As the world rapidly journeys further into the digital age, having an outstanding website is no longer optional, but vital for business, marketing, and communication.
Free website builders now occupy a not-so-small corner of the Internet, proclaiming their easy to use services that extraordinarily require no coding experience or tech skills whatsoever. Once seated upon a highly sought after throne, website designers are becoming another group of innovative humans losing out on jobs due to technology. The allure of these drag and drop website builders have many business owners trying their hand at building their own websites to save money. But the truth is, a free website builder can cost much more in wasted time and frustration.
If you want your website to truly represent you, your brand, and your company, then you need to hire a website designer.
Not convinced?
Take a gander at these five reasons why you need a website designer:
1. Save Time, Energy, and Frustration
If you’re a business owner, you’re time is extremely valuable. Unless downing four pots of coffee and pulling an all-nighter is your favorite pastime, then you need to hire a website designer. Even if you are tech savvy and have a solid grasp on the basics, there is still a whole slew of skills that are crucial to constructing an effective website. If you decide to invest precious hours wrestling with templates and textboxes, there’s still a good chance you will be left extremely disappointed with the outcome of all your hard work. Finding out that your site doesn’t display properly (or at all) will leave you kicking yourself for not hiring a website designer in the first place. So play your strengths and delegate your website needs to a pro.
2. Professionalism and Competition
Businesses that don’t have a professionally created website risk losing customers online and even offline. It’s no secret that consumers evaluate and compare products and companies long before they pull the trigger on a purchase. If your website does not seem professional or secure, customers will simply move on to your competition’s URL. If your competitors have a web presence before you do, they are already one step ahead. But, if you hire a website designer and launch a more professional, effective website, you will end up having the edge.
3. Staying Up to Date
The Internet changes faster than the weather in Michigan. New technologies, computer code, and methods to increase traffic to your site manifest every single day. When you hire a professional website designer, you can be assured that the site is being created with the latest technologies and according to the latest trends. A professional website designer is not only your artistically adept graphic designer, but they are also in the loop when it comes to online marketing, CSS, photo optimization, JavaScript, and other languages that will boggle your brain if you decide to try to build your own website.
4. SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
Search Engine Optimization is a enigmatic technique that somehow magically gets your website near the top of a Google search. A high search engine ranking is important not only because it is free, but it is usually the number one way potential customers will find you on the Internet. A professional website designer knows how to develop your website in a way that search engines can easily read and rank your page. If search engines cannot find your site easily, neither will your clients. It’s like building your business on a busy street so people can see that it exists. When you have a website built by a professional website designer, search engines can see it and usher people in like an overly enthusiastic human billboard.
5. Continual Maintenance
Many people don’t realize that a website is never really complete. Websites require regular maintenance and if you neglect basic upkeep, glitches, such as broken links, slow page loading, and other issues will negatively affect your visitors experience and their impression of your company. And, once customers start flooding in, your needs will increase as your audience grows. Website builders simply can’t keep up with these demands as your website’s traffic increases, but with the help of a great designer, you have nothing to worry about. In addition, updating and adding new content to your website will consistently improve its performance and increase your return on your investment.
There are a million other things a free website builder can’t do that website designer can and there are many more logistical reasons you really do need a website designer. But the bottom line is, creativity is something a machine has a hard time replicating.
While DIY website builders may appear to be all sunshine and rainbows, they can easily lead you down the road of wasted time and frustration. A website is more than just an extension of your business. It is an important first impression and you want to make sure your website represents your vision and mission in a way that relates to your customers. Sometimes, this is hard to articulate on an unfamiliar platform. A professional website designer has the tools, knowledge, and experience to efficiently deliver your message and ultimately help grow your business and boost profits, all while making you look good.
If you are big or small; non-profit or focused on building the healthiest bottom line possible; seeking a basic site or all the bells and whistles; redesigning a current site or starting from scratch, Net Designs is here for your next project. Visit our Contact page and let’s start a conversation!
Author: Kendall Dick, Net Designs Blogger
Net Designs, Wendy Bedell | (269) 428-5016 | wendy.bedell@netdesignsonline.com | Contact