Should you DIY (Do It Yourself) your website? There are some pros and cons to doing it yourself. But is it worth it? Coming from a professional website designer, in my own professional opinion, YES. But depending on what stage you are in your business, DIYing your website can also just waste lots of time, resources, and money. Let me break it down even further

The answer: It depends on what stage you and your business are in.

I think we must address whether or not you should DIY your website heavily depending on what stage you and your business are in. Everyone has different seasons. In one season maybe we aren’t making so much revenue and have to work longer hours. Or in another season we are making too much revenue and have to put the brakes on.

Either way, you must first evaluate 1) what’s your capacity 2) what’s your long-term goal, and 3) Will this do more harm or good?

For New Business Owners: Yes

Are you just starting your business? Is money tight right now?

These are some reasons why it might be more beneficial to you to DIY your website.

Not a lot of Cash Flow

If this is your season where you’re trying to get things started in your business, then I would say yes, it would be beneficial for you to DIY your website. As a new business owner, you may not have enough cash flow to invest in a website. It’s best to DIY to get things started and level up once you have a more established clientele.

For business owners who sell products, owning a website is critical to the health of your business. More consumers would rather buy online as it’s more convenient for them. Plus for you, you’ll have an even greater selection of customers online rather than being brick and mortar.

DIYing your website with just the basics is better than having no website at all. Especially if having a website is essential to sustain your business.

Still Testing Out Your Services

It’s an exciting time when you launch a new business. And when you finally launch, you’ll be getting a lot of feedback from your customers. As entrepreneurs, we must always be able to be quick on our feet and adapt.

So if customers aren’t paying for a particular service or product that you thought would be your highest earning revenue stream, then you have to pivot. You have to listen to your audience and know their wants and needs so that you can create the perfect service or product for them.

If you’re still solidifying your services, then it’s best to DIY your website for the time being. A website is an investment. I would rather have you not waste your time and money in getting a website done to only find out that your services/products will have to be discontinued and have to spend more money updating your website.

Now, what if you’re not a new business owner? You have the cash flow, you’ve established your client and have a referral train, and you’ve solidified your services.

For Established Business Owners: No

For established business owners, I do not recommend DIYing your website. As entrepreneurs, we wear many hats while operating your business. We are the CEO, the Founder, the Marketing Specialist, the Business Admin, and the list can go on. We all know that these tasks are time-consuming. And trying to create your website on TOP of your current plate? It’s going to cost more time and resources.

The Time You’ll Spend Trying To Learn How To DIY, Could’ve Been used to Make More Sales

Building a website is not an easy task… My first website build took me at least two months. Now of course, when I DIY a website I use a completely different software and system than you’ll end up using.

Of course, some templates can save us time in creating our website. But the consequence of using a template is that you look like every other business owner. You and your brand won’t be memorable. Your website is your first impression. You want your website to be aligned with your brand and values

With that being said, all the time and resources spent on creating that website could’ve been used to create more sales and generate more profit.

For example, if you spent 12 hours creating a website and you’re a lash tech. You could easily book 4-6 clients if not more. You could’ve used some of those profits to invest back into your website.

There comes a certain point as business owners where we have to hire out help for us to stay profitable. Hiring a Web Designer will be more beneficial than harmful.

Your Trusted Web Designer will be able to consult with you on the best strategies to make your website work for you, not against you.

You Don’t Know the Strategies on What Makes A Good Website into A Great Website.

Another reason why I don’t recommend DIYing your website as an established business owner is that you don’t know the strategies and tactics web designers use to make a good website into a great website.

It already happened to me when one of my clients told me “I would’ve never thought to do this if I was the one creating the website.” And it’s true, Web Designers spend their time and money on sharpening their skills and education. We use many strategies that can help you position yourself as a leader, tell a story about you and your business, and most importantly strategies that are going to convert your visitor into a customer.

A good web designer will do this for you. But an even better web designer will take the time to explain and educate you behind their reasoning of the certain strategies they equip. I do this so that you’re still a part of the web design process. Your feedback is critical and should be sought after since this is your website.

Conclusion

If you’re a new business owner, it may be more beneficial to DIY your own website if you want to experiment more with your products/services or if you don’t have enough cash flow. For my more experienced business owners, it may cause more harm than good to DIY your website. You have to keep in mind that time is also an asset. Instead of trying to learn a whole new field like web design, you can hire a professional like me to work alongside you to create a website that will generate you more revenue.