re going to have difficulty setting up and maintaining these website essentials.

High Risk of Errors

The seamless flow and responsiveness of popular websites make web management look easy. However, this cannot be farther from the truth. Errors and glitches can pop up at any time. Professional web developers are able to prevent these issues or apply quick fixes due to their experience and skill.

If you build and manage your website by yourself, there is a higher chance you’ll encounter malfunctions. These issues may even compound, making your site more unresponsive over time. This is bad for business since 89% of customers will leave a site laden with errors and transfer to a competitor’s website instead.

Compromised Security

Cyberattacks are rampant on the internet. Contrary to popular belief, big companies are not the only ones at risk. In 2021, over 60% of small businesses were targeted by hackers, and 18% of all ransomware attacks were targeted at these small enterprises. This is especially alarming since these businesses will have more difficulty bouncing back from a cyberattack.

Hence, website security is not something that small business owners should compromise on. It’s not advisable to DIY website management if you don’t have in-depth knowledge about website safety measures and firewalls. Consider leaving the matter to a Michigan WordPress developer that has the security expertise and tools to keep your site safe.

Limited Features and Functionality

The more feature-packed and functional a website is, the more customer engagement and options it can bring. If you only have a basic understanding of web development, you might end up with a bare-bones website that offers little functionality or originality.

Moreover, the lack of plugins, widgets, sections, and other modern website standards can make your site look unprofessional and stale. These limitations can make you lose your edge in the online space, especially since almost 60% of people prefer unique and well-designed sites over those with only basic layouts.

Poor User Interface

In a physical store, you or your employees can easily assist a customer if they encounter issues. This is usually not the case in the online space. Your website’s user interface must be streamlined and navigable enough to guide the client until the end of their transaction. If your client encounters an issue halfway through, they’ll most likely just leave and look elsewhere.

Moreover, the user interface must be tailored not only to computers but also smartphones. Almost seven billion people worldwide use smartphones. Hence, the majority of your customers will visit your site using their phones.

All of these interface considerations require a lot of fine-tuning. If you lack either the time or the technical know-how, it’s going to be extremely challenging to create a great user interface. 

Low Search Engine Ranking

Even if you manage to create and maintain your website, you’ll still have to improve its online visibility and search engine ranking to gain traction and more customers. To do this, your site needs to have a robust search engine optimization (SEO) implementation. More than 80% of businesses report receiving gains after implementing an SEO strategy.

A good SEO strategy requires the use of the right keywords, backlinks, content, and other relevant factors. If you’re unfamiliar with the concept or do not have access to the latest search engine trends, let a Michigan WordPress developer implement the right SEO strategy for your website.

Potential To Lag Behind

The internet is not a static place. For instance, it is projected that there will already be around 40 billion Internet of Things-connected devices in the next two years and that wearable AI will significantly increase in value. Hence, in order for your business to remain relevant online, your website must constantly adopt new technologies and best practices.

What works today may not be enough tomorrow. If you fail to keep up, your business might vanish into online obscurity. It’s beneficial to partner with a web design service provider. These entities constantly apply best practices and employ emerging technologies in their e-commerce website design packages.

Reduced Productivity

As an entrepreneur, your top priority is profit generation and business expansion. If you're going to spend months learning basic website management on top of SEO and cybersecurity maintenance, you’ll lose valuable business productivity time. 

It’s best to focus on running and expanding your business. Let professional web designers or companies handle website management. If you’re worried about costs, there are affordable web management services out there.

Final Thoughts

From having limited site features and functionality to low search engine ranking, there are several reasons why it’s not a good idea to do DIY website management. Time to call in the professionals? Hierographx is an expert Michigan WordPress developer - schedule a free consultation today!