Kay VanAntwerpen, an Entrepreneur NEXT powered by Assemble expert, wrote this post. Do you wish to secure your company’s future with on-demand expertise? Entrepreneur NEXT has the expert solutions your company requires to thrive in an ever-changing industry. (website builder)
You may be enticed by the seductive melodies of DIY website builders as an innovative manager or business owner.
It’s a simple process. A DIY builder is available on almost every major site hosting platform. At first look, these products appear to save money for both small and large organizations. After all, why hire a website designer when you can alter the site yourself in an evening using an inexpensive plug-and-play template?
The risk with DIY website designers is that they may deceive you into believing you have the abilities, judgment, and insight required to create a website that is not only functional, but also superior to others in your market (all while saving piles of cash). This concept is appealing, but unless you have the training of a professional web designer, it may be a pipe dream.
A website created using a bespoke template can serve as a temporary solution while you wait for your web designer to finish a fully functional digital image of your company, but you should never rely on these low-cost templates in the long run. Website administration and design is a highly strategic and temperamental art form that is far from simple to master.
Do you still believe that hiring a professional web designer is a waste of money? Let’s delve a little deeper into the drawbacks of DIY design, as well as the benefits of hiring a specialist.
Your first impression is formed by your website. (website builder)
Remember how essential the design of your business card was? Everything about your business, from the layout to the font, spoke to the quality and professionalism of your company, as well as your public persona.
In many respects, a website serves as the digital equivalent of a business card. It serves as a 24/7 ambassador to both current and potential clients—and if you think your audience won’t create an opinion of you based on your website, think again.
Although it can take weeks or even months to design a website, the average consumer determines whether or not to connect with your page in less than 0.05 seconds (50 milliseconds). If they’re not impressed enough to keep using your site, chances are the search engine results they were looking through just seconds ago included links to all of your top competitors’ websites. You’re not your customer’s only option—a simple click of the back button will take them to one of your competitors.
The following are some frequent blunders that will inevitably drive your consumers away: (website builder)
It takes more than two seconds for images or buttons to load.
A layout that is difficult to look at.
A design that is devoid of intuitive and basic functioning.
Cheap-looking designs that give the impression that your company is small.
Even if you hire a DIY builder, you bound to make design errors.
Your understanding of industry standards, your list of required items and buttons, and your expertise with coding and search engine operations are all factors that limit DIY site builders. While these tools will help you construct something that works, there is a distinction between a functional and a nice website.
Have you ever been to a gathering or a coffee shop where a guy is strumming his guitar and singing his heart out horribly? Have you ever noticed how everyone else in the room seems to be aware of how bad he’s doing, yet the performer remains unfazed? It’s similar to developing a website on your own when you combine illusory superiority and the Dunning-Kruger effect. It’s difficult to be critical of your work if you aren’t aware of the measures used to assess its quality.
Ask Question to yourself (website builder)
Ask yourself if you’re confident in your abilities to sit down and make a list of everything your website requires. Does that list include front-end and back-end SEO optimization? Is mobile and tablet responsiveness included? How about ensuring that you format the contact information consistently across platforms so that Google recognizes your site as trustworthy?
Now ask yourself a couple more questions: how confident are you in your abilities to sit down and make a list of frequent website design blunders to avoid? Is there any imagery or color patterns on your list that are contradictory with the brand’s messaging? Is it true that there is a shortage of beta testing on both desktop and mobile devices? These are only a few of the most prevalent website design blunders.
To become a competent web designer, it can take years of schooling, tutoring, and independent study, especially when you consider the combination of web design and graphic design. Summer bootcamps and 15-24 months of schooling are examples of this. You’ll need an expert if you want your website to stand out from the crowd in terms of both beauty and usefulness. Go ahead and create it yourself if you want your customers to think you’re a novice. Don’t say we didn’t warn you, though.
Back-end functionality is just as vital as front-end functionality.
DIY designers may be able to assist you in putting together a website that appears to be effective from the outside, but relying just on outward usefulness is akin to cleaning your room by stuffing everything beneath your bed.
The code on the back end of your page is just as important as the content on the front end when it comes to SEO. Back-end coding in DIY editors is frequently untidy and complicated (something you won’t see unless you dive deep into the more advanced coding parts, which are often too advanced for people who don’t code professionally).
Sloppy code or overly complex designs will slow down your site, mess with its appearance on mobile and desktop devices, and make the user experience a living nightmare.
Plus, if you don’t have an expert in SEO optimizing your site on the back end as well as the front end, your clients will almost certainly find your competitors before you (in which case, you’d best hope your competitors didn’t do their homework in website design). All the visual effects in the world won’t matter if your buyers never visit your website.
