Building your own website
So, you’ve decided that its time for your business or organization to
get a website. Maybe your business is new, or just doesn’t have a site. But
you’ve decided that now is the time. As any quick Google search can tell you,
there are countless “building your own website” options. With slogans like
“Build your own website for free!” these options are very tempting – especially
when compared to hiring a web designer.
But just because something is free, doesn’t mean it won’t cost you
anything. Going the Do-It-Yourself route can be cost-effective – if you know
how to do it yourself.
Even the simplest DIY website builders are still software that needs
to be learned how to use. Unless you want the most generic, barebones site, you
can easily find yourself spending hours on tech support.
The following are four DIY Website Disasters that you’ll need to watch
out for when building your own website.
#1 – Templates That Aren’t So Easy – “It’s Not Supposed To Look Like
This!”
Many DIY website builders are based on templates. When you sign up for
your website, you select a template to use for your site and start building
your own website.
Except it’s not that easy.
Many sites require certain plugins, which you will need to install and
set up in the same way as the template or it won’t look the same.
If the template has no plugins, you’ll still need to figure out the
correct dimensions for the images. Hours can be sent resizing images to fit
into a template, only to find out that they don’t look correct on another
device.
When you hire a web designer, you’ll be able to specify exactly what
you want, and get it. You won’t be forced to fight with a template and a website
builder. You won’t have to settle with “It’s not supposed to look like this,
but I guess it’s okay.”
#2 – Locked In With A Bad Host – “I’m Stuck Here!”
Many people who select their web hosts do so based on advertising and
cheap rates. A quick Google search for “web hosting company” reveals more than
45 million results.
How does someone building their own website choose the right one?
Unfortunately, many don’t. Many people purchase hosting for their site
from companies that are just reselling hosting, or even reselling already
resold hosting.
Imagine purchasing hosting for your site, only to find out that it’s
terribly slow and you’re locked into a 5-year contract. If you want out – it’s
going to cost you.
With a pro web designer, you’re not relying on best guesses and Google
searches. You’re relying on someone who has years of experience and
relationships with the best host for your needs.
#3 – Bad SEO – “How Are People
Going to Find My Site?”
There are two parts that you build when creating a website – the front
end and the back end. The front end is what people see when they visit your
site. The back end is the coding and the other essentials to make your site its
best.
Think of the back end as the engine of the website.
By their very nature, DIY website builders remove the back end from
you, or greatly fence most of it off. This makes it very difficult to build in
your SEO and other Google best practices to ensure people find your site.
Speaking of SEO, your website is judged by search engines on much more
than your keywords. Every word on your site is analyzed to see if your site is
relevant to search terms. A skilled web designer can help you ensure your
content matches what Google and the other search engines need.
#4 – Tech Support Can’t Be Your Web Designer – “This Used To Work…”
Five words that no one wants to think are “I better call tech
support.”
But if your DIY site isn’t working, you’ll be forced to call tech
support. Some companies charge extra for “priority” help, and others don’t even
have tech support.
If your contact form is re-routing your e-mails to the wrong address,
a page is down, or you accidentally delete everything – you’re relying on tech
support to save you.
With an actual web designer, you’ll have a direct, guaranteed person
to contact if anything goes wrong. On top of that, before your site goes live,
you’ll be able to make sure that everything works to your satisfaction, without
needing tech support.
Conclusion about building your own website
This list of potential disasters isn’t meant to scare you. It’s meant
to show you potential pitfalls hiding behind the promise of “Free and easy.”
Countless clients have come to their web designer half way through a
DIY process that went belly-up. Save yourself the headache, and make building
your own website a fun experience.
Take a look at what we can do for you, and Contact us today!
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