Does this sound familiar, you’ve launched your own business, and to save a few pennies, you’ve opted to build your own website. It’s a common starting point for thousands of small business owners.
But, have you ever thought about whether the website you built yourself to save money is actually costing you more in the long-run in sales?
A DIY website can seem like a cost-effective solution, but unless you invest a lot of time into learning specialist skills like web design, SEO and user experience, you may be stalling your business growth.
The Hidden Costs of a DIY Website (That Nobody Talks About)
A website builder's monthly fee is just the price of the tool. It doesn't account for what it might cost you in time, lost sales, and credibility.
1. Your Brand's First Impression
The simple truth is, a DIY website often lacks the professional polish of a custom-designed one by an experienced designer. This isn’t a reflection of your hard work, but a limitation of templates and drag-and-drop builders.
The hidden cost: 50% of consumers say that their impression of a business depends on the company’s website design. So, if yours is missing that oomph, you’re missing out on the opportunity to build a memorable brand that immediately conveys trust and professionalism.
2. Your Time
You're a business owner, not a web designer. The hours you spend trying to troubleshoot problems with your website, and I know, there are many, could be spent doing what you love, and what actually makes your business money.
The hidden cost: You could be spending time on sales, client work or business growth, but instead your knee deep in Google search trying to figure out how to resolve an issue on your website.
3. SEO and Speed: Are You Giving Google What It Wants?
I’m sorry to say but a beautiful website is useless if no one can find it. Many DIY websites have technical issues with site speed, code, and structure that can hurt their performance on Google. SEO is a technical process beyond justt using keywords.
Without a professional’s knowledge, your website may not be optimised to rank highly in search results.
The hidden cost: you might be missing out on the most valuable traffic you can get, organic search traffic from people who are actively looking for what you offer.
4. Your Website Doesn't Have a Strategic Flow
A DIY website is often just a collection of pages, or a template with updated content. A professional website is a strategic tool designed to take a visitor on a journey, guiding them from a blog post to a product page to a clear call to action like buy, book or enquire.
If you’re not thinking about the user journey, visitors can get lost of confused, leading to a high bounce rate (when people leave your website) and lower conversions than you would like.
The hidden cost: Your website isn't working as hard as you are. It's a brochure instead of a sales tool.
What a Professional Designer Actually Delivers
A professional web designer isn't just a technician who builds a website; they are a strategic partner who builds a business asset.
- User experience (UX): A designer thinks about the user's journey from start to finish. They design a site that is intuitive, based on human behaviour, easy to navigate, and built to convert visitors.
- Built-in SEO and speed: We don't just put your site out there and hope it does well, we build it to rank on Google. This includes technical SEO best practices, a clean site structure, and image optimisation during the build, ensuring your website is found by your target audience.
- A custom website for a custom brand: Your business is unique, and your website should be, too. A professional designer creates a custom-branded experience that visually communicates your value and leaves a lasting impression. Something that is very difficult to achieve with a one-size-fits-all template.
The Power of a Long-Term Partner
The work isn't over when the website is live. Your website needs to evolve as your business does.
- Ongoing Maintenance: A professional can offer ongoing support to ensure your site remains secure, up-to-date, and loading quickly. They can make content updates for you or add new pages. This frees you from the stress of technical updates and allows you to focus on your core business.
- Post-Launch Strategy: What about your SEO? Your content? Your marketing? A professional partner can help you with all of this, to ensure that your site doesn’t get lost in the abyss of the internet.
A Professional Website is an Investment, Not an Expense
The decision to opt for professional website is a crucial step in a business's growth journey. Every business owners comes to a point where it’s time to start outsourcing parts of their business, whether it’s hiring employees or freelance professionals.
A great website doesn't just sit there; it works hard to attract clients, build your brand, and grow your business. If you’re ready to build a website that's a true asset.
