To DIY or Hire?

When setting up a website for your business, things can get scary, fast. Between HTML and CSS to sliders and widgets, it’s hard to know what you really need, what you can do yourself, and what you need a designer for.

Of course, as a web designer and developer, I’m going to direct you to your nearest, and most trusted web person to handle it all for you. *waves*

That being said, I’m not clueless when it comes to cash flow, and sometimes, you just can’t make that leap to hire a professional. It’s a hard pill to swallow, doling out a grand, or a couple, for a professionally done site. I get it, 100%.

If you can swing it, definitely hire someone. They know what they’re doing, they’ve been doing what they’re doing for quite some time, and if they’re still in business doing what they’re doing after several years, they’ve got the secret sauce to bring website success to your business too.

There is always the DIY route as well. This route is for the brave and fearless, and for those willing to make a goof up here and there, but learning along the way (hopefully) to never make those mistakes again. Let me make a slight disclaimer here in saying that we all make mistakes. It’s in our human nature to mess things up now and again. Just please, learn.

So into the meat and potatoes here, – or Tofu and Tempeh; whatever tickles your britches.

DIY can be easily done if you’re into creating a “builder” type website. No, not brick and mortar construction. I’m talking drag, and drop website builders. These easy to use, usually pretty fool proof, builders can return some really awesome results.

SquareSpace, Wix, and Weebly can provide you with the following results:

PLEASE PLEASE KEEP IN MIND: Some of these are just templates, and some were built by professional designers. Your results may vary. 

There are also some super awesome WordPress websites that have been built by a builder plug-in, check these out:

Squarespace, Wix, Weebly, and other “DIY” type website building companies give you plenty of options, but aren’t as highly customizable as WordPress sites.

That being said, who says you need something crazy custom? Maybe you’re just looking to throw a landing page up with your basic information, letting people know how to contact you. And hey, that is quite alright if you ask me. Do the DIY, especially if you’re building a super simple site for yourself and your business.

If you need something more custom, maybe you need certain integrations from social media, or an online shop, or something else that’s a bit more complicated – PLEASE talk to a designer. At least just talk to one. See what they say.

Perhaps you’re somewhere in between “Super Simple” and “Highly Custom“. Maybe you’re looking for a simple site layout, but you need a designer to custom code something into your website for you. That’s awesome too! Many designers are happy to pick up what you can’t, and offer solutions perhaps you didn’t even think were possible.

All in all, it’s hard to tell where to DIY, and what to hire out for, as with anything in life. If you’re not comfortable walking the web design trail, or let’s be honest, YOU JUST DON’T HAVE TIME – give a designer friend a shout. They’ll love the conversation, and can help you decide what trail is your trail, and what might be outside of your wheel house, where they can step in for you.

If you’re in need of a web designer friend, I love making new friends! Don’t be a stranger!