Is a DIY Website Worth It?
Wix, Weebly, GoDaddy’s Website Builder, and Squarespace are all website builders targeting DIY-ers. They literally spend millions on their marketing campaigns telling you how easy it is to create your own website. With pre-made templates and slick drag-and-drop interfaces, people may be able to create their own passable website. But at what cost? What are you missing?
You Have a Lot of Competition
According to Siteefy.com there are over 1 billion websites in the world of which almost 200 million are currently active. A whopping 250,000 new websites are created every day.
It takes less than a second for someone to decide whether or not they should stay on your website and learn more or find another website that appeals to them more. And there will be many, many more to choose from.
So, how do you stand out from the crowd?
What Type of Website Do You Need?
Personal needs type websites include:
Blog website
Resume website
Portfolio website
Family-related activities website
Special events website
In most of these cases, you may not need anything else beyond a simple DIY website. There are ready-made themes and templates for almost every type of personal website in all website builders. These are best for direct access to your site (typing in the URL directly) instead of hoping for someone to find you through a search engine.
If you would like to be found on Google Search, however, you are going to need expert on-page and off-page SEO so a professional should be consulted.
Business Websites
A business’ online presence is a different entity. A website is often the first impression a potential client or customer has of your business and is a direct reflection of your commitment to showcasing your products or services in a professional manner. It should represent your business in the best light possible and include appropriate branding, a clear message, professional imaging, well-thought-out content, and error-free on-page SEO.
Type of business websites include:
Corporate or business website
e-Commerce website
Educational website
Non-profit website
Online magazine website
Influencer/Blog website
Video streaming website
Landing page website
A business website often only has a few seconds to connect with a viewer. If it is not sending out the right message, it will be passed over immediately to the next one.
Web Design Process
When working with a professional web designer and marketer, you will be led to start thinking in ways you might not have thought about before. Your designer will ask many directed questions about your business such as who you are targeting, exactly what services or products you provide, and how those will fix whatever problem the potential customer has. You will be asked how you want viewers to feel upon entering your site. Most importantly, your designer will be able to build the site in a manner that not only draw viewers in, but keeps them on the site long enough that your message shines through.
Using existing templates or themes make creating a website easier for those without a coding background but at what cost? Every website starts to look cookie-cutter when the whole point of a business website is to stand out from the rest. Unless you have a working background of coding including HTML, CSS, and Javascript, it will be nearly impossible to create a custom site that truly reflects your business and contains the functions you need.
Once the design is completed, the web designer will look at all the different ways to incorporate SEO throughout the site to ensure that search engines will find it. Without correct on-page SEO and knowing about sitemaps, your website will not be crawled by Google. From utilizing keywords in headings and meta-tags, URL naming conventions, site indexing, to establishing backlinks, keeping up with current SEO algorithms is a full time job.
Finding the Right Designer
There is nothing worse than spending your time and money on a new web design only to find out the designer is unprofessional or unresponsive. You may find out after your site is live that it is a nightmare to maintain or that it does not look great on all devices.
Want an insider’s take on all the right questions to ask a potential web designer to ensure you find the right one? Click here to see a list.
Website Cost
DIY websites usually charge an annual fee for website hosting ranging anywhere from $75 to $500 per year depending on the type of website (e-Commerce sites are usually more). Depending on the structure, functions, and customization needed, your total cost can easily top several thousand dollars not to mention the time taken away from your primary job. For an interesting perspective, read Perceived Value: A Retake as a Website Designer.
When using a professional designer, the bulk of the cost for website design should be the designer’s time to research and create a custom website that represents the business in the best way to attract and maintain customers. Be aware that larger firms have high operating costs which their prices reflect so consider the adage “you get what you pay for” carefully. A large price tag does not necessarily represent the quality or experience of the designer assigned to you. There may also be large “maintenance” costs for these websites and it may be difficult to see exactly where these monthly payments are going.
On the other hand, an extremely low designing cost is suspect as well. These designers may be either brand new to the business or from other countries so it may be very difficult to reach them when you need them. Sites with designers from around the world like Fiverr, Upwork or 99designs may work for a finite project (like a logo), but a website is a living, changing entity so you want the ability to easily interact.
If you are a small business that does not need a large marketing firm, it may be better to find someone who has experience your business deserves but also has a personal stake in making sure you are happy with the entire process.
So what is the average price for a professional website? You can expect to pay $2000-$5000 for most sites depending on the functionality needed. Highly customized sites can easily start at $10,000. While this may seem like a large investment, remember that you are creating a digital storefront just like spending the money to make a brick and mortar store more appealing.
Summary
Having enough time is a struggle everyone faces. For business owners, unless you have a background in web design and online marketing, it is probably better to spend your time to focus on what you know best - your business. Otherwise, you may find yourself spending countless hours creating a website that looks less than professional, is hard to find, and reflects poorly on your business.
Please consider contacting Charlotte’s Web Designs, LLC for your website design or re-design giving you the online presence your business deserves.
5-star Google-rated Charlotte’s Web Design, LLC is a sole proprietor web design and digital marketing firm specializing in custom, professional websites, SEO, branding, logo design, digital marketing, content writing, and graphic design with over 35 years of technology experience currently working with over a hundred small businesses. Please contact me for a free consultation.
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