Users take 0.05 seconds to form an opinion about your website, and a staggering 94% of those first impressions relate to the design.
A poor website design can cause you to lose visitors and sales. It can also hurt your brand reputation, as it makes your business look less professional.
That’s why professional website design is so critical to a company’s success. So, should you DIY it or hire a website design agency?
The wrong choice can cost you more than you think. Here’s why you should choose a web design company and the differences between your options.
Designed to Meet Your Needs
Each business has its own needs, goals, and plans for the future. An HVAC company website could be drastically different from the website of a restaurant owner. An eCommerce store would have different needs than a brick-and-mortar company.
The first step in the design process is to perform a website audit, which means examining your site’s performance to pinpoint issues.
For instance, your bounce rate might be higher than you like. You might struggle to obtain leads. Maybe no one signs up for your email newsletters, or you want more website traffic.
A website audit identifies areas that need addressing and spots areas for growth and improvement. It also involves a competitor analysis to see how your website compares.
The audit period is when you notice the signs that you need a website design, such as a lack of mobile optimization or pages that lack focus and purpose.
While you can perform an audit on your own, it’s best to leave this to a professional website design company, as they know what to look for and how to implement those changes.
A website design agency can build a website to meet your business goals. They have the knowledge and experience necessary and understand the latest trends and best practices involved to obtain results.
Ongoing Support
The average website is down for three hours a month, and businesses can lose around $10.6 million a year.
Loss is relative depending on the size of your company, but even small businesses can lose valuable customers and sales when something goes wrong. If the website goes down, are you prepared with an in-house IT team?
For small companies and operations, that isn’t always an option. Thankfully, when you invest in a professional website designer, you can also get ongoing support if something breaks. Most companies offer customer support for added peace of mind.
Design Options
When you DIY a website design, you’re limited in the designs, templates, and features available to you. While a DIY website might be okay for a personal blog, it’s not ideal for a business.
Website builders have limits when it comes to what you can customize. On one hand, this is great for those that don’t want to spend hours customizing their website, but it also means you’re severely limited. If you need something more complex or special functions, you typically can’t do it with a website builder.
A website design agency can go above and beyond with design. They can craft a website to meet your business goals, implementing special functions and features. If you need anything more than a simple landing page, website services are the best way to go.
The Cost
The cost of building a professional website is the reason why many companies look into the option of designing one themselves. A professional website design can cost anywhere from $1,000 to over $100,000. The final cost depends on factors such as complexity, the number of pages, and more.
That said, a DIY website costs you too. If you’re not tech-savvy, you might not understand how to use a website builder. More importantly, you may not know what your website needs to succeed and how to implement those features.
Using a builder can take patience. Your time is valuable, and you could be using it to focus on other aspects of your business. If you have time constraints, mastering the learning curve can be a frustrating experience.
Additionally, you may need to pay extra for certain features that you want on a DIY website or upgrade your account.
It’s worth it to invest that money into a professional website design.
Security
A website is never truly finished. Security is always a concern, and code needs updating to keep your website and your customers safe.
The reality is that open-source software is more vulnerable to hackers and cybercriminals. Open-source software often lacks security due to publicly available vulnerabilities, licensing compliance risks, and more.
You need security measures in place, and you need to remember to update plugins and code.
A Better User Experience and SEO
Search engine optimization is a vital part of obtaining organic traffic. However, there are many parts to SEO, and those that are unfamiliar with the best optimization tactics fail to make the most of their website.
Responsive website speed and a mobile-friendly website are two factors that impact your ranking on search engine results pages.
Understanding how to improve these aspects of your business website ensures you make the most of it and encourage growth. Similarly, leaving website design to a professional will help improve the user experience. Your website will be easier to navigate and more of a pleasure to use.
These factors are all part of what affects your ranking, which impacts how customers view your brand and find your business in the first place.
Professional Website Design Is the Better Choice
We put this guide together to go over the differences between a do-it-yourself website builder and a professional website design. Hopefully, you now understand your options and the benefits of investing in a website design agency.
Your website is a reflection of your brand, and we want to help you make those first impressions positive. Browse our services and see how we can help you make the most of your business website, as well as how we can help you grow in every aspect of marketing and beyond!
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