The Flaws with a “Do It Yourself” Approach to Web Design

When I was remodeling my first home, I learned the hard way that not all DIYers are the same.

Despite a supposedly thorough home inspection prior to the purchase of the home, ripping out the drop ceilings, and the three other layers of even older ceiling, quickly revealed that the main support beam had been cut through by a prior DIY ‘renovator’.

This beam supported the house and without it intact the house was in danger of collapsing in on itself (and my family.)

Needless to say, rather than starting on the pretties of the home renovation, plans changed and it started with the have-to-dos.

Not only was time averted from working on the pretties, money from the renovation budget was diverted to pay for the absolutely-necessary beam repair (and fixing many other hidden ‘renovation’ issues.)

Why DIY Websites Aren’t Always Worth It

I have seen lovely sites that are built on really poor foundations (in this case, bad coding and poorly written themes) and are structurally unsound. They are susceptible to malware, slow page load times, crashing, and other things that affect the user experience (UX.)

When your site isn’t properly built, it can cost you more than just extra money to fix. It can cost you readers, decrease your reputation, and ultimately decrease your potential revenue.

Think about the money you’ve already spent in the time you’ve taken to try and do it yourself.

Bottomline: taking shortcuts and undercutting the process can bite you in the butt.

You Get What You Pay For

DIY websites are fine for someone who is starting a new personal blog. It’s simple to setup, start a new blog, and get writing. There is not much to maintain at that point. (Just be sure to choose a good quality framework and theme to build your WordPress site on. I always use and recommend the Genesis Framework from StudioPress.)

But at some point, as your brand grows, it’s worth investing in your site and working with someone to design and build a site that works well for your business.

Every project we work on follows a process that includes a thorough assessment of the client’s business goals and needs in order to ensure that the site helps you grow your business and is truly useful to your readers, clients, and potential customers.

Accomplishing that on your own, with a DIY website approach can be overwhelming and extremely difficult.

A professionally designed and developed website may seem expensive, but if you value your brand and business, what you really can’t afford is the DIY route.