How To Avoid Wasting Time and Money When Building A Website
Websites have come a long way since the early days of the internet and there are now many different platforms you can use to create a website without having to know how to code. That being said, depending on the features and ins and outs of your website, you might still need to hire someone with coding skills. You could easily end up wasting time and money by trying to do it all yourself, or hiring the wrong developer.
It might be intimidating to construct a website, especially if you don’t know where to start. Even with all of the advancements in technology, the art of web design and development is still a complex field that takes years to master. The average person doesn’t have the time or patience to learn everything they need to know in order to create a website that looks amazing and gets results. This is why hiring someone who specializes in web design and development is always the best option.
Balancing time vs. money
When you’re trying to save money by doing it yourself or hiring someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing, you might end up spending more in the long run. You could spend hours upon hours trying to figure out how to design and code your website, only for it to turn out looking terrible and not working correctly. This will end up costing you more time and money than if you had just invested in a professional from the start.
As a business owner, your time is valuable and you should be spending it on things that will generate revenue for your company. Hiring a professional web designer frees up your time so that you can focus on running your business.
A good web designer will also be able to save you money in the long run by ensuring your website is built with search engine optimization (SEO) in mind. This means that your website will be designed in a way that makes it easy for people to find when they are searching online.
The difference between hiring a good SEO and bad SEO can be catastrophic to your business and the reality is, most web designers have no clue about SEO. Hiring a professional who understands both web design and SEO is essential to the success of your website and business.
If you try to do this yourself, or hire someone who doesn’t know how, you could end up wasting money on ads and other marketing efforts to try and bring people to your site.
Build it yourself or hire a designer
People start websites for many reasons but business owners often want to sell products or services, increase leads, or establish a brand identity online. This requires a well-designed website that is also easy to use and navigate.
This means depending on your specific needs, you might need to hire a web developer, a site designer, or someone who can do both.
Business owners don’t often truly understand how impactful a website can be and they don’t want to spend the money that is necessary to get a high-quality site. They often try to save money by designing it themselves or hiring someone who doesn’t have the proper skillset.
This decision often ends up costing them more time and money in the long run. The website might take longer to develop, might not function properly, and could even end up looking bad.
Hiring a professional from the start will help you avoid all of these problems and give you a much better result.
The upside and potential rewards of doing it yourself
While hiring a professional is always the best option, there are some upsides to trying to do it yourself or going with someone who doesn’t have as much experience. The most obvious upside is that it will cost you less money upfront. However, this could end up costing you more in the long run if your website turns out looking terrible or not working correctly.
Another potential upside is that you might learn something new in the process. Even if you don’t end up creating a website that looks amazing or functions perfectly, you could at least walk away with some new skills and knowledge. This could come in handy down the road if you ever decide to create another website or help someone else with theirs.
Most of the time when business owners attempt this, they get frustrated and end up giving me a call anyway. It’s better to just hire someone from the start who knows what they’re doing and can create a website that looks great and offers a great user experience.
Make a list of what you want and need from your website
Before you even start thinking about design or coding, you need to take a step back and think about what you want your website to achieve. What is the purpose of the site? Who is your target audience? What kind of content will you be sharing? Are you selling your own product or service?
Once you have a clear idea of your goals, it will be easier to move on to the next steps. If you’re not sure what you want from your website, or how to achieve your goals, a professional site designer can help you figure it all out.
The most important thing is to take the time to figure out what exactly you need and want from your website before starting the design process. You will avoid major headaches and wasted time and money by doing this.
Be patient-building a website can take time!
No matter what route you go, building a website takes time. It’s important to be patient and not get frustrated if things don’t seem to be moving as quickly as you’d like.
If you’re working on it yourself, it might take longer than you expect. And even if you’re hiring someone to do it for you, it’s still going to take some time to get everything just right.
The most important thing is to keep your end goal in mind and remember that the finished product will be worth the wait.
To keep peace of mind, set a realistic timeline for when you want your website to be completed and have frequent communication with the web designer so you are both on the same page.
“A good rule of thumb is that your time is worth $100 per hour and your money is worth $1,000 per hour,” says Pete Sveen, senior creative director at Blue Water Media, a web design company in Washington, D.C. “With that in mind, if a project will take you 40 hours to complete, it’s probably not worth your time to do it yourself unless you’re willing to sacrifice quality.”
If you are still making more money working on other things and can delegate the website to someone else, then it’s probably worth it to hire someone.
Investing in a quality site design is always worth the money
Web developers can be expensive, but if you want a professional website, it’s worth the investment. Especially if it’s able to immediately impact your business and generate more revenue. You could try to learn how to code and design your own site, but unless you’re already familiar with web development, it will take longer and probably won’t look as good.
In the end, the best way to ensure you’re not wasting time or money when building a website is to invest in a quality site design. A professional site designer will be able to help you create a website that looks great and functions properly, without you having to spend hours trying to figure it all out yourself.
Conclusion
The bottom line is, when it comes to building a website, you need to think about more than just the upfront cost. Investing in a professional web designer will save you time, money, and headaches in the long run.
Building a website can be a lot of work but it’s worth it if you want a professional site that looks good and helps you achieve your business goals. It’s important to take the time to figure out exactly what you need and want from your website before starting the design process.
You can save yourself a lot of time and money by hiring a professional site designer from the start. They will be able to help you create a website that looks great and functions properly, without you having to spend hours trying to figure it all out yourself.
So if you’re thinking about building a website, remember these tips and avoid wasting time or money in the process!
