It’s no secret many entrepreneurs who are only starting their business are on a very tight budget. So, when it comes to building a website, you might be tempted to spend as little as possible on that. With content management systems like WordPress, platforms that let you build DYI websites, and WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) content editors, building your own website for free is a piece of cake. Right?
This myth is the primary reason why so many small business owners end up with terrible websites. The websites they have to rebuild and redesign anyway (except, this time they’ve learned their lesson and hire professionals to do the job). If you are tempted to save a little extra and build your own website, keep in mind you’ll end up losing more than you saved. Here’s why a ‘DYI’ website will actually cost you more in the end.
Because You Are Wasting Your Own Time
Even the most primitive ‘DYI’ website will take a lot of your time and energy. The time and energy you could’ve invested into creating a new product, planning a promotional campaign for your business, or networking with potential clients. In other words, as long as you are working on your own website, you are not working on your business.
Because You Are Losing Sales
When people land on your website, they make purchasing decisions pretty fast. Your website may well be your only chance to make the first impression. And it’s definitely your best chance to tell the customer what you can do for them and to persuade them to buy. An amateurish, poorly designed, non-user-friendly website doesn’t do any of these. How much money do you lose in sales because of that?
Because You Are Losing Search Traffic
Now more than ever, Google favors quality of content and usability. Poorly built ‘DYI’ websites don’t really meet Google’s demanding requirements, so your chances to get good search rankings are close to zero. That means you are losing tons of search traffic – potential customers, who google for services like yours and end up on your competitors’ websites.
Because You’ll Have to Pay for a Redesign Anyway
After you realize your website is no good to your business, you’ll end up hiring a web designer anyway. And you’ll still pay the cost you would’ve paid initially, except you can’t bring back those sales and traffic you already lost.
If you still think you should build your own website, you might want to think again. A ‘DYI’ website may sound smart in terms of costs, but in the end you’ll lose more money than you saved.
Have you ever tried building your own business website? How did it work for you? You’re welcome to share your experience in the comments.
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