This is the age of DIY.
From Ikea furniture hacks to drag-and-drop websites, the world is obsessed with bootstrapping our own projects together with nothing but whatever tools are laying around the house and a go-getter attitude.
DIY certainly has its appeals. It’s fearless. Determined. Sometimes it can be less expensive. Plus, it’s fun getting your hands dirty and trying something new, right?
When it comes to your business’ website, however, the DIY approach becomes much less exciting and a bigger pain than it’s worth. Here are some points to consider when determining if you should build your website on your own:
DIY can make you miss opportunities
Ask yourself, what are your goals with building your website? Do you want it to simply display information about your business? Or do you want to turn it into a marketing machine that converts while you sleep?
A brochure or resume website is a great candidate for the DIYer’s. It’s simple and only displays information. Think of it like a business card. Just the facts, man.
But a website that is truly a marketing tool is best left to the professionals. A hard working website (and marketing team) will bring in traffic, convert visitors to fans, get you sales, and establish your brand.
It’s more than just a business card — it’s an asset that works to actively grow your business.
One-Size-Fits-All template sites don’t fit everyone
Many DIY website building platforms are elegant right out of the box. But good looks don’t necessarily mean big brains (unless you’re Elle Woods. She’s perfect).
Your business will have specific needs that may not be met by using a templated website service. While gorgeous, these websites are designed to do the bare minimum while still looking good. Sounds a lot like some of the kids I did group projects with in college.
And let’s talk about branding for a minute
There are a couple things to consider when it comes to branding your website:
If your business doesn’t have a sturdy brand, then creating your website is not your next step. You need to spend some time establishing this critical part of your company before moving forward with a website. Really, you need a brand before moving forward with any visual collaterals.
Click here to see what a proper brand guide looks like!
Setting up a great brand requires so much more than just investing in a cool logo. It requires more than putting that logo on business cards. And it’s much more than uploading that logo into the top left corner of a Squarespace website. Here’s a few of the reasons why thoroughly thinking through your brand is critical.
DIY is not always your guaranteed lowest-cost option
A lot of people turn to DIY websites because they believe it will help them stay within their marketing budget for the year. This is SO not always the case!
Even if you’re a designer or developer, building your own website is going to come with a trade off. That trade off always comes down to the value of your time vs. the price of outsourcing.
Do you want to toss something up on the web quickly, even though it won’t necessarily accomplish what you need it to?
Or would you rather spend tons of time and dollars building a site instead of focusing your time where you’re needed most, like sales or business development?
Or how about nah?
You can easily see how DIY does not always equal cheap. In fact, it is absolutely possible to save yourself some cash by working with professionals instead of trying to reinvent the wheel all by yourself.
For more on proper DIY vs. professional costs, click here.
Hope this helped!
