Should you DIY your website or invest in a custom design?
Should you DIY your website or get something custom?
We thoroughly believe here at Big Cat Creative that there’s a time when it’s best for you to DIY your site, and also a time when it’s best for you to get something professionally designed.
But how do you know what the best option is for you and your biz right now?
We get this question a lot, so today I thought I would break it down for you, so you can make the absolute best decision for yourself and your biz!
When you should DIY
We recommend DIYing your website if you’re a new business owner for three main reasons.
1. Your Business will change
Firstly, your business is new, and as much as you think you know what you’re doing, or that you have your target audience and business totally dialed in already, chances are, you don’t!
It’s incredibly common for businesses to morph and change in the first year (or more!). You need to give yourself some wiggle room to experiment with new things and test the waters before you commit to a custom web design.
If you DIY your site, you will have the knowledge and ability to change it and update it whenever you need to, this isn’t possible if you get something custom, you will be relying on your developer to update it (and of course, paying them each time).
2. You have complete control over it
And from my experience in helping thousands of new business owners set their websites up, and of course my own personal experience, I can tell you, it’s very likely that you will want to update it a lot while your business grows.
If not completely change it.
If you DIY your site, you will learn all of the ins and outs of your website, and you will know exactly how everything works. Meaning, you will have the ability to update anything on it yourself!
Having the ability to update your site yourself is an incredible asset as a small business owner. Especially because your website is the hub of your business. So if you have the power to update it your own site, you really have complete control over your whole business!
DIYing your site as a new business owner gives you so much room to grow, update, change, and expand your business, all while not having to rely on someone else to implement those changes for you.
3. You’ll save a ton of money
Getting a custom website design will cost you a decent amount of money. As someone who used to design custom websites, I know how much work goes into creating a custom site (hint: a lot).
It’s important as a fresh-faced biz owner that you don’t put pressure on yourself to have everything perfect yet. If you do, you will likely invest in a custom design that you totally can’t afford.
And it’s not just a one-off cost: Getting a website custom designed usually means that you have no idea how the backend works. And if you’ve been following along so far, that means you really have no control over your website.
And because your business is young, it’s gonna change, and you’re gonna wanna make updates (guaranteed!). That means you’ll be relying on your designer/developer to make the updates for you, which is going to cost you even more money.
There are a lot of hidden costs when it comes to getting a custom web design.
Trust me when I say, you don’t need a perfect website when you’re just starting out. Please don’t go into debt getting something custom because you believe it’s something you “need”. Don’t compare your baby business with businesses that are 5+ years in.
But don’t let all of this put you off creating a website at all, please! Websites are the lifeblood of your biz! And a DIY option is totally do-able and acceptable.
DIY-ing your website doesn’t mean it has to look DIY-ed
You can totally have a beautiful, professional looking website that you created yourself.
The website design platforms are so DIY friendly these days that it would actually be hard to make something look really bad.
If you need a hand DIY-ing your site, check out our Squarespace Template Kits. These kits show you how to set up your website step by step, from 0 to launch! They’re a great option if you want to save time learning the platforms and get something beautiful up quickly, while still being able to save a ton of money on getting something custom.
When you should invest is a custom site design
A custom website design is a great option if you’ve been in biz for a while (at least a year, ideally more!) and are getting continuous traffic to your website.
1. Your business is less likely to change
Because you’ve been in business for a while, you’ve probably really honed in on your messaging and your target audience.
Which means, it’s likely that you won’t be needing to make as many changes on your site!
Also, your branding should probably be pretty solid at this point too, so you can commit to a whole design style without the worry of potentially changing it soon.
So investing in something custom now isn’t going to cost you as much in the long run, since your business is in a steady place, and your website won’t need as many updates.
2. When your DIY website starts costing you money
You didn’t get into your business to DIY everything forever, especially your website. It’s not your zone of genius (if it was, you wouldn’t be reading this article!).
Generally in the beginning of your business, you have some spare time to DIY things because your clients aren’t exactly rolling-in yet and it’s a great way to save money.
But as soon as those clients do start rolling in, and as soon as fiddling around with your website starts taking money-making time away from your business, it’s a good idea to hire someone else.
At this stage, you could hire someone who knows whichever platform you’re using to make minor updates to your current site, you don’t need to go full-blown custom, but it’s something to consider!
(If you are getting clients rolling in, that’s a sign that maybe your website is getting more and more traffic, so it could be time for a professional upgrade!)
3. When your budget easily allows for it
A custom website design can cost you anything from $1000 to $10,000, but if you are in the right position to get one (see points 1 and 2) and you easily have the money to pay for it (a very important part of this) then you should definitely go for it!
A custom website can be the best investment you ever make for your business. But it is generally a pretty large investment! So don’t take it lightly. Make sure you are completely ready for one, make sure you it’s something that you really need, make sure it is something that is actually going to truly benefit your business.
Remember, you don’t need a pretty and expensive website because Jenna Kutcher and Marie Forleo have them (remember, they have been in business for 10+ years and have whole teams that work for them!). You need a website that is going to create sales and grow your business, and if your DIY site is still doing that really well, maybe you don’t need a custom site.
It’s also important that you do a lot of research on who you are going to hire. Check out their portfolio, testimonials and jump on a call with them.
Also, research the not-so-upfront-costs. Like, how much will it cost you to maintain per month, and is that something your business can afford?
I hope this post was helpful in deciding which is the best option for your business at this stage!
Want more tips? Check out the blog posts below!
Does using one of your Squarespace Templates affect my SEO?
How to choose the perfect template to start with for Squarespace 7.0 and 7.1
What are Social Media Templates & why should you use them?
How to create a blog post template in Squarespace
If you liked this post, Pin it to Pinterest! 👇🏻
