You have two main options when creating a WordPress site – do it yourself or pay for a WordPress developer.

Your first thought might be that DIY is cheaper and better. If you want more than a simple site for a personal blog, it’s actually better to go with a WordPress developer.

All you have to do is look at the difference between a DIY and professionally developed site to see the difference. Which one would you want to visit?

Give Your Visitors Custom

You’ve envisioned your dream website, but can’t quite find the right theme. The great thing about WordPress themes is they’re customisable. Fonts, color schemes, layouts and more can be changed to better match your site’s personality and purpose. You can even do more advanced customisations if you know how to code.

You can go a step further and turn your design into a custom theme if you want. This does require knowing how to code. Plus, you have to make sure your theme is compatible with your plugins and the latest version of WordPress. If you’re not comfortable coding, this is where a WordPress developer is helpful.

Choose The Right Plugins

Plugins are crucial to getting the most from WordPress. Do you know which ones you need? Many people who try to save money by doing it themselves end up with numerous plugins installed. All this does is slow down page loading times. When your site loads too slowly, visitors leave and they don’t come back. Every second counts.

No amount of marketing will fix this problem. When you pay for a WordPress developer, you know your site is using only the plugins necessary for security, backups, SEO and anything your specific site needs. You don’t have to worry about installing them or setting them up incorrectly. Plus, a developer can create custom plugins to make your site even better.

Make Your Site Functional

Your WordPress site is severely limited by your own skill set. You might have an eye for design and be able to create a stunning front-end, but what about the back-end? A design is useless if it’s not functional. Even after purchasing a theme and getting hosting, your site still looks basic and many of the changes you’ve made don’t work correctly.

A developer knows how to edit a theme, install plugins and customise a WordPress site. They can turn your amazing design into a fully functional site. Would you rather just have the basics or pay a developer to take your site to the next level?

Save Time And Money

Money is usually the main issue when it comes to hiring a WordPress developer. Take a moment to think about how much time and money you’re spending yourself. Then look at the final result. When you take the DIY option, you pay for a theme, hosting and plugins. You have to take the time to search for how to change everything single thing on your site. You have to research which plugins to use, how to install them and test settings to see what works best for your site.

You could spend months tweaking your site and still not be happy. A single change could ruin the entire site and leave you back at square one. Paying a WordPress developer upfront saves you both time and money. You get a site that looks professional and it’s up and running faster. This means you can focus on creating content, marketing your site and boosting visitors.

Meet Google’s Technical Guidelines

Developing a site to meet Google’s standards isn’t easy. WordPress developers understand what Google wants, such as a responsive design and clean code. Choosing a random theme and adding content isn’t enough. The last thing you want to do is spend months developing your site only to have Google penalise it for a flaw in the code or bad plugin that endangers your visitors.

Prevent You From Settling

One of the most important reasons to hire a developer is to prevent yourself from settling. You have a vision of what you want your site to be. Without the expertise, you settle for something close. You choose a theme that’s similar to what you envisioned. You have a few of the features you dreamed of. All you have to do is talk with a WordPress developer to turn your online vision into a reality. The right developer works with you to give you a site that goes above and beyond your expectations.

Conclusion

The DIY approach is ideal for a small personal site or blog. When it comes to a site that’s the face of your business or brand, you need a WordPress developer. Make your site more successful for paying a professional to do it while you focus on marketing and content creation.

Ready to go beyond a basic WordPress site? Contact StuartMedia to get started on a professional WordPress site today.

Image: Serge Kij