Originally published on May 9th, 2019. Updated for July 20th, 2021.
Small businesses are keen on how to best get things accomplished without breaking the bank. If you have found yourself responsible for creating or updating your business’s website, you are probably ready to learn how to do it yourself rather than paying a web developer. Before you crack open the programming codes or sift through hundreds of cookie-cutter template web designs, we would like to shed light on a few things that may make you change your mind. Here are the downsides of DIY web design:
Investing too much of your time
Can you walk from New York to California? You sure can! Would it be much easier and a better decision to buy an airplane ticket? It sure would! If you have no experience with web design, you would eventually figure it out enough to make your website look presentable. But, it would be like walking from New York to California. Yes, paying a web designer, like buying an airplane ticket, is an upfront expense. In the long run, you save valuable time and your business will benefit from professional web design.
Compromising on your vision for the site
You have a vision for what you want your website to be: professional, easy to use, attractive and functional. Putting those concepts into a concrete design is much harder than you think. A functional website is responsive to the device that the user has. When faced with programming and testing a responsive design, you may be tempted to compromise your vision. A web designer can take your dreams and make them achievable. Communicating what you want with your web designer will be much easier than trying to make it happen yourself.
Lacking a professional quality
The last thing you want is for web visitors to know that you created your website yourself. While many companies offer low-cost or DIY web design, you will always get what you pay for. Take a look at your competitors’ sites. Your website needs a competitive edge that you rarely ever get by designing it yourself.
Troubleshooting
Imagine that despite the risks, you go ahead and design your own website. It may take a lot of time, but you finally get it done and it looks pretty good. Then, a few weeks after your website is up and running, customers start complaining of a problem with the payment page. Then, part of your site starts taking forever to load. Bugs and glitches are a part of life for web design. Are you prepared to stop what you are doing and fix those problems when they come up? If you had your site designed by a professional, all you would have to do is call and the web designer would handle it for you.
Let us help you design an awesome website! Feel free to reach out today! At Technology Aloha we love making you more successful, so you can make more meaningful contributions to your community.
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