Web developers are skilled tradespeople — not unlike mechanics, architects, plumbers, engineers, bartenders, lawyers and roofers. We have studied our trade for years and we work hard to constantly update our skills.
One of the great things about the web is that the barrier to entry — to creating a web page or a web site — is very low. I can (and do!) teach people how to go from knowing next to nothing about the web to being able to create a basic mobile web app in just a few weeks. This is the first step, but it doesn’t make them web developers — any more than my newly acquired bartender college certificate makes me a bartender (I’m pretty excited about it, though, and available for parties or to tend bar at your beach-front hole-in-the-wall on weekends).
An amateur web developer — your nephew, for example — may be able to whip up a quick web site that looks decent. That’s awesome, and I encourage it. But, he may not be fully aware of the latest regulations and recommendations around privacy, data security, and accessibility that apply to organizations that interact with the public on the web. He may also not know how to optimize for performance and search engine visibility, enable users to browse the site on mobile devices, or how to build a site that will be maintainable and expandable in the future.
As professional web developers, we’re often brought in to clean up the messes created by a well-meaning nephew. I never want to discourage the nephew from learning, of course, but re-doing a poorly-built site can cost twice as much as building the site from scratch.
If you have a nephew-built site, or if you’re considering hiring a nephew to build your site, contact me today for a free consultation and quote! At the very least, I’ll let you know what questions to ask your nephew to find out if he really knows his stuff. You’re nephew’s a good kid — really — but you’re running a business.