When it comes to getting your business online, you really have two options – you can either DIY a website, or you can hire someone to do it for you.
Both sides have advantages and drawbacks, and in this post I’m going to go over a few things to consider when making this decision for your online business. 🙂
1. How much time do you want to personally put into your website?
The first thing to consider is how much time you want to dedicate to this. If you’ve got tons of free time, then it might be fun to go the do-it-yourself route and learn how to make your own website. On the other hand, if you’d rather someone else just handle all the gory details in the process for you and present you with a beautiful website at the end of it, then hiring someone is the way to go.
2. Do you want to be able to update your website yourself?
Are you the type of person who wants to be able to make changes and updates yourself, or would you rather focus on your area of genius and outsource the rest?
3. Is your business brand new, or are you still trying to figure out what you do?
If your business is new (say, less than 6 months old) or you’ve changed business ideas a few times or aren’t really sure what you want your branding to convey, then I would definitely recommend NOT hiring a web designer and instead DIYing something simple just to get you started. If you think your business is going to change a lot over the next year or so, then DIYing it will give you the flexibility to continuously update your website and your overall branding and look as you figure out exactly what your business does and what you stand for.
4. Does techy stuff terrify you?
When DIYing your website, there is a lot of techy stuff to deal with. If you follow along with a step-by-step program like our free video training below, for example, then you don’t have to worry about getting lost in the thousands of Youtube videos or online tutorials but having no clear direction of how to put all the little parts together. Or alternatively, just hire a web designer and you don’t have to deal with it at all.
5. Do you have an eye for the artistic?
Were you voted “most artistic” in high school? Or did your childhood drawings resemble hamburger people? 🙂 If you’ve never liked art, then know that DIYing your website will involve design elements like choosing color, typography, layout, and more. A web designer is awesome at navigating the design waters for you and coming up with creative solutions unique to your business.
6. Are you a control freak? 😉
Ok, so I’m kind of joking, but if you already know exactly what you want and don’t want any creative license or variation from your original idea, then it’s better if you DIY your website so you have total control of how everything looks and interacts.
7. What do you actually want to do?
You might have had an idea of which side you’re leaning toward even before you read this article. If so, maybe I’ve just confirmed what you already know in your heart is the right decision for you and your business. 🙂