Posted by Courtney Fappiano on January 22nd, 2026

There’s a moment in almost every business owner’s life when you think, “I can totally build my own website.” A few clicks later, you’re three templates deep, staring at the screen of you don’t even know what and suddenly questioning all your life choices. That’s usually when hiring a professional starts to sound kind of amazing.

A professionally developed website is about building a site that actually works for you AND is pretty. A pro (like our very own Holly)  knows how to guide visitors where you want them to go, so they can book their service, make a purchase, or simply stick around long enough to trust you. That kind of strategy doesn’t come from dragging and dropping blocks or typing your vibe into Gen AI…it comes from experience.

The Technical Aspect of Site Builds

Then there’s the technical side of things. Speed, mobile responsiveness, accessibility, security, SEO… none of these are glamorous, but all of them matter. A professional developer is thinking about what’s happening behind the scenes so your site loads fast, works on every device, and doesn’t disappear into the depths of Google search results. You get to focus on running your business instead of troubleshooting why your contact form stopped working and you didn’t realize for 2 months (yes this has happened many times in our 15 years of experience).

Hire a Pro Because It’s Worth It

Hiring a pro also saves time…way more time than most people expect. A pro typically spends about 30-100+ hours building a website. Now for a regular ol’ person who needs to figure it out as they go,  it takes longer and there is a ton of trial and error. And you’re not guaranteed to get the results you want.

“Quick” sites built by people (or AI) who aren’t developers involve using website builders and plugins that are “jack of all trades” and are bloated because they are meant to be able to do much more than what is needed for a single site. This can slow down sites and impact performance. And when you need updates, fixes, or new features, you’re not starting from scratch every time.

Playing the Long Game

Ok great, so you built the website yourself, but every time you go to update it, things go sideways. Or when you update the site, now all your images are cropped weird…A site built by a professional is built with the end user in mind. Meaning it runs smoothly but can easily be edited by the client once it’s launched. A lot of folks want to make their own site so they can maintain it themselves, and we help folks do that through training (and 911 I messed up my website help).

To The Control Freak in You

You have a firm idea in your mind about what you want your site to look like, but do you know the terminology to get you there? Maybe not… and instead you end up spending 2 full days trying out different templates and fonts and ruining your shopping cart. Professionals are there to hear your dreams and ideas and make them into reality with the years of experience under their belts. At the end of the day, your website is often the first impression people have of your business. Investing in a professional means investing in clarity, credibility, and a site that grows with you. hasOpt is all about helping small businesses find their voice and reach their customers, reach out and we’ll talk through your options.