First things first. The picture above is not me. I have much better hair. Secondly, I’ve got to hand it to every business owner (small and large) who’s taken the initiative to do their own web design. That takes a lot of work, so great job. Everybody starts somewhere. I see too many web design companies get snarky about new businesses gravitating towards DIY web builders. Let’s be honest with ourselves here – in some situations they’re a good fit. But as a business grows, there’s going to be a time where DIY web design needs to be retired.
Businesses have a life cycle
Well, let’s hope it skips the whole death part – circle of life and all. In all seriousness here, it’s all about beginnings. They’re often humble and a lot of work. It’s no different if you’re launching a business. Newborns can’t ride Harley’s and new businesses aren’t ready for a $20K website. Duh. But in the same way, web design needs often grown in tandem with a business.
[shocker] DIY web design might be more costly than you realize
How much do you charge per hour? Maybe it’s better to think forward here and ask how much you’d like to charge per hour. Here’s the thing with DIY web design – learning how to build a website takes time (no matter how tech savvy you are). You may find that the amount of hours it takes to create a subpar website is actually a lot more than you thought it would be. But hey, no big deal right? It’s “free” because you did it yourself.
Touché, but was it taking time away from what makes you money and your business development? If not, no big deal. If yes, you’re starting to feel the first pains of DIY web design.
How you know you’ve outgrown a DIY website
I’ll give you a great summary statement and a few examples of how it plays out in the real world. Here’s your summary: “it’s all about the money honey.” As soon as DIY web design starts affecting your bottom line you’ve begun to outgrow it. Plain and simple. Here are a few ways that pain works itself out.
Pain Points You’ll Start To Feel
You don’t have your own domain, and it bothers you
This is one of the first things that bothers business owners as their company grows. It makes their business look weak and not established. You know it’s true. It’s like borrowing a website. Everyone knows you’re not a big fish when you don’t have your own domain.
You realize it doesn’t look good enough
You can get away with mediocre web design for a while. After all, only a handful of people will actually see your website right? But eventually, you’ll realize that you’re losing business because people aren’t taking you seriously. That’s a good place to be, because it means you’re growing.
It doesn’t do what you need it to do
Simple means simple. Don’t read into that. Eventually a website will work its way closer and closer to the center of your business operations. Eventually it’ll be involved in things like phone calls, contact forms, and dynamic quotes. You’ll hit a wall when it comes to what a DIY website can do. Don’t be sad, pat yourself on the back. You’re just experiencing growing pains.
If you’ve outgrown your DIY website, it’s time to start looking for web companies. Shameless self promotion – you can always call us.
Keep up the hard work!