Your Website’s Marketing: Should You Do It Yourself? A Simple Guide

So, you have a website. That’s awesome! But just having a website isn’t enough. People need to find it. That’s where digital marketing comes in. It’s like telling the world, “Hey, look at my cool website!”

But then a big question pops up: Should you try to do all this digital marketing stuff yourself, or should you pay someone else to do it?

This is a really important question. What you decide can make a big difference for your website or business. In this post, we’ll look at this question from all sides. We’ll talk about the good things, the tricky things, and help you figure out what’s best for you.

First, What IS Digital Marketing? (Keeping it Simple)

Before we dive into “doing it yourself” or “hiring help,” let’s quickly see what digital marketing includes. It’s a bunch of different ways to get your website noticed online:

SEO (Search Engine Optimization): This means making your website easy for Google (and other search engines) to find and show to people when they search for things related to you.
Content Marketing: This is about creating helpful and interesting stuff like blog posts (like this one!), videos, or pictures that people will like and share.
Social Media Marketing: Using sites like Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter to talk about your website and connect with people.
PPC (Pay-Per-Click) Ads: Paying to show your ads on Google or social media. You usually pay a little bit each time someone clicks your ad.
Email Marketing: Sending emails to people who are interested in what you do, to keep them updated or tell them about new things.

There are more, but these are some of the main ones. Each one can be a job in itself!

Doing Your Own Digital Marketing: The Good Stuff!

Trying to do your own digital marketing can have some really good points:

You Save Money: This is a big one! If you’re just starting or don’t have a lot of money, not hiring someone can save you cash.
You Learn Cool Stuff: If you like learning, doing your own marketing is a great way to understand how the internet works for businesses. This can be super useful later on.
You’re the Boss: You get to decide everything – what your message is, what your brand looks like, and what you want to try. You can change things when you want.
You Know Your Business Best: Nobody knows your website or business idea like you do. This can help you talk to your audience in a way that really connects with them.
You Can Change Things Fast: If you see something isn’t working, or if a new idea pops up, you can change your plans quickly without waiting for someone else.

Doing Your Own Digital Marketing: The Hard Parts

While saving money and learning is great, there are also some tough things to think about:

It Takes a LOT of Time: Good digital marketing isn’t quick. Writing posts, doing SEO, managing social media, checking how things are going – it all adds up. If you’re already busy, this can be too much.
There’s Lots to Learn: Digital marketing has many parts, and it can take a long time to get good at them. It’s easy to make mistakes, and some mistakes can cost you money (like if you spend too much on ads that don’t work).
You Might Not Be an Expert (Yet!): Do you know all the latest SEO tricks? Can you write ads that make people click? Can you understand all the numbers and reports? If not, your efforts might not work very well.
Things Change All the Time: The digital marketing world changes fast. New tools, new rules for Google, new social media trends – you have to keep learning all the time.
Good Tools Can Cost Money: Some of the best tools for things like SEO or checking your website’s performance cost money. As one person, you might not have these.
Results Don’t Happen Overnight: Especially with things like SEO and content marketing, it can take weeks or even months to see good results. You need to be patient.

So, When SHOULD You Do Your Own Digital Marketing?

Doing it yourself might be a good idea if:

You have a very small budget (or no budget!): If money is tight, DIY is often the only way.
You love learning and have time to spend: If you’re excited to learn and can put in the hours.
Your website or business is very new and small: When you’re just starting, your needs might be simple.
You only need to reach people in your local area: If your goals are simple, like just letting your neighborhood know you exist.
It’s a personal blog or a hobby: If it’s not a business, the pressure is lower.

When Should You Think About Hiring Someone?

Getting help from an expert or an agency might be better if:

You just don’t have the time: If you need to focus on running your main business.
You want to see results faster: Experts often know how to get things done more quickly and better.
Your marketing needs are complicated: If you need a big plan that uses many different marketing types.
You want to grow your business bigger: When you’re ready to expand, experts can help you compete.
You feel lost with certain skills: If things like SEO or online ads seem too hard.
You’ve tried DIY and it’s not working: If you’re not getting the results you want.

What About Doing a Bit of Both?

You don’t always have to choose just one way! You could:

Do some parts yourself and hire out others. For example, you could write your own blog posts (because you know your topic best) but hire someone to help with the technical SEO stuff or run your online ads.
Start by doing it yourself and then get help later. You can learn the basics first, and as your website grows, you can start paying for help with certain tasks.

Tips if You Decide to Do It Yourself:

If you’re going to try your own digital marketing, here are a few tips:

Start Small: Don’t try to do everything at once. Pick one or two things (like writing good blog posts and basic SEO) and get good at those first.
Keep Learning: There are tons of free online courses, blogs, and videos. Google has great free tools and learning resources (like “Google Digital Garage”).
Use Free or Cheap Tools: Many tools can help you for free or for a low cost (like Google Analytics, Google Search Console, or the free version of Ubersuggest for keyword ideas, and Canva for making graphics).
Be Patient and Stick With It: Good results take time. Keep putting out good content and don’t give up too soon.
See What’s Working: Use tools like Google Analytics to check how many people are visiting your site, where they come from, and what they like. This helps you know what to do more of.
Know What Makes You Special: Think about what makes your website or business different and better. Why should people choose you? Make sure your marketing clearly shows this. For example, if your blog is about digital marketing, maybe you make it super easy for beginners to understand with simple examples.

Wrapping It Up

So, should you do your own digital marketing? There’s no single right answer. It really depends on your money, your time, your skills, what you want to achieve, and what your website is all about.

Doing it yourself can be great if you have the time, want to learn, and need to save money. It gives you full control.
Hiring an expert is often better if you’re short on time, want faster results, or if things get too complicated.

Think carefully about your own situation. Be honest with yourself. Choose the path that feels right for you and your website right now. And remember, you can always change your plan as your website grows!

Disclaimer (Important Note):

The information in this blog post is for general guidance and learning purposes only. It’s not meant to be professional digital marketing advice that fits every single situation. Every website and business is different. Before you make big decisions about your marketing, it’s a good idea to think hard about your own specific needs or talk to a qualified digital marketing professional. The writer of this post and this website are not responsible for any actions you take based on this information.