While digital marketing agencies can offer a range of services to help businesses establish and enhance their online presence, such as social media marketing, digital advertising, email marketing, and online reputation management,?there are potential pitfalls associated with relying solely on them for WordPress website development and hosting. Here's how that can backfire:
- Limited Expertise: Digital marketing agencies may primarily focus on marketing strategies rather than being experts in WordPress development or security. Relying on them for these technical aspects could result in suboptimal solutions.
- Dependency Issues: Dependence on a single agency for all services may lead to a lack of flexibility. If you decide to switch managed WordPress hosting providers or bring certain development services in-house, the transition could be challenging.
- Costs: Some marketing agencies may charge higher prices for services like hosting or maintenance than specialized providers. You might pay more for these services when bundled with marketing services.
- Conflicts of Interest: A digital marketing agency's primary goal is often marketing success, and their recommendations may be biased towards strategies that align with their marketing objectives rather than the best interests of your website.
- Security Concerns: While some marketing agencies claim to offer website security services, they lack the capability to handle complex WordPress security issues. Relying solely on them for security could leave your website vulnerable to advanced threats.
- Customization Limitations: Digital marketing agencies may use templates or standardized approaches for WordPress development. If your business requires highly customized solutions, you might face limitations in achieving the desired level of uniqueness and functionality.
- Scalability Issues: If your business experiences rapid growth, the typical marketing agency will struggle to scale its website services accordingly. This could result in WordPress performance issues, slow response times, or downtime.
- Ownership and Control: When a third-party agency handles web development and hosting, you have limited control and ownership over your website. It's important to clarify ownership rights and access to critical assets. That won't be an issue when you work directly with a WordPress agency and managed WordPress host.
To mitigate these pitfalls, it's advisable to keep your website development and hosting providers separate from your digital marketing agency. This way you can have specialized providers for certain technical aspects, and maintain a clear understanding of ownership and control over your web assets. When you're ready to move your website management from your digital marketing agency to a team of experts with more than 15 years in the industry, contact WebDevStudios.
The article you just read was a part of the January 2024 edition of the WebDevStudios monthly email newsletter. Subscribe today and receive this level of WordPress expertise every month. Plus, subscribe to our newsletter by February 23rd, and you will be entered to win a free copy of WordPress All-in-One for Dummies, 5th Edition, written by WebDevStudios COO Lisa Sabin-Wilson. Current subscribers are automatically entered. One entry per person. US only. Winner will be notified via email and announced in the February edition of the WebDevStudios email newsletter.
Principal at Reed Gustow Photography
1 年All excellent points, Lisa. Well said. It can be tempting, I am sure, to have a "one stop shop" that appears to offer everything needed in a single package. As you state, though, it is also rather risky.