Watch Out for the ‘Do It All’ Web Guy

Ever meet that person that just seems to provide every service, ever needed? You know, the guy (or girl) who designs, develops, does social media, runs online advertising campaigns, is an SEO expert and who knows what else? Sure agencies and even small firms offer all these services under one roof, but I am talking about the individual who may be a freelancer or a single-person business. I always wonder how such a person could do all those things and do them all well.

Client Expectations

To be fair I think there is an expectation amongst some clients that when they hire a Web professional that all those things will be covered. They all are Web related, after all. From a service provider’s perspective, I get that doing as many things as possible could be a marketing advantage. I also get that when potential client initially discusses their needs, it can be hard to break their expectations by saying that you don’t actually provide one or more of the services they are asking for.

You Can’t Be an Expert in Everything

With all that said, my challenge is understanding how any one person can do all those things well. I have met so many very talented people throughout the years that have made entire careers being just a developer, just a designer, just an SEO consultant, etc., that I can’t help but be underwhelmed by any individual that claims to do it all.

What’s My Point?

Good question 🙂

I guess it is that, if you are on the client side, to understand that people make entire careers focused on one discipline and this is what makes an expert. Don’t assume that just because it is Web related that a single Web ‘expert’ truly has the skills to do a good job at all of them. On the vendor side, focus on one or a few disciplines, know what you are good at, and don’t be afraid to advise a potential or current client on how to best execute their plans, even if that means bringing in another vendor. For the record, that last part was for me too. I am definitely guilty of saying “sure I do that”, for fear of losing the lead.