Ahhhhh yes, the age old question of “to DIY your website or not to DIY”…
“To hire a designer, or to build it yourself…”
As a website designer myself you might be thinking “of course Corine’s going to tell us to hire a website designer”, but let me remind you that I’m the QUEEN of DIY. I mean, have you heard what I can do with a Swiffer, some duct tape, and a Dirt Devil?
The answer to whether or not you should DIY your website isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer. Depending on you and your specific situation, the answer might be somewhat obvious – but it’s important you choose the right one so you’re not stuck in a frustrating, futile, or uncomfortable situation down the road.
Let’s go over 3 different options you have for getting your website built, once and for all!
- DIY from scratch (tech savviness, recommended)
- DIY using a template
- Hire a website designer
1. DIY your website from scratch (tech savviness, recommended)
The first option that many business owners may consider when they want to create a website is building one from scratch.
Building a website on your own and from scratch is generally the cheapest option, making it an attractive route for newbie business owners or people on a tight budget.
Aside from your domain and hosting, build a website from scratch can be practically free. But “free” can sometimes come at a cost.
Sure, DIYing a website from scratch is the cheapest option, but it’s also, by far, the most effort-intensive option and the route most likely to result in… ehmm… a less than good website. 😬
You know when you were a kid and your mom tried to save money on haircuts by doing it herself? No?
Were my sister and I the only 6 & 7 year old girls with mullets?!
Well, envision our youthful mullets as the equivalent of a DIY website gone wrong.
Our mom’s intentions were good, but she didn’t exactly go to cosmetology school so despite her best efforts you could always tell that our haircuts were a littleeee… DIY’d 😅
But, if you’re ballin’ on a budget and convinced to make a DIY website work for you, start here: How to Build a Website: 9 Step Process
2. DIY your website using a template
Another option for creating your website on your own is to purchase a template.
What is a website template?
A website template is essentially a pre-built website that was designed and created by a professional designer, but is sold at a lower cost than a custom 1-on-1 website would be.
This way you’re getting a professionally designed website at a more affordable cost, while resting assured that your site won’t look like a badly cut mullet.
With a website template, the website designer will create the template using placeholder content, and reserves the right to sell the same template to as many people as they wish.
Then you, as the customer, are able to go in and customize the template with your own colors, fonts, images, and text in order to make the template yours!
When purchasing a website template, you will typically purchase the template from their Shop, and then you are responsible for installing and customizing the template on your own.
When choosing a template, it’s important to ask a few important questions, to make sure you’re getting a quality product:
- Does the template include guided tutorial videos for ease of installation?
- Does the seller offer template installation/setup? If so, how much does it cost and does it include customization? (This is a good question to ask for any non-tech savvy ladies out there that may be intimidated by the whole setup process. Note that “installation/setup” generally will not include template customization. You’ll likely still have to customize colors, fonts, images, text on your own.)
- Does the template require any custom themes or plugins? If so, are the licenses included in the purchase or do you need to purchase them separately?
- Does the seller have testimonials from past customers and/or examples of customer websites built with their templates?
- What platform does the template use: WordPress, Squarespace, other? And is that the right platform right for your needs?
All of these questions should be easily answered on the website where you’re purchasing the template, either in the Product Description or in an FAQ section. If not, and if you’re really interested in a specific template, send the seller a message – they’ll probably be happy to help!
And if all of that still sounds like too much work for you, you’re probably a good candidate for what’s behind Door #3: hiring someone to do the dirty work for you.
3. Hire a website designer to build your website for you
The third and final option for getting your website up and running is to outsource to the professionals.
This option will be the largest financial investment of the 3, but if you have the budget for it – I absolutely encourage you to hire a pro.
A good website designer is worth their weight in gold, and will not only make your life approximately 935x easier, but they’ll also provide you with the peace of mind that your website is being done the right way.
That being said, not all website designers are worth your hard earned cash… and it’s more important than ever that you do your thorough internet stalking research ahead of time.
Not sure what to look for?
Start here: 6 Things to Look for When Hiring a Website Designer
Fortunately for my sister and I (as well as our bumpin’ social lives at 7 years old) our mom’s efforts to cut our own hair were short lived, and she decided to leave it to the professionals. 🙌 Ain’t no shame in admitting your limitations.
If DIY didn’t work out so well for ya and you’re ready to hand it off to someone else, I know a girl 🙋♀️. Click here to request a Discovery Call and we can dream up what’s best for you!
