Every ambitious business owner must be online, but having a website that merely functions simply isn't enough to be competitive in today's market, nor is a simplistic social marketing endeavor going to satisfy consumers. The modern world is full of tech savvy individuals who have much higher expectations than many realize, and businesses can no longer get away with subpar sites that have an outdated appearance or slow loading time. It's crucial to make sure that your site is up-to-date and impressive in order to reach consumers.

Can You Afford to NOT Have the Best?

It's important to realize that your online presence is never "one and done." There is an ongoing need for support, maintenance, system updates, configurations, integrations, evolving social marketing strategy, and security. If your website and online strategy isn't consistently maintained by a professional, there are many other inevitable factors that will encroach upon your success. Hiring a professional developer to setup your website and social presence without incorporating ongoing development is like to buying a single outfit and wearing it for ten years. Then, when people on the street begin stare, you ask yourself why they are giving you funny looks.

Regardless of your opinion on creating engaging and optimized user experiences, the truth is that people react mercilessly to what they deem to be unappealing or difficult to maneuver. This means that no one cares about your budget or whether or not you think that your site is awesome. Visitors to your site only care about the impression your site makes when they click a link and navigate to your site or page and how the aesthetics and experiences make them feel (which is another important point to keep in mind when developing content—appealing to emotions).

According to Ken McCarthy, CEO of Chartbeat, and an extensive 2014 Time Magazine article, people only spend an average of 15 seconds on any given site. So, the first impression is key to determining if leads will become paying customers or if they will use another service with a snazzier, more appealing interface. Image the cost of losing hundreds or thousands of potential customers in lieu of hiring a professional team to handle your ongoing need for development. It's easy to see that the opportunity cost is worth the investment, and it's critical to remaining competitive in today's digital world.

Hiring Professional Developers

Typically, the first barrier for most business owners tends to be the cost of building, maintaining and expanding their online presence. Hiring a developer is a great strategy for optimizing your online presence if you have the budget to accommodate such an expense. The average mid-to-senior level web developer's salary hovers between $70K - $120K+, so it's important to be realistic about the cost associated with hiring a skilled and talented person to create a beautiful and engaging online presence for your brand.

With those salaries in perspective it's easy to understand why hiring a developer on a continuous basis is often both unrealistic and unaffordable. There are many options for one-time engagements with a professional developer, but there are also snags along the way. For example, many professionals only work with the technology they're comfortable with due to niche specialty such as WordPress (which can be incredibly complicated).

Finding such a developer isn't difficult, however, what happens when you want to make some important changes on the fly? Or, what if you need to update the visual aesthetics of your site in order to remain relevant? Such examples become problematic, because programmers have certain stylistic methods, and who knows if the same developer will be available when it's time to make some key changes on your site?