Why Your IT Provider Should Not Build Your Website

In our digital age, having a website is essential for attracting customers and providing information about your business. Unless you have someone on staff who’s a website expert, you’ll probably look outside your company when it’s time to build a new site.

You might think that having your IT provider design your website is a good idea. But we’ll share a few reasons why you should reconsider that choice.

IT Professionals Are Not Web Designers

Technological fields are diverse. Most of them have particular sets of skills that other fields don’t use. Building a website requires skills in programming, graphic design, marketing, and writing. While IT providers employ people who are knowledgeable in computer troubleshooting, networking, customer service, automation, and IT strategy.

Thus, delivering great IT support is different from the skill needed to build a website. It’s a completely different focus than what great IT providers specialize in. And if they are not specializing in IT and are trying to do websites as well, you’ll probably end up with a mediocre result in both.

Website Maintenance is it’s Own Specialty

These days, a website isn’t a one-off creation. Once your website launches, keeping up with it is important. It’s not a full-time position, but it’s not incidental either.

Whether you want to increase its usability, add more pages, or implement new features like live customer service chat, this takes time. And just like computers, websites are susceptible to security vulnerabilities too. This means that they need updates and require vigilant care so they aren’t hacked. All this work is most efficiently done by a company who specializes in websites. Their level of knowledge around maintaining multiple sites will be valuable in protecting your own.

Specialized Design Is More Effective in the Long Run

Even if your IT provider could build a website, there’s no guarantee that they could do exactly what you need.

A website isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. Depending on your industry, you may have a different objective for your company’s website. Some may want it to generate leads for new clients. Others could use their website as a hub of information or to offer support.

Hiring a specialized web development firm might cost more than having your IT staff create a website, but it will pay off in the long run. Why spend the time and money to build a website with a end result that is not what you originally wanted?

Vendor Lock-in Can Be a Problem

What if your IT vendor does your website and you realize you are not getting the level of IT service you need? If they are also responsible for your website it might be more difficult to leave them. Since you learned the hard way that companies that try to do both are not good at either, now you are looking at migrating to two companies instead of one.

Or if you realize your website isn’t meeting your needs you might worry that taking the website off their hands will damage your relationship.

A Successful Website is More Than Just Design

Even if your IT staff assures you that they know basic website design, you should know that there’s a lot more to a great website than how it looks and handles. If nobody can find your website, what’s the point of spending the time making it?

One of the most important aspects of attracting clicks to your website is search engine optimization (SEO). This entails optimizing all sorts of factors on your website in order to rank higher on Google. Chances are that even if your IT staff can create a website, they won’t have the experience level to properly help you with SEO.

That’s not the only concern with making a great website, though. You also need to consider mobile support, since so many users browse on their phones now. And if you plan to advertise on Google, you’ll need someone who understands advertising programs for your website.

Are You Happy With Your Website?

We’ve discussed four important points that should steer you away from having your IT provider create your website. It’s impossible for one company to do everything — and your IT staff likely aren’t trained in creating and upkeeping quality websites. In today’s online world, your website represents your company and helps you achieve your goals. Because it’s so important, you can’t risk having an ineffective website.

While your IT provider servers many important roles, you should look elsewhere for the most efficient options in designing your website. Our own website was created by Pronto Marketing. You should consider them or another website specialist for your own project.

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About the Author

Picture of Don Houk

Don Houk

As President of Next7 IT, a leading provider of managed IT services, Don guides the company's strategic direction and growth. His experience building high-performing teams, establishing repeatable processes, and delivering outstanding client results demonstrate his passion for using technology to drive business success for Next7 clients.

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