Your website’s design can make or break your business.
A recent survey established that 48 percent of users consider web design the most important factor in determining the credibility of a business. If a prospective customer doesn’t think your business is credible, they’ll take their money elsewhere.
With this in mind, it’s understandable that you’re wondering whether to take a DIY website design approach or hire a professional to do the job. Both paths have their pros and cons, and ultimately, it’s up to you to decide which path to take.
In this guide, we’re presenting you will all the information you need to make a sound decision.
DIY Website Design: The Good and the Bad
Roughly 40 percent of small business owners develop their own websites. It’s easy to see why.
The Good:
There are plenty of DIY website builders to make it super easy for anyone to design a decent-looking website. With the right building tools, you can put together a website in minutes.
The biggest reason a good number of small business owners take the DIY approach is to save money. On average, it costs anywhere from $10,000 to over $150,000 depending on functionality.
If you’re running on a shoestring budget, you wouldn’t want to spend money on something that you can do DIY. Plus, you can always redesign the website later on when finances allow.
Another major reason is the ease of access to free or cost-friendly learning tools. This gives business owners the initiative to learn web design for beginners, after which they can apply the skills to develop functional websites.
DIY website design can also accelerate your launch.
If you’re behind schedule on launching your business, working with a professional web designer can delay your schedule further. These pros aren’t going to deliver a website within a day or two, however simple it is. They need time to build a website that meets not just your requirements, but also professional standards.
With DIY, though, the site will be ready as quickly as you want it so you can proceed with launching the business.
The Bad
There’s a lot that goes into designing a business website that will stand out and perform. You need a custom theme, for instance.
It’s unlikely that anyone without professional web design and development training will build a perfect website, at least not on their first attempt.
Yet, the business world is unforgiving. If you launch a business with a website that doesn’t impress, you’d have started on a weak footing.
In short, DIYing a website isn’t the best way to put your best foot forward as a business owner.
Professional Website Design
Taking the professional website design path means outsourcing the task to an experienced designer. Anyone would advise you to hire a website designerand for good reason.
Benefits of Working with a Professional
When you establish a business, you want it to be as unique as possible. That’s why you chose a business name, logo, and other branding details that have no resemblance to that of your competitors.
Your business website needs to be unique too. The best way to achieve that is to ensure it has a custom design, something you can’t easily pull off when using a DIY website builder. Professional website designers will craft a unique theme that will give your website the uniqueness it deserves.
An effective website must be user-friendly. A pro will ask you about your target customers and build a website that’s aimed at those users’ preferences. A business website that’s primarily used by boomers won’t look or feel the same as a website that’s used by Gen Zers.
Another important factor to keep in mind during website design is search engine optimization. There are millions of active websites, and they’re all competing for a spot on the first page of search engine results. SEO gives your site the power to compete for those spots.
Website SEO encompasses several facets, including site speed, site architecture, security, and responsive design. A professional designer will incorporate all these into your website before launch. Once it’s ready to go live, rest assured that it ticks all the SEO boxes.
Working with a professional also saves you time.
As an entrepreneur, you certainly have a lot on your plate. You have more important tasks like product development that deserve most of your time. The last thing you want is to spend some of your limited time designing a websitesomething you’re less qualified to do.
Cons of Hiring a Pro
Hiring a professional web designer will cost you money. The exact amount will depend on the nature of the website and how quickly you want it. But that doesn’t negate the fact that many small business owners don’t have a budget for professional web design.
There are millions of web designers around the world. This should mean getting one to work on your project isn’t an issue, but designers aren’t created equal.
Ask around and you’ll get countless stories of people who trust a so-called professional designer only for them to deliver a terrible website. If you don’t do proper due diligence when hiring a designer, don’t be surprised if you’re scammed out of your money.
Doing diligence is especially important when you’re hiring a freelance designer whose qualifications and credibility you can’t readily authenticate.
DIY Website Design vs Hiring a Pro: Which Way to Go?
DIY website design isn’t a terrible idea. With the right tools and skills, it’s possible to create an amazing website on a budget.
However, when it comes to business websites, the stakes are higher. It’s better to err on the side of caution and hire a professional designer. You’ll get a website that effectively powers your business’s online presence.
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