There are 2 views about using a DIY website builder for your business. Those 2 views are:
- It’s a great idea
- It’s NOT a good idea.
What are the arguments stating that using a DIY website builder not a good idea?
For the record, this is NOT my view. However, the reasons some people might argue that building your own website is not a good idea are as follows:
- Waste of Time: It’s a steep learning curve and your time is better invested in doing what you’re best at doing (i.e. running your business).
- Not Professional: Your website won’t be professional-looking.
The stronger of the two arguments is #1 – you’re better off investing your time in running your business and outsourcing website development. However, there are counter-arguments, which I set out below.
Counter-arguments = Pros of building your own website
Waste of Time Counter-Arguments
I admit that if you run a large business with a large marketing budget, then learning to build your own website is not the best use of your time. However, if you run a small business and don’t have a large marketing budget, then your time invested in building a website and learning how to manage it can be an excellent investment of your time.
1. You’ll learn how to market your business online
I’ve been a small business owner for about 5 years. I learned and did build my own websites because I didn’t have a large marketing website.
When you learn how to build your own website, you’ll learn much more than getting a website up and running. You’ll learn how to run your blog, add images, upload video, add pages … you’ll be in full control of your website.
Being in control of our small business website gives you a huge advantage. You can update it regularly and create a highly dynamic website. The more content you add, the better.
As you become more comfortable managing your website, you’ll do it faster.
Moreover, when you dive into the world of online marketing, you’ll learn much more than just doing a DIY website. You’ll learn about SEO, PPC, lead generation, conversion … all the important elements of building a valuable business generating machine. When you understand these fundamentals of online marketing, you’ll be in a much better position to hire people to help you or take over.
For example, there are thousands of SEO services online promising top rankings in the search engines. Because I know about SEO, I can review their portfolio clients to see if they really know what they’re doing. I can also assess their SEO techniques and decide if they are techniques I want to use for my SEO.
2. Outsourcing is easier and more effective
Once you know how you want your website updated and what’s involved, you’ll be in a much better position to hire people to take over.
If you decide to use a DIY website builder, you aren’t stuck to managing your site and writing all your content forever. Instead, learn what works, develop a system, then outsource it. Probably the best tasks to outsource if you’re inclined to outsource is writing content and SEO.
3. Build multiple websites quickly and cheaply
Many small business owners hire a website designer to crank out a website and leave it at that. This is not good enough. If you know how to build websites yourself, you can create multiple websites using a website fleet strategy (which I discuss at length in my LOCAL Business Keyword Research and SEO Techniques Guide).
The website fleet strategy is what I use and it works incredibly well FOR THE RIGHT BUSINESS.
4. Save Money
I’ve saved tens of thousands of dollars because I can build my own business websites. I presently have 9 websites for my offline business. Even at $3,000 per site, I’ve saved a ton of money. Many website designers charge much more than $3,000.
5. Train your staff to contribute
Once you develop a system to managing and building up your online presence, you can train your staff to take over or contribute. I’ve done this. I assign various tasks to my staff such as writing articles, transcribing videos, etc.
Counter-argument to the lacks professionalism argument
1. Use templates and themes
I’m sure you’ve been expecting this response. After all, I publish a website largely about website templates. Obviously I’m a fan.
I always use a website template for my business websites. I’m not a website designer. Besides, designing a site takes time. Why reinvent the wheel when there are tens of thousands of templates and themes available. It’s all done for you.
Moreover, even if you hire a website designer, how unique can they possibly make your site? Sure, there are some designers that do astonishing and stunning work, but you’ll pay for that level of design.
Furthermore, you can easily tweak the color scheme and layout of any template. Therefore, you can make a template your own.
There are so many fantastic templates and Professional WordPress themes that it’s actually hard to choose. When I started looking for my first template, I spent about a full day doing so. Yes, that took a long time, but now I know exactly which template or theme I’ll use as soon as I conceive of a new website project.
2. CMS is where it’s at (in my view)
I know I discuss HTML and Flash templates in this site. I do so because I believe that there are advantages to those types of websites. However, for my websites, I prefer CMS, and specifically WordPress.
WordPress
WordPress makes it easy to create stunning business websites that have a blog built in. I can easily and quickly add images, video, a blog, social media integration … and there are so many WordPress themes that look amazing.
If you’re not convinced that doing a DIY website is for you, I do recommend you hire a website designer that will build you a website on some form of CMS.
I use a variety of themes including Genesis, Builder, and ElegantThemes. I’ve also used Catalyst and Artisteer (see below) to a lesser degree.
3. Easy DIY website builder options
Admittedly, there is a learning curve to WordPress and using themes. You can figure it out in a day or two. You’ll learn a lot if you persist with it. Some people do find WordPress difficult.
Therefore, if WordPress and using themes seem too daunting for you, consider using an online website builder. There are many to online website builders to choose from. A few good ones are:
4. Get creative with WordPress website builders
If you like the idea of WordPress, but also want to come up with your own design, consider using a WordPress website builder. There are 5 quality WordPress website theme builders:
The point I’m making is that there are numerous DIY website builder options that can create a professional website. Anyone can learn how to use these website builders relatively quickly … even if you’re a busy business owner.
Which DIY Website Builder do I use?
I use WordPress. I use a variety of themes including Genesis, Builder, and ElegantThemes. I’ve also used Catalyst and Artisteer to a lesser degree.
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