5 Reasons Using A Web Design Agency Is Better Than Doing It Yourself
If you’re thinking about designing your own website, it’s important to consider the consequences of going down that route first. You’ll be able to save money in the short term but as time goes by and updates are needed, you’ll start to see how costly doing it on your own can be.
A web design agency will offer a one-time fee for content creation, web development and maintenance services which means they take care of all aspects while you get back to running your business.
The choice between hiring a web design agency and making your own website has been the focus of today’s post. We’ll discuss this decision in more detail.
What does a DIY website mean?
“DIY” means “Do-it-yourself.” It is what websites made on the basis of free site building tools without the participation of a professional developer are called.
Builders of this kind usually offer a number of predetermined templates to choose from and customizable settings.
This includes changing the header, logo, title and headings, photos, color scheme, block layout, etc. These builders are usually user-friendly with drag-and-drop features and without coding skills, allow you to create a website much quicker.
Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of making your own site:
Advantages:
1. You get full control over the final result.
2. You don’t have to hire any outside professionals
3. It’s very easy to use and doesn’t require much time to set up.
4. It’s cheap; you’ll pay around $60-$100 and it includes one year of hosting.
5. You don’t have to worry about future updates or site maintenance since the host does this for free.
Disadvantages:
1. If you need some customization beyond what a builder offers, you’ll have to develop it yourself.
2. It can be very time-consuming if you don’t want to get your hands dirty with code and design customizations.
3. Since there are no guarantees that a hosting company doesn’t go out of business, the site could remain offline indefinitely and nobody will take responsibility for restoring it.
4. If you use a free builder, there is a risk that your site will be infected with malware or viruses.
5. You can’t call yourself an expert designer since the process involves no creativity at all and you get templates and predesigned elements that are limited in their functionality.
These downsides can lead to problems later on such as not being able to get your site transferred to a new host since it was made on a free template, which may result in losing all your content. If you want to develop something that requires capable designers and developers for customization purposes, then you have to be prepared for the corresponding price tag.
Hiring an agency will enable you to get a custom site without unnecessary headaches and unexpected expenses.
What does hiring a web design agency mean?
A professional team of designers, developers, copywriters and project managers who work together will be able to give you the site that fits your business needs perfectly. They can create a brand for you with custom branding elements such as business cards, letterhead, etc.
Moreover, they will also provide ongoing support for your business including
training of you and your staff on how to manage the website or online store in order to keep it updated efficiently.
5 reasons why using a web design agency is better than DIY website making:
1. They will help you achieve a site that works perfectly with your business goals and makes you stand out from the competition.
2. They will make sure that your site is user-friendly, fast-loading, mobile-friendly and SEO optimized to get you great results in organic search rankings.
3. Since they are professionals, they have all the necessary skills to make sure that your site is bug-free and secure, with regular updates.
4. They will train you or your staff on how to manage your website so there won’t be any downtime and outages while your business grows.
5. If it’s a custom design they are creating for you, they can even offer you ongoing SEO support so that your site is ranked in search engines for the right keywords.
So, to sum it up:
If you want a custom design – hire professionals. Don’t waste your time coding something from scratch or purchasing a free template and later realizing that there were no guarantees on the hosting company’s part. You won’t be able to call yourself an expert designer when you have no creativity or vision.
How much do professional web design agencies cost?
That’s a tricky question since there is no universal answer. However, based on our experience working with hundreds of businesses, here is a rough ballpark estimate for the cost of web design.
1-5 pages – this can range from $500 to $5000 depending on what your site is going to be about and how much content it will have.
6-20 pages – you’ll probably pay around $1000-$12000 or more.
Above 20 pages – $10,000 and up.
However, it’s crucial to make the difference between a design made by an agency that specializes in designing websites or specialized web designers vs. a regular graphic designer who has no experience with website making. The price can vary greatly depending on how demanding your project is. For example, celebrity sites or corporate sites need more work and thus cost more.
What makes a professional website design or redesign different from others is not just the creativity, but also attention to detail which can make all the difference in how good your site looks and works for your business. So don’t rush with the decision and check if you will be getting what you really need and want in order to achieve your goals.
In other words:
If you need a great first impression – hire an expert web design agency!