Social media is great for outreach and public discourse, but your website is an unmatched tool for personal branding and messaging. With literally unlimited options, you can convey the right blend of professionalism and personality, and you can tailor your presentation to any audience. Whether you’re an academic applying for tenure track positions or a lawyer looking for clients, you need the right amount of information conveyed with the appropriate tone. If you’re hoping to get organic traffic from Google, then you’ll also need a basic understanding of SEO.
Why Not DIY?
If you have a few weeks to spare, it’s a great idea to figure out WordPress yourself. Without prior knowledge, a lot of DIY website creators turn to website builders like Squarespace and Wix. These drag and drop tools have their advantages, but they will never be as flexible and adaptable as WordPress. Like any user-friendly template, the end result can appear formulaic and thin. Over 30 percent of all websites are powered by WordPress, which gives you an idea of how incredibly flexible the software has become.
Unfortunately, most of us don’t have enough time to learn a new skill from scratch, and there’s a steep learning curve involved in launching an effective WordPress site. If you don’t expect to build more websites in the future, then it may not be worth your time to learn everything yourself.
Why Not Hire a Real Developer?
It depends on what kinds of functionality you need. If you need custom software or extra security for ecommerce, then you probably want a developer. In an initial consultation, we’ll talk over your goals and how best to achieve them. Most websites mainly host a combination of text and images, and a basic WordPress site provides plenty of flexibility. Ultimately, you may need more than one kind of support. You may need a web developer for the structure of your website and a content writer (like yours truly) for developing the text.
If you have the budget and need more than a basic website, a developer would be a great help. My process is focused on developing the readable text on the website and other factors that contribute to search engine rankings.