Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Small Business Web Design: DIY vs. Professional Services

By Kelly Montagna


You realize that your small business needs an attractive, well designed website to remain competitive, but how do you establish that website? The first decision every business owner must make is whether to create their own website or hire someone to do it for them. There are some financial perks of creating the website yourself, but the financial savings often come with big sacrifices in terms of time and other resources.

Designing Your Own Website

Technically, most people have the ability to create a website of some variety without professional guidance. If you do not mind your website looking just like many other websites within your industry, you can use click-and-drag website design services to slap up a basic website in one afternoon. You save some time and avoid learning how to design a unique website just for your business, but you also do not stand out from your competitors. What's your fast and easy website will lack is effective branding and a unique look and feel that none of your competitors can match.

The do-it-yourself alternative is to spend a lot of time learning about web design and playing around with various design elements until you get them to work. Of course, things change rather quickly in the web design industry, so you will also spend a lot of time ensuring your website remains attractive and functional over time. Are you starting to realize how much time and energy it actually takes to do this type of project yourself? You now see why most small business owners decide to pay a small business web design company to create their site headache-free.

Affordable Options

When you hire a professional, you hire someone with the knowledge and expertise to create search engine friendly websites that are easy for visitors to navigate. It may take you months or years to accumulate the knowledge that these professionals already have, and then you would be outdated on many topics and would have to keep learning to catch up to the times.

affordable custom web design professional often cater to small business owners, and they are willing to give you a good deal. The best web designers acknowledge the limited budgets of many small business owners, and they know how to offer a competitive rate without reducing their ability to design a unique and professional website for every customer. Think of the amount of time you will save by hiring a professional, and then ask yourself if your time is worth more than what the designer will charge.

You will also have a professional waiting to give a helping hand if you come across problems with your website in the future or decide you want to change the look and feel of your site at some point. There will be technical issues and there will be times that you want to make a change, so it helps to have a professional on hand who knows all about your website.

You do get what you pay for in the custom web design business, so pay attention to the skill level of your chosen service provider. Make sure you know exactly what you are getting before you put your money on the line. Unless your service provider can offer great websites that are attractive and easy to navigate, they are not worth the price tag no matter how cheap. You do want an affordable price, but do not trust service providers offering incredibly low prices that seem too good to be true.




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