Is Hiring a Web Designer Really Worth It?
Every small business owner wears many hats: CEO, CFO, CMO, etc. Is hiring a web designer the wisest choice when you have a limited time or budget? Learn more:
DIY Website Builders
Do it yourself website builders such as WIX, Weebly, GoDaddy’s SiteBuilder, Squarespace, Wordpress and others use beautiful templates that with time and effort, may allow you to build a fairly decent-looking website. The upfront cost is appealing to small business owners but unfortunately, what they do not tell you are all the things that need to go into creating your own website, which can end up costing you much more. There may be add-ons, e-commerce options or other unknowns that add up along the way.
On-Site SEO and Website Structure
The most important item to note when attempting to create your own website is that you need to understand on-site SEO, how it works, and exactly how to incorporate it correctly into your new website. Without a proper structure and SEO knowledge, you may have a pretty website, but no one will find it, or even they do, it may load too slowly and frustrate viewers.
Unfortunately using a website template will not guide you through this process. You must understand about the proper placement of keywords, correct usage of H1 and H2 headers, metatags, alt-text, submitting sitemaps, internal and external link structure, incorporating the optimal number of words per page (while not overcrowding the page or overwhelming the viewer), optimizing images and videos so that your site loads quickly, and several other items that Google and other search engines look for when crawling your site.
Search engine algorithms change constantly to keep up with the billions of websites and rank them accordingly. Therefore, it’s even more important to work with a professional who keeps up with these changing requirements and ensure your website is getting the best chance to compete.
Honing In On The Message
An experienced website designer will have the ability to really learn about your business, ask the right questions, research the existing market, and make educated suggestions on the message you are trying to convey and the demographic you are trying to reach. The whole goal of a website is to represent your business in the best light possible and show viewers how you are the best to solve their problem.
Competitive Design Experience
Even if you already have some graphic design experience, a website is a large, living entity that needs continuity and an eye on ensuring that the right message is getting across. Colors, fonts, image selection and placement, animation, and content all must work together to ensure that your website is having the optimal effect on the viewer. You have 8 seconds or less to make an impression before that viewer may move on to another site that is more appealing. Your site will be competing with countless others that are professionally created to have the maximum effect that yours may be lacking.
Having the Right Tools
Besides years of experience , a professional web designer uses a variety of tools and subscribes to a number of services.
Professional graphic design software to make your branding unique and memorable or to create custom static or animated content
SEO research tools to ensure you website content is using the best keywords to attract as many customers as possible
Subscriptions to professional images and multimedia services
Subscriptions to backlink and local citation services to ensure your business information is consistent across the internet
Computer hardware, printers and other supplies
Continuing education courses to stay up to date on the latest trends
Access to related professionals that may be needed such as photographers, payment processing experts, etc.
These resources are imperative to creating a website that is not only professional and beautiful but can be found easily and attract potential customers or clients. To subscribe to all of these services for a single business far outweighs the cost of hiring a professional designer alone. Read more here for a real life example.
Long Term Investment
When your website starts to be outdated (and it will), you will have to start over from scratch if you decide to leave that service. Unfortunately, this is also true of some web designers. Once you stop paying the monthly or yearly fees, you will no longer be able to update your site. It is important to find a web designer that understands your website is a living entity that will evolve over time and that you need the ownership and capability to make those changes as needed. You should be able to add features such as scheduling, events, e-commerce capabilities, subscriptions, or more without having to start over if your platform is built correctly.
The Bottom Line
Your website is a substantial part of your business, especially as more and more people are looking online for products or services. A professionally designed website gives your business well-deserved credibility and shows you are the best at solving a well-defined problem. While DIY website builders and their initials fees may look appealing, the old adage is still true: you get what you pay for. You may get a passable website, but will people find it and even more importantly, does it represent your business in the best light possible as it is competing against so many others? Are you throwing away good money into a temporary solution that will not stand the test of time?
Charlotte’s Web Designs, LLC has over 35 years technology and marketing experience but still offers competitive pricing for all size businesses. Your website will be built to stand the test of time and you will own it. It will be built on a platform that allows you to easily make those inevitable changes or I am available to make them for you. CWD websites are known for their beauty to intrigue viewers and the brains behind them to get ranked. Please check out my portfolio here then contact me so I can find out more about your own business and how I can help.
