It’s a question many organizations, businesses, and individual professionals ask.
Often, DIY website design seems the more attractive option. And why not when you could save a few thousand in the process?
DIY becomes even more enticing when you hear about website builders such as WIX, Weebly, and Squarespace, that enable “anyone to build quality websites” in record time.
But, is DIY the way to go for professional websites? Can you really build a professional website with site builders?
Unfortunately, we don’t think so. UmeWorks has quite a number of new clients come to us for help to build out their website after they “got stuck” using a DIY tool and unable to finish. The following is a quick analysis of the pros and cons of DIY vs. professional web design to help you make an informed decision.
DIY Website Design Pros and Cons
DIY web design means building the entire site on your own from start to finish, including claiming the URL, setting up hosting, and customizing the site.
Pros
- Cost-effective: You can build a DIY website for under $300. In many cases, it’s just the site builder subscription fee and hosting costs. Though, you may also have to pay for a few add-ons.
- Easy to build: Site builders make building a website a breeze. WIX, for instance, is a drag-and-drop tool that lets you build a site from start to finish by simply lifting building blocks from one place and dropping them onto another. It means that anyone can do it and within a short time too.
Cons
- Design limitations: Site builders are based on pre-defined templates. You pick a template of your liking and design within its limits. This can significantly limit your creativity. It also makes it difficult to achieve your marketing and overall business goals.
- Time-consuming: Identifying the right building block for each step can be a daunting task if you’re not familiar with the site builder. In fact, the number of times DIYers get lost and ultimately seek professional help is staggering.
- The quality compromise: Finally, DIY website builders lack the professional touch, thus rarely perform well overall. For instance, one Search Engine Land report shows that WIX sites only score 61% for speed, whereas professional sites score 97% and higher. Professionals often “don’t know what they don’t know.”
Professional Web Design Pros and Cons
The following are reasons why professional design is the better choice, and some things to keep in mind.
Pros
- Professionals know what they’re doing. Unlike DIYers who “hope” they can create something worthwhile with a site builder, professional web designers have the knowledge and experience to build high quality websites. They also know the best practices. UmeWorks asks questions and makes suggestions for your specific website design project.
- Take advantage of advanced tools and technologies. As we’ve seen, DIY website builders limit you to what the platform supports. So, you cannot use specific technologies unless the site builder has incorporated them. Professional designers and developers aren’t held back by the same limitations, thus can take advantage of the latest tools and technologies to build better websites.
- The quality advantage. Professional websites easily stand out aesthetically and perform better too. Whether it’s speed or navigation, a professional site typically performs better. So, generally, you’re likely to get more traffic, convert more leads, and close more sales.
- Ongoing support. Professional web designers can provide ongoing support specific to your website. For example, you can call the designer directly if you are considering adding a new feature or want to make a major change to your website. DIY site providers provide generic documentation for their platform. Some also provide support ticketing as well.
Cons
- High upfront costs. The only downside of professional web design is the higher investment. Depending on the vendor and site complexity, the costs can be a couple thousand to $10,000+ to build a high-quality professional website.
Conclusion
Professional web design is the way to go if you’re keen on building a high quality, high performance website for maximum impact and ROI. We only recommend DIY website design for non-professional sites and individuals with small budgets who’re not concerned with top-end quality or being found on the web.
If you want a professional, attractive website tailored to your business, please contact UmeWorks for a free estimate.
