If you can navigate to this website, I think we can comfortably give you credit for a base level knowledge of the way the internet works. You probably, and in no particular order, have made for yourself a Facebook page, understand what the acronym SEO stands for, know how to find good sources of information, and have maybe even created for yourself a website.

There’s a difference between using the internet and relying on it for income, however. This is where the rubber hits the road. While you wouldn’t necessarily want to hire a professional to fashion you a world class status update, you might want to think about it if it’s a status update that represents your business.

Business is where things get real, kids. People like you have got to take a long, hard look about your own capabilities. In the early days of a new start-up, the young entrepreneur likely does just about everything on his or her own. There’s a lot of stuff to be done on the internet (SEO, ECommerce, responsive website design, copywriting, marketing), so there’s a lot of money to be saved if you do it all yourself.

However, clearly DIY is not the recipe for success in the internet business sphere. Professional level companies obviously don’t have websites designed by their founders, and it’s not secret that it takes a lot of different skill sets to create these brands. There’s a disconnect here between where you are (slugging it out on your own because that’s all you can afford) and where they are (leaving every aspect of branding to a team of qualified professionals). What gives?

Well, sooner or later, you’re going to have to hire the pros if you want to go from a low level DIY startup to some kind of professional entity. WSI is just one example of a great one-stop shop for all of your web designy kind of needs. If you are able to set yourself up with people like this, you won’t have to worry about the limitations of your own knowledge. In a perfect world, you would have time and energy to increase your skills set endlessly.

But this is the real world. You can’t be an all-singing, all-dancing poobah. “You’ve got to spend money to make money” after all. Hiring professionals to make your website sparkle, your marketing effective, and your SEO pop, will revolutionize the way you do business. It will increase the effectiveness of your efforts and increase your business’s lifespan by months, years, or even decades.

Many people find that their business increases by an order of magnitude simply by having a professional handle their web presence. Having a professional looking social media strategy, website, and all around branding imbues your business with professionally. People who see how great your stuff looks will assume that the work you do is also great. That point, of course, is up to you, but chances are if you are serious about the thing you do, a great well-made website and internet will be an important step for you personally.