This may be news to you, but web development and web design are very different things. Here's why web developers sometimes make the worst websites.
WEB DEVELOPMENT V. WEB DESIGN
This may be news to you, but web development and web design are very different things. It’s OK, you don’t have to be an expert - that’s why we’re here. Let’s find out whether you need a web designer or a web developer:
WEB DESIGNER
Focuses on the look and feel of the website
Creates an experience for your visitors
Will talk to you about fonts, colors, contents and styles
WEB DEVELOPER
Codes and programs the inner workings of the site
Ensures the website does what you need it to do (estore, popup, etc.)
Will talk to you about HTML, apps, databases, secure connections, and other technical things
Which one is right for my business?
Remember what we said earlier about web developers vs. web designers? Ideally, you want a team of professionals to work on your website: there will be some design, some coding, probably a lot of writing, the SEO team will do their part and then you will have a well-rounded site that generates leads by the bucketful.
If you can only afford one person, a web developer is probably not your best choice - web developers are coders, which means they are probably more expensive by the hour. Also, web developers are focused on creating software to solve problems, not on closing sales.
Think coldly and rationally about where you will allocate your website building funds: instead of paying for coding to develop a custom appointment-taking plugin, buy a ready-made plug in and invest on more writing, more SEO, and some professional photography.
Here’s an example:
• 10 hours developing a custom plugin
or
• 5 hours on well written SEO and user friendly copy
• 2 hours on photography
• 3 hours on design that converts
Which one do you think will get you the most results in terms of conversion and sales?
That's right.
When allocating your limited web-development funds, think carefully on what you want to invest. Odds are that code falls lower on your list than you initially thought!
