Most of these website builders claim to be easy, quick and simple. The reality is, they are not. They might even claim to be "free." Most of the time this is a plea to get you hooked into their platform. Once you have spent hours building your website, they start charging you....and you are stuck paying extremely high monthly fees for what you thought was a "free" website.
Here are some reasons we think it is worth it to hire a website designer.
The Time Investment is HUGE
Many of these companies advertise easy 1 hour websites. This is far from the reality. You will spend endless hours designing the website that you would want.
If you decide to customize a template at all, it will take a long time to make the changes to the desktop version and then also make the changes to the phone version of the website. These "1 hour" websites are tiny, simple, and not customizable. The design platform will often be very limited. You might run into a design aspect you don't like, but you have no way to change it.
When you run into problems, it will cost you hours of frustration. Even experienced web designers run into issues and it is about the largest time suck of anything in website design. It leads to hours of searching, watching videos and trial and error. This is not how anyone wants to spend their time!
About 80% of People Judge a Business' Credibility by the Quality of Their Website
This statistic itself should answer the question, "should you build your own website.?" If the large majority of people judge the credibility of your business from your website, you should make sure to invest what you need into your website so that it is up to par with the value, style, quality and prices you want to charge.
We think of website design as a long term investment. It might look to be expensive on the front end, but it is worth it for the ROI you will see.
The Efficiency and Optimization Will Lack
Today, not having a website that is optimized for speed, content, and search engine optimization is a huge mistake. A website without any search engine optimization is more like a brochure. It only works when you are out pounding the pavement to get leads in your business.
If you want your website to work for you it has to be set up so that it has a fighting chance...and then invest in SEO services. It doesn't have to be as much as you might think and it will give you an amazing return on investment long-term.
You Will Eventually Be Limited
When doing any project for a business, we always consider, does this make sense long-term or will the company be limited when they grow? This is so important to note in every project. If your goal as a business is to grow, then prepare for that from day one, otherwise, you will end up costing yourself a lot of money and time to fix issues that come up.
You want to make sure that the website platform you are using is completely customizable, can grow in size, and can grow in capability as the need arises. You might eventually need to sell some products or have online booking on your website. You want to make sure this is even an option so that 5 years down the line you do not have to start over!
If you get a website designed with a designer, you should be able to add onto it later so keep this in mind and make sure this is an option! Even if you don't need advanced capabilities now, you might in the future.
A Website Designed By a Website Designer Doesn't Have to Cost as Much as You Might Think!
A website that is created by a website designer does not have to cost an arm and a leg! Starting will a small website is usually a suggestion that we make. If you start with a website that has a home page, about/services page, and a contact page that is a good start. We think it is better to have something that is smaller and is optimized, designed well, and user friendly than having a site that is DIY designed and doesn't work well long-term for a business!
We always suggest, if on a budget, start with a 1-3 page website and then plan to add on to the website when it makes sense for your business! A small, custom website can be very affordable and is well worth the money!
If you have questions, reach out! We would love to help you!
If you liked this blog, check out Is Graphic Design an Investment or Expense? and Positioning + Perception = Profit for more related content.
Kimberly Norris | Norrisdc.com | Kimberly@norrisdc.com
My name is Kimberly Norris and I am the Owner of Norris Design. I would love to help you with your business needs. We love be a part of peoples' businesses and their success! We hope this was helpful and would love to get in touch with you!
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