DIY websites and services are seemingly everywhere these days. You can’t watch a video online or turn on the television without seeing an occasional ad that is touting the benefits of using DIY website builders to construct a site for personal or business use. While it’s tough to tell who is jumping on the bandwagon, there must be some people using these templates and web builders, right?
DIY options are often billed as being the more affordable and even the more convenient way to get yourself online. Many of the ads make it look absurdly easy, as though even a toddler could do it. Drag this photo here, type these words here, and you’re done! But is it really that easy?
No doubt, the biggest DIY enthusiasts and supporters are the people behind these products. They are working overtime to convince potential customers that making a site is as easy as paying for the one-time or monthly use of these services. They want you to believe that it really is that easy and that DIY is far better than the other options– that you benefit so much from these convenient templates and site builders that you should turn to their product and their product alone.
Today we’re breaking down why using these DIY options may not be your best option, so read on and find out more!
Should you go with a DIY design? Perhaps. But if you’re not automatically savvy, your choices are either custom design or the same design options that all the other DIY people have. Unfortunately, that saying that ‘you get what you pay for’ can really be seen in design sometimes. Million-dollar companies have custom-designed sites that aren’t going to look anything like the DIY templates, and moreover, they’re going to be incredibly user-friendly and visually well-put-together.
While you’re maybe not a million-dollar company yet, know that a website built using pre-built themes and templates is going to look exactly like that. It’s not going to be confused for something that you paid someone money to design, and yes, that is probably going to work against you. If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it might just be a DIY design template. There’s just no other way to see it than for what it is.
Don’t cut back on your ability to customize. DIY offers you limited options and your layout options are going to be as numerous as what they have available. You don’t want to lose opportunities to generate sales and income because your design came out poorly. While saving a few dollars can be useful, you’re also going to lose time and energy trying to put it together yourself. Your job is to create a great site, and tinkering with templates instead of focusing on your business is going to be the price you pay.
If the goal is to get sales and conversions, your site needs to be designed keeping that in mind. DIY projects usually get in the way of functionality. If you’re using one for personal hobbies or blogging, fine. But when it comes to the features and the functionality of the site, it needs a professional design from a real developer that knows what they are doing and how to make your site generate ROI, sales, and more. You can even have features that improve conversions, but it’s difficult to get that from a pre-set template.
Other reasons to involve DIY is their poor security. A professional developer can make sure your site is running on a secure server and there are security features implemented. They will also protect any customers and information. Unfortunately, a custom-built site makes it easy for hackers to get into your site and even steal information. DIY may STILL require you to get a pro on board to check it out and make the site more conducive to selling things and promoting buying, order processing, and secure online payments. Figure in SEO and aesthetic approach, and it’s quite a bit.
At the end of the day, building a site takes time and it takes investment. You can invest with someone who knows the ropes or invest in the DIY approach. You can try out DIY if you want, but it’s just that– a risk, and you may still end up with a site that isn’t customer-friendly. You’ll also have limited features and design options. With professional design, you get results.
If you want a great site or even if you started with a web builder but don’t like it, House of Designers can help! Call 888.778.2979 and get a custom website that works for you today!
