Not so long ago, there would have been no question of hiring a pro to get website up and running for your business. It was only the quirky folk with severe acne and an energy drink drip-feed that could produce a website on the internet and it was often an expensive ordeal.

Thanks to the rise of online tools like website builders, it has become much easier for the non-techies among us to build a more-than-decent website. Just because you can, though, doesn’t always mean you should. It’s a decision worth weighing carefully, since for some projects a professional cannot be replaced by a tool.

Now I know what you are thinking. "Lew isn't this post going to be a tad biased since you offer website design as a service?" YES. It will be shamelessly biased. That being said, you can only hire a web design company if you can actually afford to. If you don’t have the money yet to hire someone, then designing your own website may be the only option for now. In many cases, having a basic website with helpful content is better than having no website at all. 

Anyways, let's get to it - a few points to bear in mind during the design of your website.

Design

Design is not something you can pick up in an afternoon. (Maybe a few afternoons?) Without an understanding of design, you could get it wrong. Your competitors on the other hand, might choose to hire a professional web designer and avoid the mistakes.

It's about:

• User experience
• How it looks
• How it makes people feel
• How it makes people act
• The character of your business
  
• Your message to the world

You could end up saving yourself a lot of time and hassle by getting a professional to help you create something that looks well-designed and established.

SEO Knowledge

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is an ever changing landscape. It's the constant battle to keep your website being found on search engines and most importantly to keep you above your competitor listings when potential customers search for your services. Search engines change their rules all the time and what worked last month might not work this month.

We've been helping clients with SEO for years and still (like a lot of aspects in this industry), we are learning more efficient ways to get the best result. SEO requires constant listening, watching and testing to see what’s changed with Google and the other search engines.

Some key technologies in the world of SEO:

• 301 Redirects
  
• Backlinks
  
• 404 Error Pages
  
• Schema Markup
  
• Domain and Page Authority
  
• Anchor Text
  

These are the basic fundamentals of SEO and so if they look alien, either get reading or get in touch with a web designer. We plan to release an article soon with a quick overview of these technologies, so keep an eye out for that.

You are not your customer

You live and breathe your business everyday and it’s fair to say you know your customers. We like to think we’re the same.

The problem is that when you’re so involved with running the business, it’s sometimes difficult to see things from your customers’ perspective. It’s difficult to imagine what it might look like seeing your website for the first time, by a prospect for example. This is known as 'the curse of knowledge'.

That’s where a professional designer can help. They can see the things you’ve missed because they are looking from a different direction. Here are a few common mistakes caused due to this 'curse':

• No prominent contact details
• No clear call to action
  
• No statement explaining succinctly what it is you do

Not every web designer will consider how your site will lead to more contact and sales because they may just be focused on creating a website for you. So admittedly this point you could look at as a possible benefit of creating your own website - you know what you want from it.

We are a little different. Here at Ostratto, your interests are our interests. Everything that comes out of our door is with our principles in mind, and they exist only to boost your business.

You might need help along the way

Building a website isn't a walk in the park. You might be able to pull something basic together with some guides and the power of YouTube but what happens if something goes wrong?

A web designer would take care of all this for you. You won’t need to fix anything or find answers to complex tech questions. We do everything for you. We've spent years educating ourselves on the technicalities of designing websites and have come across plenty of problems and solutions over that time. There’s not really any need for you to do the same.

However, that being said, here are some fantastic resources for web design tips:

• HubSpot
• Orbitmedia
  
• Webflow

The right tools for the job

Like any creative skill it requires a number of tools to ensure the job is done correctly. If you don’t have these tools and/or know how to use them, then you might not get the result you’re hoping for. Here are a list of tools we use to build successful websites:

• Adobe Photoshop
• Adobe Illustrator
• Google Search Console
• Google Analytics
• G Suite
  
• Rank Tracking Software
• Competitor analysis software
• Landing page software

These tools can be expensive but they are necessary. Especially if you want to create high impact websites for users that perform well in search engines.

It took us a few years to learn how to use these tools and even longer to use them effectively.

LOTS of time

Learning to build a website from scratch can take a long time, especially if you aren’t very technical. Even if you’re using some super-simple website design tool you may need to do a lot tweaking to get it right. Not to mention all the image editing and resizing to make it look good and load quickly. You will also need time moving forward to update the website often to keep it fresh and looking professional enough to show to the world.

Time is money and whilst you’re learning how to build a website, you’re not managing or marketing the business.

Time - you are going to need it.

Your competitors

Even if you do have the time to create your own website, there is a high chance your competitor has paid a pro. If they have paid for a professional website to be designed and you haven’t, the likelihood is that theirs will work better.

If you are trying to stand out then you’ll want to a high quality website that looks better than your competition.

My tuppence

I know it’s tempting to try and design a website yourself, even more tempting when drag and drop software now looks so easy. Considering the points I’ve covered above, think carefully whether or not you have the time, the skills and the patience to create a showstopping website. Quite a few of our current clients have asked us to build their website after they tried to do it themselves.

At some point you’re going to have to pay a professional. It’s up to you whether you do it now or later.