When you start a new professional endeavor, your budget is typically tight. You try creative ways to save on startup costs like working from your home office instead of renting an office space or using your personal phone number instead of establishing a business number.
A common thought new business owners have is, “I can just make a website myself and save some money.” However, what you think might save you money now, may cost you even more in the long run. Here are five reasons why you should have your business website created by a professional.
Time
You probably think it will take a few hours, maybe a day at the most, and your new website will be up and running! Unless you happen to be a web developer yourself, it probably won’t work out that way. On average, a web designer spends about 20 hours on a basic website. This doesn’t account for initial setup time or setting up your new site’s analytics.
You also need to consider the amount of time it will take you to learn the tools your web builder application offers. Many web builder applications advertise being easy to use, drag and drop, no coding necessary! This sounds great, but no matter how simple there’s still an initial learning curve. Not to mention most website builder applications have limited customization.
If you want a truly customized website that fits your personal business needs, then a WordPress site is the way to go. WordPress can be very complex and frustrating for a beginner, but with an expert on your side, your website will be up and running in no time.
Design
Design is extremely important! “A study found that 94% of negative website feedback was design related.” The first reason is to make sure that your site is aesthetically pleasing to your audience. A professional web designer has been trained on the fundamentals of good design. They will work with you to figure out your style and the overall aesthetic of your site. This is a very important step in the planning process because it will establish the image, look, and feel you want your website to portray.
Many business owners overlook the importance of UX (user experience) design. UX design is how user-friendly your website is. Your web designer must make decisions based on how potential users will interact with your site. No one likes a confusing, overcrowded website that makes it impossible to find what they’re looking for. A professional web designer will take all of this into account and design your website appropriately.
Functionality
Your website’s functionality is almost as important as the actual design. Do you have an online shop where you’ll be selling handmade goods? Are you a blogger that needs to create frequent new posts with rich media? A web designer will know how to structure your site correctly while making it aesthetically pleasing. If you don’t have experience in setting up the structure of a website then this can be a daunting task, and mistakes can be made that will affect the overall functionality of your website down the road.
Maintenance
Almost everything you use in the world needs to have some sort of maintenance, including your website. A common misconception is thinking you can set up your website, make it live, and bam you’re done. If you don’t properly maintain your website, just like maintaining a car, it will break. There are things like plugins and other applications that need to be frequently updated. For example, let’s say you were using a slider on your homepage that rotates through pictures of your best-selling products, but suddenly it stops working. You may need to update your software or replace it. There are several areas of websites that must be continuously cared for from keeping your SSL license active to adding and refreshing your content so your site will rank better than your competition. Your website designer has the tools and knowledge to take care of all of these things, so you can focus on running your business.
SEO
SEO or Search Engine Optimization is the process of getting a higher quantity of relevant traffic to come to your website. This has almost become an art form and is one of the most important aspects to business owners. To have a higher authority ranking on search engines, your website needs to be properly optimized. You also need to ensure your analytics accounts are properly set up, otherwise, you won’t be able to track your traffic! Make sure you choose a web designer that has experience with SEO so they can optimize your website as it’s being created.
Speros designs, hosts, and manages WordPress sites. Our web design team will design a custom-built website that will help your customers locate your business ahead of your competition! Talk to one of our web designers today to get started.
