Introduction
Are you considering whether to build your website or hire a web design agency? Nowadays, new website building platforms such as Wix and Squarespace have made it easier for people to build a website themselves. But there is a lot to consider before starting this web design journey. Think about what your budget is, how much time and effort you want to put into this project, and what your goals are for this project.
In this article, we will go over the pros and cons of both designing your own website and hiring a web design agency.
Pros of Hiring a Web Design Agency
1. They know what they are doing
Web design agencies set your business up for success by knowing best practices, what to do, and how to do it. They’ve had experience with all sorts of businesses in all kinds of situations. It’s their job to know how to get you from start to finish smoothly and successfully.
They are also well versed in what system to use and how to integrate everything you need into. Such as a booking system, online shopping cart, or anything else you may need. Not only this, but before launching your website, they will thoroughly test these out to ensure that everything works.
2. Search Engine Optimized (SEO)
Your website has to be Search Engine Optimized. Otherwise, it risks not being seen on Google by your potential customers meaning no new customers. Web design agencies know what SEO is needed for your website and keep that in mind throughout the design and development process.
SEO is quite complex to learn on your own, so it may be easier to hire a web design agency for this reason alone.
3. Mobile-friendly website
Having your website mobile-friendly is critical to reaching potential customers and keeping your current customers. According to Google, over 50% of web traffic comes from mobile phones. So if your website isn’t mobile-friendly, you’ll miss out on all that traffic.
People usually don’t want to use or view a website that is hard to navigate and hard to find information. Make sure that whatever web design agency you work with does mobile-friendly web design.
Cons of Hiring a Web Design Agency
1. It can be expensive
Hiring a web design agency can be costly, depending on what company you work with. Simple websites can cost around $1,000-$10,000. Really complex websites can range from $10,000-$50,000. A web design agency that offers a website for $100 will not provide the same quality, service, and functionality as a web design agency that charges $1,000-$5,000.
Consider your budget, and see if you can find someone within that range that can make your business a well-designed website. Hiring a web design agency can help your business stand out over your competitors.
2. Timeline
If you are in a rush to get your website finished, then you may not want to hire a web design agency. Usually, they have a process they go through to design your website, so it may take them a few months to complete your website. This also depends on how complex your website is.
They will probably be able to get it done a lot quicker if your site is just a couple of pages and has just some functionality. Whereas if your site is an eCommerce website with hundreds to thousands of items, then your site will at the very least take a few months to complete.
3. Less control over your project
A web design agency’s purpose is to design a website that looks and functions well to drive traffic. To do this, they have their own way of researching and designing. You will be able to have input throughout this process, but the designer will usually be the one who makes most of the final design decisions.
Building your own website is probably the best thing for you if you want to be involved in every step of the process and want complete creative control.
Pros Building Your Own Website
1. You save money, kind of
Building your own website can save you a lot of money. However, by designing your own site, you may be designing a site that prioritizes looks over functionality. That’s why it’s important to ask friends, acquaintances, and even your family to see what they think about your website and if anything could be improved.
Nobody wants to visit a website that is slow, not mobile-friendly, and isn’t easy to navigate. When you design your site, try to think of it from your customer’s point of view. What is the reason they are coming to your website? What is it they want to find? How easy is your website to navigate?
2. Complete creative control
When designing a website yourself, you have complete control over the entire process. You get to choose how it looks and how it works. If you have a specific idea of exactly how you want your site to look and function, designing a website yourself is a great fit.
You may want to find a template that works for you and work from that. It gives you an excellent outline and a guide to start designing from.
Cons of Building Your Own Website
1. It can be quite a learning curve
It may seem easy to design a website with platforms like Wix and Squarespace, and it usually is. But when you find yourself wanting to make simple minor adjustments, it can get a lot more complicated. Depending on your level of knowledge of the program you are using, it may take some learning and getting used to.
There’s a lot that goes into designing a website. Before starting, consider what you will need to learn to create a good website and how long that may take.
2. Designing a website on your own takes a lot of time, and time is money
As we previously mentioned, building a website takes time, especially if you’re new to the process. Since your time is valuable, if you spend a lot of time trying to learn how to design a website, you may be better off hiring a web design agency. This way, you can focus on your business and not worry about whether your website will turn out well.
If you have a lot of time and know you want to build your own website, try to learn about Search Engine Optimization, responsive design (mobile-friendly), and user-centered design.
3. Not completely Search Engine Optimized (SEO)
SEO is a complex and challenging thing to learn. There is basic SEO that your website should have at the minimum, such as minimized images, Google-friendly titles and excerpts, keyword-optimized content, etc. If your website isn’t Search Engine Optimized, no one is ever going to be able to find it.
When designing a Search Engine Optimized website, there’s a lot to think of. It may be better for you to hire a web design agency if you don’t want to worry about this with your site.
Conclusion
We hope that this has helped you figure out or at least get clearer on how you want your website developed. When deciding, think about whether you have the time to learn how to develop a website that will work for you and bring in more customers. If you need a basic website and have a low budget, it would be better to design a website yourself. If you have enough to hire a web designer, someone you feel is a good fit, try it out.
Feel free to contact us at Envision Web Creation for any of your web design questions or needs.