Building a Website: DIY or Get a Pro?

Whatever kind of business you run, there’s no more powerful or important marketing tool than an effective website.  Now more than ever, small and large businesses alike are opting for the DIY approach to website design and development. Not only is rudimentary web design comparatively simple these days, but designing your own website also brings the bonus of keeping costs down to bare minimums.

But does this mean that DIY web design and development is always the better option of the two?  If not, under which circumstances would it be both preferable and beneficial to hire a professional website designer?

Like most things, it’s a case of weighing up the pros and cons of both options.  Once you’ve outlined your primary objectives and requirements for your website, pairing them with an appropriate approach to its design and development becomes much easier.

Pros of DIY Website Builders

Let’s take a closer look at some of the advantages and disadvantages of DIY website builders in more detail:

• Easy to use with plenty of templates available
• No specific knowledge or experience necessary
• The ability to create an attractive website in a matter of hours
• Significant savings when compared to the costs of hiring help
• Total control over the design process from start to finish
• An important educational experience in the basics of web design
• The satisfaction of creating your own website from top to bottom

Cons of DIY Website Builders

The advantages of DIY website builders are therefore quite clear – particularly those that relate to costs. But there are also several important disadvantages to take into consideration, including but not limited to the following:

• When using a free DIY website builder, you will almost always be limited to the provider’s own shared hosting services
• Shared hosting not only bring potential performance issues into the equation, but can also raise severe security concerns
• Creating a website based on prefabricated templates limits creative freedom and steers you towards generic results
• The power, performance and overall functionality of your website may be strictly limited, impacting the user experience
• It is unlikely you will be provided with any kind of backup facility using a DIY builder, meaning you run the risk of total loss if something goes wrong along the way
• Climbing the rankings with the major search engines may also prove extremely difficult, as most DIY website builders have extremely limited SEO scope

Bottom Line – professional website development is considered the only viable option for businesses that wish to be taken seriously online

Now more than ever, making your voice heard in an increasingly congested online space is the ultimate challenge.  Irrespective of what type of business you run, you’ll undoubtedly be up against ferocious competition from all angles.  Whatever it is you do, you’re not the only one doing it – precisely why you need to do whatever it takes to differentiate yourself from your competitors.

This is precisely where a fully customised website can help - designed and optimised by an experienced developer.  The idea being that rather than simply making a few basic edits to a prefabricated template, you’re given a blank canvas you can do literally anything with.

A professional website developer can help you establish your core objectives for your site, visualise its presentation and incorporate every functionality needed for an outstanding user experience.  They can help you advertise your products and services, set up a fully functional online store or showcase a portfolio of your work to prospective clients.

Though perhaps most importantly of all, working with a professional web design agency means having the opportunity to leverage its cumulative knowledge, experience and expertise. They’ll have worked on dozens (if not hundreds) of projects just like yours in the past, putting them in the perfect position to advise on what works and what doesn’t. All guesswork can be eliminated from the equation – a pro web designer knows exactly how to attract the attention of any given target audience.

A Question of Value for Money

Does a professionally designed and optimised website cost more than a generic template-based site?  Undoubtedly.  But in terms of value for money, there’s really no comparison between the two.

It’s essential to remember that when you commission the development of a website for your business, you’re making an investment in a long-term asset of limitless value.  One that could generate revenues that vastly exceed the costs of its development and launch.

By contrast, it may cost next to nothing to set up a DIY website, but next to nothing is what you can expect from it in return. The simple fact of the matter is that if you’re targeting a strong return on your investment, you need to make the appropriate investment in the first place.

Full or Partial Support?

Of course, there’s nothing to say you have to hand the project in its entirety to a professional web design and development team.  If there are parts of the process you can confidently and competently handle in-house, you could simply organise the technical or creative support you need to take care of the rest.

If looking for support with a web design or development project of any kind, Anchor Digital can help.  Proudly supporting small and large businesses across Australia with a wide rage range of innovative SEO services, we know what it takes to propel websites to prominent positions in the SERP rankings. Call or email anytime for an obligation-free consultation with a member of the team.