There's lots of different ways to build a website these days. Many different platforms have an option to build a site yourself and often give you a selection of templates to start from.

The difference for many people is that self building is a cheaper option, the big question though is if it's cost effective.

While a self-build website design will be a route at saving money, at what cost will it affect your business?

Time

Not everyone can fix a car, or paint nails, or even sell themselves. We all have our own strengths and weaknesses. Sure, with the right tools, guidance and training, we can do almost anything after a time and website design is no different. With a full website design package, you've got the style and images, written content and all the technical server and hosting things in the hands of professionals.

Not only does this mean it can all be done for you to a high standard, but you can free up a lot of your own time. A good website designer will need to listen to you and understand your business. While this will need some time and input from you, it is going to be much quicker than trying to build the site from the ground up and learn how to manage your website.

Getting Found

Template based website design could be a quick way of getting something that looks reasonable, online. It would be easier to do than trying to learn the code and creating it yourself. While you can change the text and imagery to make it fit your style and branding, the website design at its core will always be a template that Google has seen possibly thousands of times. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is the art form of telling Google the purpose of your website so it can index your site correctly. While there are many different ways to approach SEO, trying to understand and factor it into a simple standard template site is exceedingly tricky. With a custom designed website, SEO is thought about every step of the way and built in to the very heart of the website design. Additionally, you'd have an expert who can help with researching and analysing search trends for your industry to make sure the site is targeting the right audience.

Looking Good

We all want our business to look professional and approachable. A professional website design can bring your style and branding to a digital platform as your customers know they are in the right place. Your website designer serves as an expert option for making sure your website is easy and logical to navigate, and points customers in the right direction. It's also important that your visitors are able to interact with your site correctly, be it though taking contact details, making purchases or interacting through online chat. If a self built website isn't looking the part and easy for your customers to find what they need, then it could be harming your business more than it helps.

What If Things Go Wrong?

An issue with having a self-built website design is the lack of support you would have if thing didn't go as planned on your website. Support teams would only typically get involved when an issue occurs with the platform you’re using and wouldn't be able to assist if you needed help with styling or putting an image in the right place. This could mean using up more of your time ironing out any troubles and perhaps even needing to learn more complicated technical systems to make the site perform as it should do.

In Summary

There are many things to factor in when planning how to create a new website. While creating a website yourself may suit some people and provide a cheaper solution, it must be balanced with the benefits of working with a website design firm who can do all the heavy lifting for you.

Here at DotGO, we offer an affordable website design service feel free to get in touch with our team to see how we could help create something that looks great and brings value to your business.