The Pros and Cons of DIY Website vs. Professionally Developed

Sep 2, 2019 | Web, Website Design

The Pros and Cons of DIY Website vs. Professionally Developed

Websites are crucial in this day in age, but having them professionally developed can cost a pretty penny. That’s why many small businesses decide to give it a go themselves. However, while a DIY website may seem like a good idea initially, there is a good reason developers charge so much. There are three aspects to a website that you need to take into consideration when deciding whether or not to build your website yourself.

Skill-Set

Would you have your dentist fix your car? Would you have your accountant design your backyard landscape? Would you have your auto mechanic do your business accounting? No. No NO! Because you wouldn’t hire someone who isn’t qualified to do such an important task. So, why would you build your own website if you don’t have the proper experience to do so?

Website developers will know exactly how to take your vision and turn it into reality. They have all the tools, resources, and experience needed to ensure your business has the best online presence possible. They also have the capabilities to create fantastic graphics and subtle aesthetic features that will help establish your brand. Not only that, they’ll make sure it’s mobile-friendly, SEO ready, and that it has a polished, professional, and friendly finish.

Budget

It’s no secret that professionally developed websites aren’t cheap. If you have the resources, time, and skill, building your website yourself could save you hundreds or thousands of dollars. But not having the experience needed can result in a website that is detrimental to your business.

DIYing your website may be cheaper, but the end result will reflect that. If not done correctly, all the time, energy, and the minimal amount of money invested are wasted. The reason is simple. Some of the most important functions of a website include SEO, proper graphics, mobile-friendliness, and ease of transaction. Most people go in with a great vision and every intention to bring it to life. Unfortunately, it doesn’t turn out how you had planned, and potential customers can sense that.

Website Needs

There are a variety of different website designs, all depending on your business needs. If you are creating a simple information landing page, you could use a cookie-cutter website template. But if you’re selling anything, you need an e-commerce website. And, if your website is your business, such as a project management tool, there are technicalities that require an expert’s eye.

Knowing your needs will tell you whether or not a basic CMS, such as WordPress, will do the trick. If it’s outside your realm of expertise, it’s better to bring in a professional.

The first step in making a decision is to evaluate your options. Do you have the necessary skill-set to create a properly functioning website? If you aren’t sure how to optimize your site for SEO, understand the complexities of creating a mobile-friendly site, or need to set-up a transaction element, let the pros do it. After all, a website is an essential online presence that will bring in customers. It’s best to invest in a professionally designed and well-made website, and reap the benefits in the long-run.

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DIY Website Builders Versus Custom Websites

Aug 29, 2019 | SEO, Web, Website Design

So you rolled the dice and tried to build your DIY website?

Chances are depending on your creativity; the DIY website is nothing more than a beautiful online flyer. The new online flyer will never deliver the results you desire at any cost, and I will explain why that is.

But first, let me ask you a question

Would you let your Mechanic do your company taxes?

Would you let your plumber write your resume?

I think Not!

Now don’t get me wrong; there is NOTHING wrong with either of these professions but their skills are to be focused and used in their industry.

So why are you going to try and BUILD your Company a DIY Branded website without coding, graphic arts, and web design training?

Let me guess; you think this will SAVE you money by doing it yourself!

So let us explore the idea that you will save money by doing the website yourself.

Hypothetical Project: DIY vs. Pro Designed

Let’s say the DIY website cost you only $99 *not counting the many hours you will have to put into designing, talking with tech support while learning the one-stop-shop website builder.

DIY site foreseen issues are the following:

(Customizations will be limited by the skills you possess and potentially the website builder you use, resulting in basically sparse coding, template-driven, cookie-cutter limited design) but it will be CHEAP in the initial cost.

No SEO (search engine optimization) unless you are a web guy this will have to be outsourced for ($1000+ for 5 hrs)
Generic or stock photos – unless you purchase or make professional photos to be placed on your site (cost $5-$30 per image or several hundred for the photoshoot)
A Lackluster impression – similar to printing your business cards on your home printer vs. pro business cards (but of course the DIY are cheaper than those $50 professionally designed business cards)
Broken links and missing site maps for indexing (stopping google and others from finding your site)
No backlinks which are critical in SEO just as keywords and directory listings are as well. (hurting the ranking of the website listing)
Submitted too few if any search engines so it will not be listed on the first several pages if at all.
You will be required to invest a lot of time as you will need to prioritize your time for planning, building the design, and resources as well as DIRECTING people to your site where an adequately developed site would rank and drive traffic on its own.

Note: There is a lot to be said about FIRST IMPRESSIONS and with a DIY web design do you feel you can create that first impression for that potential valued customer or will they look at the site and its functionality and bounce costing you that hot lead?

Did you know that 94% of people cited web design as the reason they mistrusted or rejected a website & question the company?

Are you willing to take that gamble and DIY?

In the long run, I don’t think DIY will be Cheaper.

Now let us say the Pro version – costs you $3000, and you have no time invested, and everything is handled for you.

Online searches to validate a business is at an all-time high; a professional, polished looking website, professional-quality content, and an overall experience that engages your targeted audience and makes your business STAND OUT are essential!

A Professionally designed website would be correctly coded, a responsive web design / mobile friendly and submitted to all the major search engines and many others. The site would also be submitted to business and online directories, backlinked from other websites, SEO, researched and use the correct Keywords for optimal results and so much more that will play a significant role in driving traffic to your business or selling products online.

I feel that in the long run – a Pro designed website will pay for itself!

Let’s get started!