One of my favorite design memes is "Just because you can, doesn't mean you should."
There's a time for DIY and a time for calling in the pros. Today, I'm here to help you decide which is better for your website. We're closing out our series about getting your small business ready to launch or refresh your website. HERE’s a link to the playlist.
Today, we're diving into the debate about whether you should DIY your small business website - do it yourself - or hire someone to build it for you. There are a lot of factors that play into this: business size, type, budget, time, etc. I'm going to cover the pros and cons of both DIY and professional website building, and then I'll give you some recommendations at the end.
Here's some of the pros of taking a DIY approach to building your small business website.
The biggest pro to DIY-ing your small business website is cost savings. It's absolutely going to be more cost-effective for you to do it yourself. Hiring someone to even create a basic website for you is going to get into the multiple thousands of dollars. And the more complex and interactive your website needs to be, the more the price is going to go up!
Another DIY website pro is the ease of use. Many of these builders (i.e., Wix, Squarespace) require no coding skills and they have a ton of templates that you can start from and just modify, so your website can be built quickly and easily.
One of the biggest pros that I see to DIY-ing your own website is control. You can control all aspects of it - visually, content-wise, and you can make changes and updates anytime they're needed without additional fees.
Another DIY website pro is security. Many of these website builders like Wix Squarespace, etc. are closed software platforms, so they have security built in and you don't have to worry about that.
Something that could be seen as a con for DIY-ing your website is the timeframe and the skill set that is needed. Do you already have the skills to do this yourself - depending on the platform that you're going to use - or are you going to try and figure it all out on your own? Are you going to take a course? Are you going to try and Google it or look it up on YouTube? How much time are you willing to invest in putting your website together?
Another potential con for DIY-ing your website is the level of customization that's offered in these builders. Now they can do a lot of things, but if you need really advanced customization, there are some limitations that you may run into.
Now let's talk about the pros of hiring someone to help you build your website.
The first pro of having someone help you build your website and not doing it yourself is that you save time. If you're not spending time actually building your site, you can focus on other areas of your business that may be more revenue-generating for you.
Another pro of having someone help you is the level of customization that you can achieve on your website. If you can dream it, they can do it - for a price, of course! Another pro of having someone build your website for you is that you will get SEO and mobile optimization. You can, of course, learn to do this yourself if you're DIY-ing your website, but pros should include this in their build.
One of the cons of having someone build your site professionally is, of course, the cost. You're going to start at, at least $5,000 for a basic site and any changes and updates that you make in the future will incur additional fees.
Another con to working with a professional is the timeframe. Depending on their client load and many other factors, it can take several weeks to several months to get your website up and running. If you do it yourself, you're only limited by your timeframe - you could do it in a week if you want!
Another factor to consider when thinking about whether you want to hire a pro is: do you have the interest in doing this yourself or learning how to do it? If you do, there's no point in spending thousands of dollars having someone else do your site for you.
My recommendations
I would recommend the DIY website route for most small businesses, but there are some instances where hiring a pro maybe the better way to go, so let's dive into that a little bit more.
Going the DIY website route might be the best choice for you if any of these apply:
· You have a small budget
· You want to get up and running quickly
· You need a simple, straightforward website that's not too complex
· You're fairly tech-savvy/willing to learn how to use a simple drag & drop editor
· You want to be able to update and maintain your own website.
Hiring a professional to help you with your website might be the better choice in these situations:
· You have a larger budget
· You have time to wait for your website to be built
· You need a more complex website with extra capabilities or unique requirements
· You have no interest in learning this software or how to do it yourself.
If you're in that DIY camp and you're not sure how to get started or wondering if you have all the information you need to do it on your own, I have great news! I'm in the final stages of development for my new course that will walk you through everything you need, step-by-step, to get your website launched quicker and easier than you ever thought possible.
It's called "Your Website, Your Way," and I'm so excited to bring this to you in early 2022! You can click HERE to get on the waitlist, where you will get early access to special bonuses, discounts, and the chance to become a founding member of our community.
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