So you have decided that you need a new website but you just don’t know what to do. You could save lots of money by creating your own website or spend up big and hire a large agency. Up until recently, you didn’t have much choice but to hire a coding expert to code all of your business dreams but these days there are so many page builders, website designers and DIY website choices that are becoming popular.
But what should you do? Well…it depends.
Let’s look at a few pros and cons of each option.
DIY Web Design
The Pros
You could go and choose a website builder and have a professional looking website up and running for a small cost. Think squarespace, wix, shopify or even wordpress if you are willing to learn. These are all quite affordable tools and you don’t necessarily need and prior experience with coding at all.
The Cons
Whenever you are doing things yourself instead of hiring a professional it will definitely take you a lot longer. Why is this? Well simply the fact that you have to learn the skills and how to do it as you go will add lots of time. Throw in those times that you get a little bit stuck and are scratching your head unsure what to do and you can see that it will take a while. But if you love learning new skills and have lots of spare time this can still be a good option.
Secondly, you will most likely have to work from a predefined template which means the end result may not quite be what you are after and you will have to compromise too. That and of course you run the risk of other people having similar websites that have chosen to DIY as well.
Our third con of DIY is the lack of customisation and optimisation. Do you know what SEO is and how your website design impacts it? Do you know how to create an effective call to action? What drives engagement on websites and how do you increase your conversions? These are all key concepts that a web designer should be able to discuss with you and to explain to you for your project. They are also all really important parts of your website design if you want an effective website that meets the goals of your business.
Web Designer
The Pros
When you hire a web designer like me at WYD Digital you get a custom made, top quality website that is made to suit your business. I spend time personally getting to know your business, what drives you and what your goals are and we custom build your website around this to give you the best chance of success.
I aim to create a website that gives a great first impression to all of its visitors. Statistics show that more than half of visitors to a website will leave if a webpage doesn’t load within 5 seconds. Imagine how many more leave after that if they find it hard to navigate or unimpressive.
A web designer will have extensive experience in designing and creating sites for clients. This means that they can tailor the design to your target audience and aim to deliver you results. They can assist with SEO strategy (Search engine optimisation), content creation or digital marketing and will be with you as your guide throughout your journey whenever you need assistance.
The Cons
Price is definitely the first con when it comes to web designers. They are experts in their field and can cost much more then the DIY route. However, if you find a good web designer they will be able to add much more value to your business then their rates suggest.
The other con is that the development and creative control is out of your hands. If you are a business owner who loves to control all aspects of your business and struggles to trust others then this may not be the route for you. However, if you are someone who can see the value of an expert putting their skills to use for you in an area where you do not necessarily have the time or expertise then this could be a great solution for you.
Conclusion
Depending on where your business is or where you are on your journey could play a major part of how you go about creating a website. I believe there is a place for both ways and it definitely depends on where you are at on your business journey. If you are just starting out, short on funds to invest in a website then the DIY method could be great for you.
If you are not sure what you can afford or what value you can get for your money from a web designer then we would highly recommend getting in touch with a web designer that you trust and just have a chat. Heaps of web designers (of course including me) are happy to have a conversation and can make some recommendations or may write up a proposal for you for free so that you have an understanding of what they would recommend for your business and how much it would cost you.