Yesterday my dentist called. He and his assistant often chatted with me about their website, social media, and blogging while I sat in his chair. His assistant administered their Facebook page, and I was happy to share social media marketing advice. A friend of the assistant had been retained to develop the site. Last month, the TKO marketing team reviewed the site and offered a ½ page of suggestions to make the site more productive and friendly. Like I said, my dentist called. His assistant no longer works with him. No one is managing their social media, and the website isn’t functioning well.

How Does this Happen?

Small businesses don’t have the time or budget for a marketing team so they often rely on one person, an intern, or a family member who know a little about “that internet stuff.” When a site isn’t constructed by professionals, it can be a challenge for even experienced administrators to manage. Working with a professional web-developer allows a business to bring a website to life that fits their particular needs and comes with an expert advisor. A business website is not the place to let Cousin Billy’s son from the tech school experiment. Today the vast majority of potential customers research businesses online before ever contacting a company. The professionalism, or lack thereof, of a website directly reflects on the organization and may be the difference between gaining new customers or not.

What a Professional Web Developer can do

Functional Customization – For example, most dentists are specialist. Cookie-cutter-sandwich-board sites may not fit their individual needs. A professional web developer can determine a business’s uniqueness and give them what’s called for.

SEO Optimization – Cousin Billy’s boy probably doesn’t have these tools in his belt, but a pro does. It can mean the difference between coming up on the first page of a google search or the fifth page. How many pages do you scroll in an organic search?

Responsiveness– This was one of the complaints my dentist shared. His site was slow. Was it the host, the provider, or how the site was built? A professional would find the answer.

Compatibility – Over ½ of all internet searches are conducted on mobile devices. A professional site will perform as well on a smartphone as it will on a 27” monitor.

Professional appearance – Branding is important. A site that doesn’t coordinate typography, color, and design…looks sloppy. That’s not a good brand message.

A business website, no matter how small the company, isn’t the place for amateurs. A poorly designed site will lose potential business; not showing up in searches, poor functionality, and unattractive graphics all hurt the bottom line. Trade places with your prospect, what causes you to give up on a search or site? Enough said? Hire a pro. If you’d like us to review your site contact us we’re on page one.