The Obvious: Free is not Free
I mean, someone has to do the work. Am I right? It doesn't matter if it's free or not, it's going to take time - AND time is money.
A good website takes time and planning. I've always said, as a web developer I am selling my time and my expertise. The expertise sets the rate... and time is time. The more experience a web developer has, the less time it takes to complete a project. I mean I could certainly do a lot of the work to build our new house, but I don't have all the tools, not sure if it will pass inspection, and it will take me much longer to complete.
I'm much better off paying someone to build the house and keep working on websites. I'll make more money building websites than I'll save building the house. The same is true for you in your business.
The Unseen: It'll cost you customers
Granted, the example sites look really good on the DIY platforms. But... like the Big Mac™ in the McDonald's commercial - it was put together by design professionals - not the burger boy behind the grill. The experience you create will likely not be the same as the professional - just like the burger boy at McDonald's.
Your lack of experience won't go unnoticed to your potential clients. A cited study by Northern Arizona University noted the following:
- 52% of users said that a bad website experience made them less likely to engage with a company.
- 88% of online consumers are less likely to return to a site after a bad experience.
- 94% of the visitors' first impressions about a business are related to web design
- Poor UX will drive off 89% of the visitors to a competitor site.
"75% of consumers admit to making judgments on a company's credibility based on the company's website design." (SWEOR, Management Company)
SEO
SEO in itself is a full-time skill. SEO is extremely complicated, and the best practices are constantly evolving as Google's algorithms change. As a small business professional - are you really ready to spend the time to learn this complicated segment? Fact is, you will lose search traffic because of your inability to properly prepare your website for search.
" Only 0.78% of Google searchers click on results from the 2nd page.Without an expert in SEO optimizing your site on the back end in addition to the front end, your customers will almost assuredly find your competitors before you (in which case, you’d better pray that your competitors didn’t do their due diligence in website construction). All the visual spectacles in the world are useless if your customers never make it to your site.
The Feelings: It'll cost your sanity
"Many companies who try to design their website on their own, with platforms like Wix or Squarespace, will take up to 12-18 months to complete.The stat says it all. Once frustrated - you will find better things to do with your time and your website becomes less of a priority.
We all have different skills
Unfortunately, website design is not your skillset. It takes years to learn and practice. That DIY solution is going to cost you your time, a good amount of potential customers, and your sanity. If you've ever heard the saying: "you're tripping over dollars to pick up pennies" - this is it.