A business today has millions of options to have its presence on the network of networks, called Internet. Many of these business owners employ professional web designers to design their website while some may opt for Do-It Yourself websites. It is an easy task to learn how to develop your own websites with decent and professional look. And it is a well-known fact that you can learn anything over the internet Let it be programming, building websites or repairing one’s own computer. All you need to do is to Google it out.
While doing the website yourself you must remember that business websites need not only be arty they should have the ability to convert the visitors into customers. So one should learn about the marketing and writing techniques for the internet along with learning the coding that one needs to know to develop the website.
There are many websites that offer drag and drop interface or either with pre-built themes that you may customize. Alternative option is to get your own domain, web hosting and building the website with a popular cms (content management system) such as WordPress and then loading the entire thing on the internet.
Now let’s examine the advantage and disadvantage of having a DIY website:
Advantages:
- Economical, as hiring a professional may cost hundreds to thousands of dollars more. Small scale business owners usually go for DIY websites as it saves them a lot of money. Though it should not be forgotten that one gets what one is paying for.
- Flexibility and Choice, as you are developing your own website you have full authority to direct your creativity and the design of your website. One is free to do any updates and changes to the website at one’s own time schedule. While web designers may be slow at it as one web designer has many projects to handle and your update request may end up in a long queue. But by employing DIY websites you can get things done on your own time.
- One learns new concepts, as one often needs to learn HTML and CSS language to set up a fully functional website of one’s own. You surely get to learn new concepts and skills which is obviously is a positive factor of the DIY website.
Disadvantages:
- Time consuming, as one will have to learn how to write the code, learn about the webhosting and domain name services. Professionals on the other hand would take a few minutes to develop or troubleshoot the website as they are more experienced. Learning the coding process to develop one’s own website may appear as a time waste to some as one can hire professional web designers get a website and chalkout a marketing plan while in DIY one needs to develop the whole website first and then chalkout the marketing plan.
- No Knowledge about the technical stuff, A businessman may not be aware of various other technical aspects involved in website building. These may include Search engine optimization, Website Performance Optimization, Anti-Spam, Analytics and security features.
- Lacks Professional Looks, The final website may lack the professional look and it may be quite evident from your designs that you are new to web designing. In extreme cases you may end up harming the repute of your business if your website is not well planned and professional in looks.
- No Knowledge about the technical stuff, A businessman may not be aware of various other technical aspects involved in website building. These may include Search engine optimization, Website Performance Optimization, Anti-Spam, Analytics and security features.