Do-It-Yourself Business Websites: The Pros and Cons

Whether you’re a new business or have been established for a while, it’s no secret that having a website to provide your customers with important information or sell products is a must. However despite the fact that many small business know how valuable a website is to their bottom line, many are lost in the sauce when it comes to deciding how to go about building one. Generally, companies looking to create a website either hire someone to design a custom site for them or attempt to build one themselves. When it comes to DIY websites specifically, there are a lot of misconceptions that they cannot be designed in a manner that is both attractive and professional. However, in reality there are plenty options for businesses that produce beautiful websites without the need for a degree in web design and that also won’t break the bank! Read on to find out if a DIY site is for you.

Pros

• Easy to Design: Building a website from the ground up involves lots of coding and other things that many people are clueless about. Because of this, many individuals feel they cannot have an attractive, quality website unless they hire someone to build it for them. However, with programs like WordPress.com and WordPress.org, it’s totally possible to design a nice site that will draw traffic without knowing anything about coding.
• Simple to Maintain: Many people think that once their website is built, it’s a finished product. However, it’s usually just the beginning. That’s because websites have to be maintained and updated regularly. Let’s say for example you have a special promotion or campaign, you’ll probably need to update your site to keep your customers abreast of what’s going on with your company. If you have a custom website built, you will have to contact your web designer and have them make the necessary updates to your site (which will cost a fee).  However, with a DIY site, you can easily go in and manage your own updates.
• Plenty of Variety: There are literally dozens of themes and styles that can be used to design a beautiful website for your blog or business. Many of them are extremely customizable in terms of color schemes and they look simply amazing when finished. Companies such as Elegant Themes (www.elegantthemes.com) offers attractive themes to compliment almost any type of business and are loaded with features to make them simple to install and use.

Cons

• Less Flexibility: Even though many themes come with a lot of options as far as appearance, they are still templates and therefore can only be manipulated so much. You may find, for example,  that you can’t have a tab or page in a particular area because the template simply doesn’t allow you to move it to the desired area.  This can be frustrating if you truly want your website to look a certain way.  Because of this, you may find that you’d rather hire someone to make something that will look exactly the way you want it.
• Non-unique: One of the key elements to successful branding is the ability to stand out and be recognizable. If you choose to go with a DIY website, this can be hard to do considering that certain themes are used a lot by many people and companies. That doesn’t mean you can’t find one that will afford you the element of originality that you want, but it does mean that you have to look carefully and make sure that what you select will meet all of your company’s needs including branding.
• Time Consuming: DIY websites offer a lot of advantages however, as is commonly known, small business owners usually have their hands in so many pots managing the dynamics of their projects that they may not have time for the nuances of building and maintaining a website. If you choose to go the DIY route, be sure that you or someone on your team can dedicate a portion of their time to making sure it is completed from start to finish and that it always has correct and updated information when customers visit.

Whether you decide to go the DIY route or have a custom website built, Through My Lynnz has an array of services that can help you create something you’ll love. For DIY sites, we offer logo design and graphic design, we can also assist you in selecting the best theme or template for your project and even help along the way as you set up and install it to make sure everything runs smoothly! For more information on our web and graphic design services, visit us as www.throughmylynnz.com. Also be sure to check out our resource page for our recommendations on best hosting services and more!