DIY website design seems like the perfect choice for someone who is just starting out. It’s a low-cost solution, it’s easy to set up, and nearly anyone can do it. There are some things you should consider before building your website yourself, however. Continue reading to learn why a DIY website is a bad idea.
What is DIY Website Design?
By now most of us know that DIY stands for do-it-yourself, so a DIY website is one that you build on your own, perhaps with the help of website-building sites that make it easy to choose a template and set up shop.
A DIY website will not have the benefits of being built by a professional web developer or web designer. As such, there are some problems your DIY website might have that you haven’t considered.
First Impressions Matter
Everyone understands how important it is to make a good impression when meeting someone in person for the first time. What you may not realize, is that a virtual first impression can be just as important.
Poorly designed, non-functional, or websites that are obviously DIY could leave your potential clients or customers with a bad first impression of you or your business. Often, a website you have created yourself will look unprofessional, leaving your customers to question whether or not you are up to snuff.
Not as SEO Friendly
What is the point of having a website at all if people can’t find it on Google? That’s what SEO is for. Unfortunately, many DIY websites are not SEO friendly.
What is SEO? Standing for Search Engine Optimization, SEO in simple terms means things that need to be done so that your website can show up in Google search results. Without SEO, you won’t get any traffic from search results. Unless you have experience with SEO, you likely won’t know how to make it happen.
Not Mobile-Friendly
It has never been more important to make sure that your website is mobile-user friendly. A majority of internet users are using mobile devices these days.
Unfortunately, many website builders don’t seem to be planning for mobile users. If your website is not mobile-friendly, it could be causing most of your potential customers to become frustrated and leave your site.
No Call to Action
Having a call-to-action, or several, on your website is a key part of an effective website. What is a call to action, or CTA? It simply means a prompt for the user to make a specific action. This could be as simple as “call now”, “schedule an appointment”, or “click here to learn more”.
Different pages on your website need different calls to action. A professional web developer knows this and knows exactly how to set them up. If you build your website yourself, you may not know how to effectively use calls to action. If clients don’t know what to click on next, they could leave and go to a competitor’s website that is better laid out.
Final Thoughts
DIY websites may be budget-friendly and simple to set up, but there are downsides. DIY websites can look unprofessional, be bad for SEO, frustrating for mobile users, and leave customers wondering where to click.
Save yourself the hassle and invest in a professional service to build your website for you, one that will be easy to use, has all the key elements, and get you more traffic and more business.
For more info on building your website, contact us at Triad Marketing Solutions today.
