Having a website for your business puts you in front of more customers, and allows you to clearly showcase what you offer. If you’re starting from scratch you have two options:
- Hire a professional web designer
- Build and design a website yourself
In this article I’ll take you through the pros and cons of both approaches so you can figure out which is the best choice for your business.
| Benefits of Hiring a Web Designer | Drawbacks of Hiring a Web Designer |
| Saves time – allowing you to focus on your business | Web designers aren’t free to hire |
| They know how to make an attractive website | You pass over some creative freedom |
| The website will be search-engine-optimised | Some web designers make it difficult for you to access your website |
Disadvantages of Hiring a Web Designer
The main drawback to hiring a professional to design your website is the cost. Professional web designers aren’t free. Many have spent years perfecting their designs and analysing what really works to increase Google rankings and conversions, and this does come at a cost.
The amount it costs to hire a professional to build your website really depends on the scope.
For example, my starter websites cost £300 to build and design. This allows small businesses to have an online presence but without investing thousands just to get up and running. Get in touch if you would like to discuss a quote to get your website off the ground.
There are a couple of other disadvantages to consider but most of these can be overcome quite easily with the right web designer:
- You are passing over creative freedom – If you choose a good web designer, who understands your brand and goals, then this is actually an advantage as they will likely do a significantly better job than you will at designing the best website for your business.
- Difficulty updating or adding content to the website – Some web design agencies take full control of the website which means you won’t be able to alter or add to it. I work differently. I make sure the website is fully owned by you, so you have access to change things whenever you need it.
Advantages of Hiring a Web Designer
Here are the main benefits of hiring a professional website designer instead of taking the DIY approach:
- They will design an attractive and functional website
- The website will be search engine optimised
- It frees up more of your time
You’ll Get a Website with a Better Design
Web design is a skill. You have probably been on thousands of websites in your lifetime, some that were good, and some that were bad.
You may be able to identify some key elements that turned you off a website and made you reach for the back button. But have you ever sat down and tried to actually design a good-looking and functional website?
Web designers know what works and what doesn’t. They know what makes a website look like it got lost in 2005, and what makes a website look modern and fresh.
There are many elements which go into good web design including:
- The structure and navigation – Is it easy to find what you’re looking for? Or are you searching around the page for basic information?
- The website content itself – It needs to be compelling and motivate a visitor to take action, whether that be purchasing a product or picking up the phone to book a service.
- The colour scheme, images and styling – Does it represent the brand well? What does it say about the business?
- Calls to action – Your website should get your more business, not just look pretty. The placement and wording of the calls-to-action are crucial.
Speaking of which, if you want to learn more about my web design services, check out this page.
The Website is More Likely to Get Seen
Good web designers don’t just focus on how the website looks, but are always thinking about search-engine-optimisation (SEO). In other words, they make it more likely for your website to rank higher on Google.
Many businesses who take the DIY approach will choose a website builder like Wix, Squarespace or Weebly. The main benefit of these builders is that they are easy to use, but unfortunately they’re also much slower than other content management systems like WordPress which professional web designers use. Having a fast website is crucial if you want it to rank well on Google.
It’s not just the page speed that’s important though when it comes to SEO. There are many other factors to consider such as the content, navigation and responsiveness, which have a huge impact on your overall Google rankings.
Most business owners don’t have the skillset to design and build successful websites. That’s why hiring a professional who knows what they’re doing can save a lot of headache.
You Have More Time to Focus on Your Customers
Even if we start with the most basic approach, designing a website on Wix or Squarespace, it’s likely to take at least a 2-3 days of work to get it looking at least semi how you’d like it to (and we’ve already been through the issues with website builders).
Do you really want to dedicate that amount time to build an average website that doesn’t make you stand out against the competition? Or would you rather focus on delivering a better service to your customers?
Web designers have more experience building successful websites than business owners in other industries ever will.
I personally have put countless hours into researching, testing and optimising the factors that make a great website. It’s just not practical for business owners to put this much effort and time into learning how to make a successful website.
Although hiring a web designer isn’t free, it does give you more time to focus on the areas of your business that you actually want to work on.
Ready to Get Your Website Off the Ground?
Media Bright specialises in building and designing websites for small-medium businesses. Head over to the web design service page for more information or get in touch using the contact form below.