The other day I was having a conversation with a potential client when she started apologizing for not being better with technology and not having had any success building her own site. I get this a lot. I am not sure why, but it seems web design and financial planning are the two main fields where people for some reason think they should be able to do it all on their own. I mean, I have yet to hear a colleague or client say “I have this painful tooth, but if only I were better at dental surgery I could get this fixed right up in my spare time.” Sounds ludicrous, doesn’t it? Yet that seems precisely the line of thinking many solo and small businesses take when it comes to their website and Internet Marketing.

Now, if you are dead set on taking the DIY route, I am not here to stop or criticize you. It is your business and the choice is ultimately all yours. However, I would like to put forth a compelling list of 7 reasons why it is not the best use of your time or money to do so.

1) Do you consider a website a once and done project? Are you prepared to make an ongoing investment in writing content, updating the site, and maximizing your technology investment so customers can find and buy from you? On the web content is king so unless you only want a virtual brochure, you need to be ready to invest ongoing time on your site on a regular basis (at least monthly). A team of professionals can help you navigate these waters and make it easy for you to do so.

2) The world of the web and its related technologies are constantly growing and expanding. Even if you work in the field full time for years it is impossible to know it all. Why would you want to take on the gigantic task of learning all this expertise in addition to your core field of expertise (what you do or sell in your business)? And, even if you could learn enough to get by, what about the little things you miss (and not even know) that could cost you big time in terms of mistakes or lost opportunities?

3) Do you know which technologies to choose to get the most bang for your buck and marketing efforts and why? Does the world of autoresponders, hosting companies, blogging platforms, merchant accounts, podcasting, shopping carts, and the like leave your head spinning? If so, how can you make informed decisions around which technologies can help support your overall business (and not be a case of technology for technology sake)?

4) Just because you can buy Photoshop or another graphics editing program doesn’t mean you are a designer. Talented artists can help you brand your business through visuals in a way that sets you apart from your competition. It takes years of experience and innate talent to be able to do this successfully. Even I know my limits which is why I work closely with artists on my team to ensure people who work with me get only the best.

5) Web standards and best practices are there for a reason. If you don’t know what they are, why valid websites matter, or how they integrate with one another, you may build your site and unknowingly exclude an entire segment of your potential client base from being able to view your site as you intended.

6) Your current and future customers are counting on you to be a master at what you are offering them. Unless that offering is web design and consulting, you are shortchanging your most precious commodity by dabbling in the website business. Your time IS money and wouldn’t you rather spend it generating more revenue for your business doing what you do best?

7) A good web professional will co-create with you what you really want and need. You will work as partners and you still get to be as involved or uninvolved as you wish. Most importantly she should be able to offer you ongoing services in a mix that is right for you so that you can get the most out of your investment (this isn’t a build it once and forget it project). If you’re not getting that level of personal service you’re being shortchanged.

As always, the choice is up to you. My experience has been that just as you are a lot happier when you have a doctor mend a broken bone vs. trying to DIY , your business can be that much more joyful when you give yourself permission to bring in the technology experts.

The New York Human Planning Society (NYHRPS) is a professional organization for high level human resource professionals. They had a need for a content managed site that would allow them to update and maintain an events calendar, provide areas for member-only content, and integrate with a shopping cart for online payment.  The site was built on the CMS Made Simple content management platform and included programming customizations for which I partnered with Immersion IT.  A second phase of site development included a member database and online administration.

In addition to their main site, NYHRPS wanted a blog to continue the conversation and resources from member events.  I created a blog for them on the Wordpress platform.

Once again I had the pleasure of partnering with Passion for Business to serve their client’s need for a blog.  Val Heart is an Animal Communicator and needed a blog that could showcase her expertise, work, and success stories while also matching the design of her main website.  I created a blog for her on a Wordpress platform that included integration with social media and her newsletter/autoresponders.  You can visit her blog live on the web at : www.valheart.com/blog

Hannelore Devlin is an energy healer and practitioner. Specializing in Jin Shin Jyutsu, a form of Japanese energy healing, she works with individuals to help them heal from everything from serious illness to everyday stress. She needed a clean, crisp website to showcase her work.  The logo and design elements were designed by Hannelore herself.  You can visit the site live on the web:  www.hannelorehealing.com

Katrina Ogilby and Deepa Awal founded the Center for Leadership Coaching.  They needed a new brand and a website to capture the essence of their work as coaches and workshop leaders.  Logo was designed in partnership with Hannelore Devlin Design and the site was constructed in XHTML and CSS with integration to newsletters and autoresponders.  You can visit the site live on the web at : www.centerforleadershipcoaching.org

When Beverly Payton started her own PR firm, she came to me to create her first website. It needed to be crisp, professional, allow for future growth, and provide a way to showcase her expertise and build a following. The site was constructed in CSS and XHTML and incorporated newsletter and autoresponders.  You can visit her site live on the web at: www.payton.com

I had the honor of creating a blog for NGlassworks that would match existing branding of the website.  As a partner of Passion for Business I helped their client achieve this goal using Wordpress.  The site needed to showcase Nancy Giere’s beautiful dichroic glass creations.  You can visit the site online at: www.nglassworks.com/blog

Kristie Finnan is an author of a children’s book “Mommy’s High Heel Shoes”.  The site demanded that it be fun and incorporate as many of the excellent illustrations from the book which were done by Pat Achilles.  Kristie needed to not only sell her book but wanted to form a community through newsletters, resources, audio, and video.  In addition, she required the ability to update and maintain the site herself so the site was built with content management (using Adobe Contribute).

Visit the site live at: www.mommyshighheelshoes.com

Here’s what Kristie had to say about her experience:

“I wanted to let you know that I still LOVE my website!  You really did such an amazing job putting my personality right into website.  I get complements all the time on how awesome my website is.  I have also been able to do a pretty good job keeping it updated and full of good information…which means you did a great job getting my site ready to use on Contribute and training me to update my own site!”

Barbara Nelson’s individual coaching offerings needed their own home on the web.  That’s why I was hired to design Nelson Coaching website in a way that is similar to Successfully Solo.  The site was constructed in CSS and XHTML. You can visit the site live on the web at : www.nelsoncoaching.com

While I didn’t design this site, I have done extensive upgrades and maintenance to it.  As a coach and consultant Barbara Nelson offers teleclasses and books for sale as well as individual and group coaching. The site required integration with autoresponders, a shopping cart, and a blog.  It was built using CSS and XHTML and the blog is on a Wordpress platform. You can visit the site live at : www.successfullysolo.com