The Pros and Cons of a DIY Website

In light of recent events in the world, you may be one of the many who have found themselves with a lot more time on your hands and stuck at home. You might also be one of the many unfortunate people who have lost their job, or if you have your own small business you’ve seen a drastic drop in growth. Wherever you are on the “affected by coronavirus” scale, it’s likely you have been considering other options for income – mainly in the online space.

Perhaps you have an idea for a side business and need a website, or you already have a small business and you need to get your business online. Whatever your starting point, getting your own website is a crucial step in setting yourself up for success, and growing into something bigger, especially now. So, where do you start?

Well, for most beginners, the cheapest option seems to be the most attractive route. You can just build your own website for free, right? There are many DIY website builders that let you start for free. Wix, Weebly, WordPress.com, and Go Daddy are just a few of the places that let you build a website for free. But is that the best way to go about getting your business online?

Let’s look at that factor and the other major pros and cons to consider when you build your own website.

Pro: You can build your own website for free.

Free is appealing for obvious reasons. You can get a website without the financial investment. If you’re just starting out, you might not have a lot of money to put into your website. You may be putting whatever startup money into a different aspect of your business, and a free website gives you some wiggle room to do that.

Con: Free looks “cheap”.

While “free” always sounds good, it also has a flip side that can mean “cheap”. We’ve all seen the result of DIY free websites online. With the amount of time we all spend browsing websites nowadays, it’s fairly easy to recognize when someone has gone the DIY route. The design is poor. The navigation is difficult. The messaging is confusing. The colors don’t flow right. Overall, it’s just not appealing and we tend to leave the website just as soon as we visited. 

Pro: DIY websites are easy to build.

Most free DIY website builders are super user friendly. You don’t usually need to be tech-savvy to start building your own website. Also, many of the DIY website options offer “drag and drop” types of builders to make it even easier. You can choose pre-built blocks and sections and quickly put together a simple design on your own in just a couple of hours. 

Con: DIY websites are limited to your own design skills and the DIY website builder’s capabilities.

The downside to building your own website is that most people are not web designers, even though we tend to give ourselves the benefit of the doubt. We also tend to have a bias toward things we created, not being able to see flaws in our work. DIY websites are a perfect example of this. People often think the website they built looks amazing, when in reality it’s not attractive to visitors or potential clients. Poor website design can be detrimental to your business as websites are often the first impression people get of your business. Also, DIY website builders leave out a lot of design aspects employed by professional web designers in order to keep things as user friendly and affordable as possible. 

Pro: DIY websites give you complete control.

Building your own website can be appealing because you have control over everything…or at least you feel like you do. You can build the site and complete it on your own schedule. You can make changes whenever you like. You can invest your own time in keeping it updated and secure. 

Con: DIY websites lack security, get outdated quickly, and require time to maintain. 

As any business owner will attest, time becomes more scarce and more valuable as your business grows. Finding time to devote to your website becomes more difficult, especially if you aren’t very tech savvy. DIY websites already lack the level of security most professionally hosted websites provide. Keeping your website secure becomes more difficult over time. Not to mention, your DIY website will likely look outdated in just 6 months. Trends and technologies change quickly online. You’ll need to stay up to date with what’s “in” and what’s working. Not only will you need to devote time to maintain your website, you’ll also need to educate constantly on web design tactics.

If you’re serious about your new venture, or want your current business to be taken seriously online, then avoid the DIY website option. You’ll thank yourself later, and your customers will be grateful, too. Plain and simple, if your business is important enough to you, you’ll invest in a professional website. Although you will spend more money up front, you’ll see a return on your investment many times over. 

If you need expert advice on getting a website that best represents the quality of your business, let us know! Dock Line is quickly becoming the local leader in web design services. Demand for professional web design in Montgomery County is growing exponentially. If you need a beautiful website for your business that helps it grow month after month and year after year, then let’s talk.
Visit www.thedockline.com or email us at [email protected]

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