DIY Isn’t Always Cost Effective – 4 Website Disasters

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 “build 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 site.

#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.

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 site 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

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 site a fun experience.

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