Depending on what your budget and time allow for, it can be a tough call to choose who to have build your website
Thinking about building your own website? You have a lot to consider. While there are many template-based website builder that advertiser a quick, easy to build a website, and if you’re not experienced it can be hard to get things exactly as you want them. Plus, there are many website best practices that a template site can’t give.
On the other hand, hiring an agency is tough. You’ll have to consider your budget and then find a good agency who estimates their pricing within that budget. Not to mention picking the gold from the fool’s gold, a.k.a finding a development team who actually does good work.
Today we’re diving into this topic and breaking down why a website development agency may or may not be helpful for you.
First, consider these website best practices:
- Clean, simple interface
- Mobile responsive
- High-quality videos
- Multiple Calls-to-Action
- Contact info is easy to find
- Strong web copy
- Clear page navigation
Now, let’s look at your options.
Why are you thinking about building it yourself?
The majority of people who choose to build their own website do so because they don’t have a budget to work with. Understandable. Hiring an agency can be expensive. Compared to a DIY site builder, the costs look astronomical. Many agencies start websites at $3,000 and they can be as expensive as $100,000. Sticker shock, anyone?
It’s no wonder many people start digging into other options. They’ll look to contact their weird tech-y relative, cheap freelance coders, or think about just doing it themselves.
In fact, that’s probably what lead you to this blog.
There are several tools to help you build your own website, including some very popular drag-and-drop template builders.
Consider these factors:
What’s important to you?
First up, determine what you need on your website. What are your goals and the important features you’d like to see on your website? Is a calendar something that you could use to communicate with customers? Could you benefit from having an in-depth resource center? What things do you want to see on the new website? Now, are these things that you can figure out and either find a solution or code yourself?
Do you have a sales funnel you’d like to set up?
The other thing to think about is the goal of the website. It used to be that a website could function as a digital business card and it worked. But now, websites are living, breathing entities that have a strategic purpose behind them. If you’re looking to set up a marketing funnel that truly converts, do you have both the technical knowledge and the long-term planning capability to see it through?
Do you have the time to spend on building a website?
Lastly, and very importantly, can you actually take the time and build the website yourself? There are a lot of moving parts that go into building a website. You have to match your whole branding, develop a sitemap and write website copy, design the website or pick out a template and customize it, choose high-quality photos, set up calls-to-action, and make sure it all works. It can take upwards of 100 hours to get everything all together. There’s nothing worse than a long-standing project like a new website that hangs over your head for months and months.
Why would you choose an agency?
Well, the obvious reason is for convenience! If you hire an agency, the project is propelled by a whole team who will work to get the project done in a matter of a couple months. They’ll facilitate everything and help you through the entire process to see your dream project come to life.
But more than that, a website development agency can also provide strategic advice and guidance for you.
A website is an investment. It needs to be effective to draw in and sell to new customers.
And, It’s also professional.
An agency will help you create compelling content focused on your buyer personas. It will tell your story, and ultimately, be written with search engines in mind. Writing in a way that gets you noticed on Google is crucial to getting your name out there and seen by potential customers.
They can also provide ongoing support as you continue to build out your website. A good website is never truly done and their expertise can help you as you add special features to the site.
Don’t go with the lowest bid– they may not be able to accomplish what you need. Read about website pricing here.
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