Should you outsource your website design or DIY?

So you run (or you are thinking about starting) a service based business. Maybe you’re a personal trainer, a photographer, a coach, a VA. Perhaps you’re an event planner or someone in the healthcare or beauty industry.

Whatever you do, as a service provider, your clients are investing in working with YOU.

So in order to stand out as a professional, to attract clients that are fully aligned to you (and aren’t going to be wasting your time or energy!) and to also create a bigger impact in your industry – you need to be showing up as THE go to. THE perfect match for your dream clients. With confidence.

Now of course when you start a business one of the first things most people think is “I need to get a logo and website sorted” and as a brand consultant I can tell you that this is NOT true.

Woah, did I actually just say that? You’d think I’d want to be getting people to want to hire me as a designer right?

The thing is, I know how impactful your brand visuals can be for your business. IF they’re done right.

Now of course there will be those who want to get everything looking amazing from the word go. You might be someone with a background in marketing or a good understanding in brand so of course, if this is you, then actually ignore what I just said because you probably already have a clear vision of what uou want to achieve, how you want to stand out and the clients you want to work with.

If this is you, then chances are you know you’re going to invest in working with a professional to build your first website (and of course the branding that will make it look awesome!).

BUT

If you haven’t got a strategy, if you’re not clear on your vision, if you don’t really know who it is you want to be working with and maybe you’re not even sure what offers you want to be known for. Then this is your sign that investing in a website designer now, probably isn’t the best move!

Why?

It’s not cheap (and if it is, it’s unlikely to get the results you desire! If you are a start up looking for that first website then I wouldn’t worry too much but be aware that you’ll probably want to upgrade your website in the next year or two. Most of my website clients come back for a freshen up around 3-5 years depending on how their business has evolved, sometimes longer – so whilst it’s an investment, it works long term!).

If you aren’t clear on what your brand vision is, it’s super hard to create the right visuals for you as a designer. Sure we can make it look amazing but alignment is everything when it comes to building a stand out brand. You can’t get alignment if you don’t have the clarity in what you’re actually setting out to do!

OK so let’s just talk about the DIY route…

It’s SO easy to be able to get a website up and running now. Cheap or even free templates. Low cost hosting. You could build your own website tomorrow, BUT…

If you are someone that wants to stand out as a professional, if you want to attract your dream clients and create a website that brings in leads consistently and converts (and I already know this is you because you’re reading my blog!) – then here are some things to think about when it comes to the DIY route…

• Building a website takes time! You would not believe how many people I hear say the words “I did it myself but it took months and I’m still not happy with it. I thought it would be easy to do but I should have just outsourced it to someone that knows what they’re doing!”
• If you are not a natural creative, do you really want to spend your time building such an important part of your brand when you could actually get something that works and hire a professional (hello! I’d love to help you!)
• Just because you use a template it doesn’t mean it’s the right fit for you! Every business is different and a good website that converts actually goes beyond the visuals!
• The average business owner spends around 30 hours building their own website. How much money would you lose if you spent this amount of time on a website that may or may not work for your business? What could you earn in that time with client projects or selling your offers?
• If you DIY you’re not going to have the support because, well, you are the only person that’s built the site! Most of the popular website template platforms have such poor customer support, if they even come back to you at all which can lead to frustration and more stress because you’ll be spending hours on YouTube trying to figure out how to do something.

So – let’s move onto why you might hire a professional website designer…

Firstly, a website developer and a website designer are 2 very different things!

That ‘web guy’ you know (no offence to any web guys reading this) – they might have all the tech knowledge, maybe they’re amazing at coding. But believe it or not…unless you want to have loads of fancy features on your website – you don’t need to have a heavily coded website!

More often than not, the web person you know (or web developer) might be amazing when it comes to the actual build of a site BUT they are rarely creative. Which means the website might work great from a tech point of view but if it’s not getting that instant attraction, if it doesn’t look good and isn’t designed with purpose and flow – it’s going to be much harder for you to get your dream clients diving all into your offers!

A website designer (I would call myself more of a website alchemist but that sounds a bit too extra – essentially I design websites that look amazing but also are designed with the client/customer in mind so they flow easily, are engaging and most importantly, they convert!)….

• We build websites for our job so whilst you may think the DIY route is for you (and it may well be!), because we create them so often, what might take you days could take us a few minutes!
• We actually LOVE to create websites for our clients (if we didn’t it would be a pretty boring job!)
• I can’t speak for all but myself and other designers I know have a good understanding and expertise in SEO meaning your website will not only look great but it will get you more visible too! There’s no point in having a fancy website if hardly anyone is going to see it!
• When you’ve worked with a designer, you have the support if anything happens! Sure you’ll need to pay for their time but it will save you a massive headache trying to figure things out yourself.
• You’ll have something completely bespoke to you. No one else will have the same website or branding (unless you’ve opted for a template with your designer – I personally don’t use templates as I want each of my clients to get something that’s not ‘off the shelf’ and works in alignment to them)

So, which route will you take when it comes to your website (and/or branding design)?

Are you a DIY-er? Or are you ready to invest in a designer?

Remember – your website acts as the hub for your offers, what your brand is about and shows you as a professional. So whilst it is an initial investment, it’s going to work and get results for your business long term!

Want to find out more about working with me and my team for your high converting website?

Find out more and book a call with me here.