As a business owner we understand the costs that go into running a business such as accounting fees, equipment costs, leasing, payroll, rent, marketing and infrastructure so being tempted to have a crack at designing your own website might seem like a good idea at cutting costs out of your bottom line.
DIY can be a great way to save money in areas of your business so long as you have the skills in the job that you are doing. Too many times we have seen the do it yourself business owner asking for advice on how they can fix their website and their online presence, because they have decided the developer hat was a good way to cut costs.
So you are still thinking about a DIY web design then here are some skills you might need to brush up on before proceeding!
HTML Coding
Web Designers have technical skills in HTML and CSS coding so that they can customise the websites look, feel and layout.
DIYers can find website building software to help them through the process, however without technical knowledge you can be sure that you will be left with a generic, substandard template website with no point of different and a “what you see is what you get” look and feel.
Website templates are not exclusive and without technical aptitude you are limited by the amount of custom features your website will be able to feature.
Design Skills
When designing a website and working with a professional website designer you can be sure that they will have experience with design skills and be able to create a custom web design to suit your requirements and budget.
Designers have the creativity to be able to produce a website that your potential website visitors will find pleasing to the eye.
Copywriting
Content is key when it comes to your website copy and producing well written to the point content on your website and that is why when using a professional you can be sure that the content written into your website will be to a professional standard that will include your target keywords for search engine optimisation purposes.
Your digital copywriting is a complete strategy of its own to ensure that your website visitors are proceeding to call to action.
SEO Experience
These days unless you have a strong SEO strategy in place for your web presence then you may as well not have a website. Search Engine Optimisation is a complex strategy that will boost your visibility and website presence. Search engine optimisation skills require you to be able to produce keyword relevant content, link building, keyword analysis and more, it also takes time.
Search Engine Optimisation is also an ongoing strategy that is better managed by a professional to ensure that you are getting the best results for your time and effort.
Marketing Experience
Behind every piece of business marketing material there should be a clear marketing strategy and that goes without saying for a website. Your website should include a strategy to generate leads and sales; it should include clever call to actions, an easy to read business journey and an easy way for the clients to contact you.
Website development is a key part of a marketing strategy and is the face of your company online so should have a professional presence so that clients feel comfortable doing business with you.
Still considering a DIY website?
In business there are something’s that should be left to the professionals and in our opinion professional web design is just something that you don’t risk as it could be the difference between new business coming in and being out of business.
