Should I make my own website or hire a website designer?
Should I hire a website designer or rather do it myself? Hm, tricky question. And especially when your website represents your business as its virtual business card but at the same time it can be pretty costly to pay someone to create your website for you.
Businesses without a website are perceived by potential customers as less professional and less credible. As a result, even small local businesses that used to thrive on word-of-mouth are struggling without their own website.
Potential customers do not want to waste their time trying to figure out if the coffee store or store really exists and is open. If it can not be found on Google, the business practically does not exist.
But how should I as a business owner decide whether to hire a website designer or create my own website?
Here are some factors that will help you decide:
How much time do you have for designing your own website?
Chances are you have never built a website before and need to learn everything from scratch. There are great website building kits that will help you create a simple website in a short amount of time. Wix, Squarespace or even GoDaddy offer different templates and styles for different needs. If you are tech savvy and have the time, have a go and play around a bit with these website builders.
However, if you are busy building your business and have many other things to do, you should consider hiring a website designer to do it for you. It will save you a lot of time now and in the future.
What features does your website need?
If you just want a page with a photo, a few words, and your contact information, I recommend building your own website. With a website builder like Squarespace, Wix, or GoDaddy, these things do not take a lot of time, and if you do not care much about the look of your website, its a great way to save money. However, this is only recommended if you do not want to be found through Google search results and have already found another way to get found with your business that works well for you.
In case you need multiple pages that are different sales pages, with videos, animations, or even an integrated e-commerce shop, there's no way around hiring a professional website designer, unless you want to invest months in learning how to code.
Is the professional look of your website important to you?
This is related to the above. If you just need a page with your contact details and you don't care much about the aesthetics of your website, then crafting your own website is the best solution.
However, if you are a service-based business that wants to be perceived as highly professional, then hiring someone to design your website for you to provide a great experience for visitors is the better answer.
If you want your website to be more than a contact page, and rather use it as a lead and sales tool that converts, website visitors into paying customers, then you need something more than what the average website builder can give you. In this case, it's a good idea to hire a website designer.
Free Website Prep Guide + Checklist
Set your website up for success
Learn what you should consider before you start building your website or hire a website designer
Learn the essentials for a successful and converting website
What is the function of your website?
If you own a business that has essentially no competition, or if you already have an established customer base and therefore no need for marketing, then you may just want something simple that you can create yourself in a week or two.
But if your website is critical to your business because it sells your products or services for you to your customers, you should definitely hire someone to create a website for you that makes your business look professional and memorable to your website visitors.
Especially if you want to be found through Google search to attract visitors and potential customers to your website, you should look for a website designer who knows how to optimise your website for SEO as well. Again, you can research all of this yourself, but it will cost you time and money to acquire the knowledge and skills you need to do it right. At this point, it would be better to hire someone.
Do you have the money to invest in a website designer?
That's essentially what it comes down to as well. The market is full of great website designers, all with different specialisations, skills, design styles... and prices.
Review your website goals and what you really need and want from a website designer before you start comparing prices.
Ask yourself these questions:
What is the main goal I want to achieve with my website?
What should be included on my website?
How many pages should my website have?
What features should my website have? (For example, email marketing, forms, scheduling tools for calls or open tables for restaurants, blog, shop...).
Are there designs that I like to have on it?
How do I want to use my website for marketing?
To best prepare before you contact a website designer, use this free guide and checklist so you do not overlook anything and waste your time or the designer's:
I hope this helped you to decide whether to create your website yourself or hire a website designer to do it for you. If you have now decided to leave it to a website design specialist with expertise support for your website:
Meet your web designer
Welcome the Blog
I’m Brand Strategist & Squarespace Website Designer and support you in building an emotional connection to your ideal clients through your Branding and Website
