Do It Yourself Websites – Worth It?

Should I Create My Own Website?

Just like many other services out there you’ll see a lot of do it yourself website offers. There are so many platforms that offer “free” ways to create an awesome site fast. Sounds good…right?

Are do it yourself websites really worth it?

There are a multitude of programs and platforms in regards to building websites. They vary greatly in cost, design, features, etc.  There are some DIY platforms that are decent and many that are sub par. The biggest challenges in DIY sites is not usually the platform, but the lack of experience in the person building the website.

There is a lot that goes into planning and designing a website. Often times they do not know what it takes to create a professional website. They often don’t know where to start and struggle for hours and hours figuring out how to size one image for example. They end up with a site that is anything but professional looking.

Does that sound like you?

Here are some comparisons I always talk to my clients about…

1 – Changing your own car oil

Can you change your own car oil?

Yes you probably can…but… Do you have the skills needed? Most likely not. Can you learn those skills? Maybe. Do you have the right equipment? If something goes wrong do you know how to fix it? Can you really learn everything you need to know online and feel confident about it?

Ultimately the answer is EVENTUALLY you probably could figure it out. You might need to buy new equipment, learn how to use it and spend hours learning through maybe some YouTube videos / online manuals. There might even be a lot of trial and error…but eventually you might be able to learn it.

But should you? What is your time worth?

Do you really want to spend time doing that? What else could be better used with your time? If you love cars and have a passion for fixing them up and you enjoy spending your time this way…that’s great. But if you are not one of these people, would you spend the time learning how…or would you take your car to a professional?

“Time is what we want most, but what we use worst.” William Penn

Our time is very limited and a resource we cannot truly “buy” more of. How do you really want to spend your time? Could you spend your time working on your own business? Maybe more time developing and honing in on your specific skill set? What about more free time on personal interests and hobbies?  Maybe more time with family & friends?

As the old saying goes – time is money! Hiring a professional will pay for itself many times over in the long run.

2 – Hiring an accountant

I’m not going to lie…hiring an accountant was the BEST thing I ever did for my business. When I first started out I was sure that I could handle it all on my own. There was plenty of information online, tax software, etc. Why would anyone pay for an accountant? I thought they were crazy…obviously I could do it myself…

It didn’t take me very long to figure out I was way in over my head. When I hired an accountant I felt like a huge weight was lifted off my chest. She completely restructured how I was doing my financials and in the first year she helped me save money…yes…save money because I had been doing it ALL wrong. The money saved was more than her fees!

Could I have kept doing it myself?

Yes. But laws/tax codes change a lot… do I have time to keep up? Would I have eventually figured out what I was doing wrong? Maybe not. My accountant knows how to best do it and it saves me SO much time and energy. I do not stress about tax time. She handles it all for me including projections and summaries from year to year. Is it costly? Yes. Is it worth it? YES!

The point of these examples I’m trying to make is that hiring a professional can save you a lot of time, hassle, stress, energy and ultimately you’ll be better off in the long run!

I have worked with many clients who first tried creating their own websites. There is always some friend or family member who assures them that it’s easy and they can do it themselves.

Unfortunately some of my clients tried for years without a working site. They never could quite get it right. Or I have other clients who created a website but knew it was so bad they wouldn’t even send their own customers to it.

Can you do it yourself?

It’s possible you’d eventually be able to figure it out. But if you are not a website designer, hiring a professional will ultimately save you a lot … time, energy, stress, money.

Hiring a professional to design your website is going to be the best return on your investment.

If you have been struggling with a do it yourself website, it might be time you asked for help. If you are ready, schedule a consultation with me today here.

Rachel Muraca
Virtual Design, LLC
WordPress Web Design
Read Our Testimonials
Find Us on Facebook