Web designers design websites. You need to find one whose work appeals to you and has the right aesthetic for your business. For example, if your site’s target audience is “families,” you don’t want to design a dark, sleek, masculine looking site that isn’t warm and inviting. Makes sense, right?

Programmers write the code that makes the websites do what you want them to. Some programmers do this well and others don’t. Often, you won’t know which you’ve hired until after you’ve paid them and they’re long gone. It’s a concept similar to building a house. Two homes can look identical from the outside. One of those houses can be lived in for years without needing repairs. The other needs work done in a different place every week.

Neither of the two professionals above has a marketing background. Web designers are not marketers. Programmers are not marketers. You cannot put the two together and expect them build you a website that has a focused marketing message. And you really can’t expect them to effectively market that website online, offline or any other place.

You cannot expect this any more than you would expect your general contractor to go out and market your business after he built the physical building you work in. If after he hung the last door in the building he offered to do your advertising, you’d think he was nuts.

So, why do you think the guys who built your website can effectively market it?

Roxanne Lott Search Engine Marketing Marketing, Online Marketing, Search Engine Marketing, Website Design