DIY Website Vs Hiring a Web Designer?

Date: December 1, 2019
By: Shaun Pingitore 

Many business owners wonder if they should build a “Do it Yourself” (DIY) website or if they should hire a web designer. There is no right or wrong answer to this question.

Actually, it depends on a number of factors including your business size, age, expected growth & budget. Below we’re going to compare the pros/cons of each method, and also the questions you need to ask yourself before making a decision.

If you’re wondering why web design can be so expensive, find out now! Go!

Pros/Cons of Designing a Site Yourself

There are many reasons to build a DIY website, and many reasons that maybe you shouldn’t.

Designing a website yourself can be fun, you have total control of the look and feel of the site, and it’s also way cheaper than going the professional route.

So why wouldn’t you want to build it yourself?

Well, if you’re busy you likely won’t have the time and attention it takes to build an effective website. You also may not know the ins and outs of design that you’d be missing out on if you don’t hire a web designer.

What you save in money, you may be losing in time, quality & effectiveness.

 

Pros/Cons of Hiring a Web Designer

When you hire a web designer, you pay a premium for the experience they bring to your project. Many designers attend school for several years to understand which fonts and colours work well together, how to highlight the most important elements of your site, and how to keep people on your site as long as possible.

A professional web designer will likely also be able to write custom code and build functionality into your website specific to your business. This makes it easily to scale your website as your business grows.

These are all things that help contribute to your website being a more effective tool for your business.

So why wouldn’t you want to hire a web designer?

If you’re someone who wants to make changes to your website yourself, using a DIY website platform might be easier for you to manipulate and control without professional experience. Also, depending on the tools your designer uses, their experience level, and the scope of your project, professional web design can get very expensive. If you’re a very small business, or just testing the waters with a new business plan, it may be better for you to DIY your website.

What Questions do I Need to Ask Myself?

Do I Have The Time?

The first thing you need to figure out is if you have the time to build a website yourself. This can be a weeks or months long process depending on how much effort you put into it (Which by the way, more effort = good for your business!).

If you’re just getting started with your first business, or a business idea you want to test the waters on, you may have the time to build a website yourself. If you’re an executive level person at a decently sized company or an experienced business owner, your time is likely better spent elsewhere.

Take a look at the things you do during the day that generate revenue. You may find your time is worth more than your money!

Do I Have The Money?

Depending on what you need your website to do, the price can range from a few hundred dollars, to a few thousand. Starting a simple service-based business, you may only need a 1-2 page website which you can have made for a reasonable price, or a DIY website that costs next to nothing.

While that 1-2 page website may get the job done, a larger website perhaps with a blog and built in scheduling or appointment booking tools may be much more useful to your business. This is why you need to calculate how much you can afford to spend on a website, before you can decide who or what to use to build your website.

Is My Business Going to Grow?

The other question you need to ask yourself is how much and how soon is your business going to grow?

While DIY websites are great for getting started and are certainly better than not having a website, as your business grows (Particularly with E-Commerce) you will quickly outgrow the capabilities of many DIY platforms. Many DIY platforms have limits to their functionality, and without knowing how to write code yourself, you may be limiting the growth of your website and your business.

When you choose to hire a web designer, you’ll have a custom platform built specifically for you and your business needs. This means whatever you need your website to do (Generate leads, sell items, or inform/educate) it will be more successful at helping you achieve your goals.

Often times, custom websites are much easier to scale too as you can easily move it to a more powerful server or add custom code or functionality.

In Short

DIY websites are a great start, however sooner or later you will need to hire a web designer. If you’re just starting your business or testing a business idea, you’ll likely want to stay lean and build a website yourself.

If your business is more established or growing you will likely need to look at bringing a professional team onboard to build and manage your website. If your business has unique needs, you can likely benefit from a custom website built specifically to handle your operations.

If you’re still unsure of the route you should take, or if you’re interested in our web design, development & maintenance packages—contact us today!