Should you build your own website?

The design and development of a website is a big business decision. It can be a large cost and time commitment so it’s understandable why free website builders like Wix and Squarespace have become popular. But are they the best decision?

Free drag and drop builders. Templates. Freelance designers. Professional web design companies. Which is the right approach? Should you DIY it or go pro?

There are pros and cons to both building a website yourself or hiring a professional developer. Building a website yourself can be a cost-effective option, but it may also require a significant time investment to learn the necessary skills and build the site. Hiring a professional developer can be more expensive, but it can also save time and ensure that the website is of high quality and built to meet your specific needs and goals. Ultimately, the decision of whether to build a website yourself or hire a professional developer depends on your budget, time constraints, and the complexity of the website you need.

While there’s no blanket right or wrong way to build a website, we do believe there’s a right and wrong way to approach the situation. Blindly choosing one option without examining all of them can lead to problems down the road. You may choose to DIY to save money but be restricted by functionality. Or you may choose a bespoke design from a professional company when a template customized to your brand would have served your business just as well.

We want to simplify the learning process for you so we’ve pitted DIY websites vs professionally built websites against each other. Let’s explore the good, the bad, and the bottom line.

The Good

The Good

DIY

Website builders have done a good job lately at becoming more user-friendly and many services also bundle things like domain registration and email. There are several benefits to building your own website, including:

  1. Cost-effectiveness: Building a website yourself can be a more affordable option than hiring a professional developer.
  2. Flexibility: When you build your own website, you have complete control over the design and functionality of the site, allowing you to customize it to meet your specific needs and goals.
  3. Sense of accomplishment: Building your own website can be a rewarding experience, as it allows you to learn new skills and create something that represents your business.
  4. Time-saving: If you have the necessary skills and resources, building a website yourself can be a faster option than waiting for a developer to complete the work.
  5. Ability to make updates: By building your own website, you can make updates and changes to the site easily and quickly, without having to wait for a developer to make the changes for you.

PRO

When you partner with a professional web developer you’re going to get experience and industry knowledge. You’ll be working with people who know best practices and can advise you so that you’ll see increased traffic and conversions.

There are several benefits to hiring a professional web designer to build a website for your business, including:

  1. Expertise: Professional web designers have the skills and knowledge to create a high-quality website that meets your specific needs and goals.
  2. Time-saving: Hiring a professional web designer allows you to focus on running your business while the designer builds the website for you.
  3. Professional appearance: A professionally designed website can give your business a more professional appearance and make a good impression on potential customers.
  4. Improved functionality: A professional web designer can create a website that is easy to use and navigate, improving the user experience for visitors.
  5. Ongoing support: Many web designers offer ongoing support and maintenance for the websites they build, ensuring that your website stays up-to-date and functions properly.

You’ll also get ongoing support and a single point of contact. Something breaks on the site? Call your developer and let them handle it, while you get on with your business. Can’t decide which hosting company to use? Don’t know a domain registrar from a duck? No need, your developer can take care of those details.

A good web developer will also help you analyze your traffic once your site is up and running and make suggestions for how to optimize your site and content to keep increasing those conversions. Looking to hire a pro for your website design? Give us a call to book a discovery meeting.

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The Bad

The Bad

DIY

You’re going to be limited. Limited by themes. Limited in functionality. Limited by how much time and effort you want to put into it. Expect some amount of frustration along the way as you run into these limitations.

Some free platforms also make it very hard to transfer your content out to another provider should you wish to make make a switch down the road.

There are several potential cons to building your own business website, including:

  1. Time investment: Building a website requires a significant time investment to learn the necessary skills and build the site.
  2. Limited skills: If you do not have the necessary skills or experience, the quality of the website may suffer.
  3. Limited functionality: If you want extra features for your site, like email forms, mailing list integration, or e-commerce, you’ll likely have to pay extra fees or upgrade your account. These little costs can add up over time so you could find that you’re not saving money at all.
  4. Poor user experience: If the website is poorly designed or difficult to navigate, it can lead to a poor user experience for visitors.
  5. Lack of professional appearance: A poorly designed or outdated website can give a negative impression to potential customers and make your business appear unprofessional.

PRO

There are several potential cons to hiring a professional web designer to build your business website, including:

  1. Cost: There’s no getting around it, a professionally built website will cost more than building a website yourself.
  2. Lack of control: When you hire a professional web designer, you may have less control over the design and functionality of the website.
  3. Communication issues: Miscommunication or misunderstandings with the web designer can lead to delays or a website that does not meet your needs and goals.
  4. Dependency on the web designer: If you rely on the web designer for ongoing updates and maintenance, you may be at their mercy for any changes or fixes that need to be made to the website. While elements like text and images should always be editable by you, a developer may decide to lock down features so that you’ll need to call them to make navigation or style changes. Be sure to ask about this before you begin a project.
  5. Risk of disappointment: There is always a risk that the final product will not meet your expectations or that the web designer will not deliver on their promises.
The Bottom Line

The Bottom Line

DIY

Free site builders are easy and cost-effective to get up and running, and can even look quite good. But they come with a large list of limitations or costly add-ons. And don’t forget that time is money. Is your time best spent learning about SEO, writing content, and learning web tools? How much time will you spend over the life of the project? Are there other aspects of your business that would benefit more from that time?

PRO

Your website is often the first touchpoint that you’ll have with potential new customers. You want to make the best impression you can and know that you’re doing all you can to be found, solve their problems, and convert those site visitors into customers. While you can achieve some of that with a DIY site, from an overall design, build, launch, and end-user experience, you can’t beat a professionally built site with a team to back it up.

Only you know the best choice for you and your business.

Ultimately, the decision of whether to build a website yourself or hire a designer depends on your specific situation and priorities. Your business can’t survive without customers, and your customers can’t find you without marketing. Your website is going to be the cornerstone of all your marketing for your business, so it pays to get it right, from the start, no matter what you choose. Finally, let’s not gloss over this – no matter who builds your website for you, there is work involved. You will be spending time approving layouts, writing content, curating imagery, and collecting feedback. So may sure you carve out space in your calendar to make it happen.

If you’re ready to get started on a website project and want to learn more about the process, get in touch.