Building a Website: Should You “Do-It-Yourself” or Hire a Pro?

If you’re thinking about building a new website or updating an existing one, you’ll need to decide whether to do it yourself or hire a professional.

Once upon a time…

Not long ago, hiring a web developer was your only option to build a website that could achieve the results you wanted. Today, thanks to the upsurge of “Do-It-Yourself” website building options, lot’s of people out there are deceptively led to believe they can tackle the simple task of creating a website too.

We can agree that the perceived simplicity and affordability of the various DIY website builders out there could be a great option to create a very basic website.

BUT, it takes a lot more than a very basic website to build brand awareness and generate leads for your site.

Review our list of the five reasons why you shouldn’t use a DIY website builder to understand what you’re getting into and make an informed choice when building your site.

REASON #1: You Won’t Really Own Your Website

If you purchased a domain name or would like your website to display a professional domain name, chances are you’re not going to get it with a DIY website builder. Lot’s of DIY website builder’s add their sub-domain to your website address making it look something like: yourbusiness.websitebuildername.com – unless you opt for a premium package.

Unless you think that looks professional or reassuring, it doesn’t. It also doesn’t help search engines find or rank your site meaning your end user or site visitors will have little to no chance of finding you.

If you end up choosing a DIY site builder make sure you pay for premium services to obtain a unique domain name like www.yourbusinessname.com OR we can set you up with a professional domain name that’s right for your business and manage your DNS so that you don’t have too.

REASON #2: No Customization, Integrations or Second Chances

Got some fancy vision in your head of your future site? Achieving a custom look or any customized features for that matter are far and few with a DIY website builder. The reason these DIY builders are so ‘affordable’ is because they’re built on lightweight templates that don’t allow customization of certain features.

Need custom features, enquiry forms, integrations and automations? You’ll need a professional to help set that up for you and you definitely won’t be able to do that using a cheap DIY website builder. Do your research before choosing a DIY site builder instead of hiring a pro to understand EXACTLY what you will get for your investment.

Already started creating a DIY site but don’t like it and want to move? Sorry. Once a DIY site is built it can be very difficult to move to another hosting account. In most cases you’ll need to completely rebuild the website elsewhere if you want to make major updates or move it. And that’s why you always do your research first kids….

REASON #3: Search Engines Seriously Don’t Care

There are a handful of reasons why Google and other big search engines don’t care for websites created with DIY builders. Here are some reasons search engines hate site’s created with these DIY builders:

• WTF is Flash? Search engines like Google Chrome have long ditched Adobe’s Flash in favor of HTML5. Flash slows your website down and search engines (and your site’s visitors) don’t like waiting online.
• Inaccurate analytics: The old & outdated scripting technologies used by DIY site builders don’t provide precise reports of your websites performance and traffic. This is pretty important if you plan to monitor crawl rates, bounce ratings, load times, broken links and search traffic.
• Not Mobile Friendly: DIY websites are also not mobile friendly due to their slow-loading pages filled with useless data and heavy un-optimized graphics. Please remember that if you’re limiting you’re website to only desktop users, you’re turning away about 80% of your visitors who are visiting your site on their mobile device.

REASON #4: There Are Additional Costs You’re Forgetting About

If you’re thinking about taking the DIY route for your website, there’s one important cost to consider that many completely ignore or fail to acknowledge.

That cost is your time.

If you’re technically savvy and know your way around the Internet, using one of these platforms might be painless. But if you’re like most novice web users, you’ll quickly realize there’s A LOT that goes into building a website that you probably don’t know. Although these website builders promise to build a website “in minutes,” we can assure you that creating a great website that will attract visitors and convert them into customers takes a significant amount time, energy and resources.

If you’re not sure whether you should hire a web developer or do it yourself, don’t forget to put a dollar amount on your time in building the site. Investing in a pro may save you cash (and headaches), besides freeing you up to spend your time on what you do best — running your actual business. Plus you’ll be much happier with the end result.

REASON #5: Isn’t Your Business Unique?

If you believe your business is unique, then using a website builder that restricts your creativity will never truly show your visitors what your business is really about.

If you’re planning on building a DIY website, remember, your site will not par up to your competition and will likely not be found at all. In order to be completely in control and totally happy with your website, you’ll want to pay attention to the subtle details and ensure you’re getting everything you really need. You may find that DIY website builder’s don’t provide you with very many options to distinguish your business or brand in any unique or original way.

Why You Should Hire a Pro (Web Developer)

While DIY website builders give the impression that web development is all “sunshine and rainbows,” they tend to completely misrepresent the real nuts and bolts that make your website work.

If your website needs to be transferred or migrated to another host, you require specific features or simply don’t want your website to look like hundreds of other sites out there – you’ll need to hire a pro.

Ready to develop your ideas and create solutions to grow your business online?

At DNG Web Remedies, we don’t just make attractive websites – we develop custom digital experiences to meet your goals and fulfill your customers’ needs. Let us know how we can help improve your web presence and grow your business online.

tl;dr

1. REMEMBER: Weigh your options before you opt for a DIY website builder. Often times a tool cannot replace what professionals can do.
2. A website made by an experienced web developer will look professional, a website made by a DIY website builder probably won’t.
3. DIY site builders could end up costing you as much to build & manage as it would to hire a professional web developer.