So it’s time to get a new or updated website. The first thing you ask yourself is whether you want to do it yourself or hire a professional to design the website for you. There are pros and cons to each, with your budget and design goals being the critical factors in your final decision.
When to Use DIY Website Builders:
There have been an increasing number of online, print, and television advertisements for free, do-it-yourself website builders: GoDaddy, Wix, Weebly, Squarespace, etc. These website builders all operate under the same framework: sign up for their services anytime you want, pick a template, and start organizing and entering content to your website. For small businesses or individuals working with an extremely low budget, a website builder would be an ideal option to save money right from the get-go. There are a set amount of templates you can choose from, and at least you have a website for your clients to go to.
But is there a catch? There usually always is. In this case, if you choose to go with DIY website builders, you’re stuck with a limited number of templates (some are quite pretty though), so the chances of someone else’s website having the same look and feel increases significantly as more and more people sign up for these website builders. There is a similar issue with customization…there are only so many things you can customize on the page, and if you have a specific design or feel in mind, it’s hard to satisfy that design goal in your head. On top of this, the DIY website builders usually include advertisements on your websites (for their benefit, not yours) unless you pay for a premium package billed on a monthly or annual basis.
We then move on to the most important issue: support. Although each website builder has ongoing maintenance for their templates, they still won’t provide the support and guidance a professional website designer would. In addition, you would have to build your website on your own time. At this point, you should be asking yourself…”Should I be creating a website that doesn’t meet my standards or what I want? Is it worth my time and trouble?”
So when would you use DIY website builder? Usually when you have a very low budget and don’t mind having a generic website with a limited number of customizable features.
When to Hire a Professional Web Designer:
If you’re looking for a website that is customized to your needs, it is without a doubt more beneficial to hire a professional web designer. Why? Because web professionals know how to reach your target audience and design a unique website that suits your personality and your brand. In the world of marketing, your website is one of your strongest tools to promote your business and maintaining a strong online presence is an important part of the ever-evolving digital world. With our continuing dependence on technology and mobile devices, having a powerful, elegantly-designed website is an integral part of maintaining your company profile and image. This level of customization cannot be achieved by a DIY website builder.
Most website builders have their own interface where you can manage and edit your content. Professional web designers can choose from a variety of content management systems (such as WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, etc) and build your website from scratch or work off a template. The more time and effort spent into the design and implementation of the new website design, the more costly the design project. The end product will still allow you to manage content yourself, but the functionalities and features of a professionally-designed website are far superior to those of the website builders.
With a professional web designer, you not only get a website that’s built to represent your unique brand and business, but also the satisfaction of getting search engine optimization and security implemented into your website. Web professionals also provide continuing support and guidance throughout the design process and sometimes even after.
The best part is that once that website is made…it’s yours! Since the design is unique, you can use that theme as a basis for any future website redesign projects or graphics work. Yes, a professional web designer does require a financial investment, but it will be well worth it due to the stronger online presence you and/or your company will gain.
So when should you consider hiring a web professional for your next website design project? If you have specific requirements and features for a website and want a unique site that symbolizes your personality and brand. Websites can range from thousands to tens of thousands depending on the designer, the level of customization, and the complexity of features required. However, if you do have a budget to work with, definitely contact a web professional first. Several at that. Explore the competition and see which designer will give you the most bang for your buck. There’s no substitute for the personal attention that a professional web designer can give you.
Thank you for a useful article. However, I think DIY website builders fit to the serious business as well. If the scale of your business rises you just have to attach CRM system to your website – that could be done for any website no matter how it was created. I would like to notice that most of DIY websites offer free domains in case of a year subscription. This is their main catch I think. Except http://www.webstarts.com/pricing. Their pricing policy excludes the domain name registration fee from the billing.
Regarding to the point of templates – there are enough tools to edit a template to your needs, so it will seem unique.
Thanks for your comments, Alex! The aim of our post is to help differentiate between DIY website builders and hiring professional web designers. We are in no way against DIY website builders, because they offer a simple solution for a website. However, it is true that you are limited in the control you have over your website. We’ve tested out many DIY website builders and they’re good for smaller-scale projects and those who are willing to put in the time to make the website themselves.
A professional web designer is capable of coding a website to one’s needs, with the functionality required and requested by the client to whatever scale they want. Plus support is something you can count on for professional designers. If you ever have questions regarding the design or updating the website, you can pick up the phone and call your web designer, or even meet up with him/her to get additional training and help.
There is no right or wrong choice when it comes to web design, but it’s always up to the client. Think about how much time you want to spend on your website and how many functions and capabilities you wish to have and weigh the benefits of DIY website builders vs. professional web designers to help you make the best choice for you.
Here’s another great post about which options are available for website designs from GoDaddy: https://garage.godaddy.com/smallbusiness/launch/build-your-own-website-vs-hiring-a-web-pro/
I was looking at this post and went to the link you provided for Webstarts. I went with one of these DIY website builders before and was completely frustrated with them. Nobody catches onto this first, but read the fine print! The link that you provides leads me to a DIY website builder called Webstarts. You choose a template, choose one of their plans ranging from $5-40 a month and have multiple limitations. There’s no customization to the level I want for my website. Plus what I was shocked at was their terms of service. Most of these DIY website builders have very strict terms, so be sure to read them. For Webstarts for example, check out their terms here: http://www.webstarts.com/terms. It says: “Webstarts may terminate your Account at any time for any reason. However, THE PURCHASES OF ANY WEBSTARTS PRODUCTS ARE NON-REFUNDABLE. Even if you are no longer using the service, you may not request a refund of the total or partial amount of your membership.” So to all people thinking of getting websites, be careful! Read the fine print. You don’t own the website in the end, you’re essentially renting websites from DIY website builders.
Thanks Kelsey! I appreciate your post. With CryoDragon and most web design professionals, the client will own the website and its copyrights in the end.
Thank you for a good point, Kelsey. I never had a problem with my account. However, I read the terms and it seems like “any reasons” means in case of violation of terms.
It is true, there are limitations on website functionality, but if you want to have expanded features, I totally agree with CryoDragon, you should cooperate with web designers. Considering refunding policy, you may use the service for free to test it before purchasing a package.
Thanks Alex, for your points. I reviewed the terms once again, and their conditions are too vague to trust, so I just wanted to let people know to be cautious. Terms of conditions are drawn up in contracts by companies. If someone puts things like “can terminate for any reason” inside a written document, it’s too vague to take a chance on. Plus with Webstarts and other DIY design companies not only can they terminate your account “at any time” for “any reason” but they “reserve the right to change the terms and conditions at any time”, which is very sketch.
If they mean “can terminate for breach of terms of conditions” such as exigent circumstances, then it should state so, and Webstarts Terms of Services doesn’t do that whatsoever.
Be weary of agreeing to such terms that are put into documents or terms. You don’t write “for any reason” without more details! Just those three words are too vague and you should run away! Trust the people who are transparent with their actions, and make sure you always read the fine print!
Thank you a lot for the article here!
Thanks Jeff!