5 Reasons Why You Should Not Build Your Own Website
(if you’re not a professional website developer)
So, you think you are up for the challenge of building your own website. Companies such as Wix and Squarespace run commercials both online and offline describing their services for building your own website to be fast and easy. Just sign up, pick a domain name, and upload some photos. It’s that simple! A few more clicks and you’re selling your products and services to the world, and customers will be beating down your door.
Anyone who has gone down this path of building a website – and who isn’t a professional website developer – knows that what these companies are promising is a little misguided. Not only does it take a lot of know-how to create and edit a website, but you also need to know how to attract customers. Sure, they often give you a $100 Google Ads credit when you sign up, but if you’ve never used Google Ads before either, you might as well burn the Google Ads credit.
Much of our business is from people who have done just this (trying to DIY, not burning a Google Ads credit!). They have built their own website using one of the simpler platforms and then quickly realized that there is a lot more that goes into building a functional website that also converts visitors into customers.
If you’re thinking about going it alone, here are 5 reasons – that you should consider before starting – why you shouldn’t build your own website if you’re not a developer.
Do you know where to start when building a website?
Have you ever set up and registered a domain name or set up a website hosting account? What about an email address that’s not with Gmail or Yahoo?
Do you have the time to learn a new skill?
You are the expert in your industry and you are good at what you do. So stick to what you know. There is a reason why “website developer” is an occupation all on its own. Professional website developers have had years of experience and training. Trust us. We know what we’re doing and we have several years of education (and trial and error!) behind us.
Do you understand the lingo?
Every industry has its own set of lingo. If you are going to be building a website, you will need to understand the terminology in order to get things done. You may have to talk to website hosting companies, designers, and other tech professionals. If you don’t know what HTML and metatags are, don’t attempt building your own website. If you are one of those people who have a hard time understanding what your cable or phone support is saying when you are trying to get your tv or internet back online, maybe you should give building your own website a second thought.
Bugs and other issues
Will you know how to fix your website when a bug pops up? Bugs will pop up from time to time. When they do, will you know how to fix them, or even have the time to fix them? If you are busy working with clients all day, when will you have time to learn about and then maintain your website and fix the issues?
Why doesn’t my website show up on Google?
If you have made it this far in building your website, the next biggest challenge is to attract visitors to your site. Unlike in the movie Field of Dreams, you just can’t build it and they will come. You will need to optimize your website so that it can be found on search engines. Search Engine Optimization is a whole other skill set, but a very important one. Your website will do you no good if nobody is able to find it.
Are you still ready to build your own website? You can spend lots of time researching how to build a website. Take Udemy courses, watch tutorials on Youtube. But when it comes down to it, do you really have time?