I Can Build A Website Myself

You have the savvy to build a website on your own. That’s awesome. We should hang out and talk shop.  Just one question though, “Why haven’t you already?” Might it be because you don’t have the time? Or maybe, just maybe, you’re not entirely confident in your ability to connect all the dots?

This objection often stems from the mindset of, “Since I also know how to build websites, I shouldn’t need to pay a lot for someone else to build it.” (Maybe I should use this on my mechanic.) Unfortunately, this comes with a mess of presumptions and is barely worth the frustration of contesting. But for the sake of posterity, I feel compelled to point out a few things.

Systems Are The Hallmark of Efficiency

Let’s break things down.

When a business owner admits to knowing how to build a website and clearly has a need to do so but hasn’t made the effort, why is that? How deep is their knowledge, really?

Are they aware of the pros and cons of the different platforms and hosting options available to them? Are they familiar with the different ways to integrate the functionality they need to solve their business bottlenecks and inefficiencies? Do they have access to reliable resources? Are they prepared to pay the licence fee for the premium version for essential integrations and addons? I could be wrong but I suspect not.

A seasoned web designer has systems in place to build websites efficiently and often in much less time than someone who likely won’t be using the most compatible integrations. This means less troubleshooting, better functionality, and access to resources that are cost-prohibitive at single-licence price points. I’m calling DIYers out on these points alone. (In a nice way.)

And then of course, there’s the time factor. If you’re telling me that you’re capable of building your own website, you’re saying that money isn’t the reason. In which case, if you’re sitting on your thumbs and haven’t made the effort to build your website yet, it must be about a lack of time.

Million Dollar Websites

It’s times like this that I think about the decision-making mindset of successful millionaires, who prioritize time over money. They’ll take every advantage to fast-track a learning process or a problem by hiring a specialized professional to solve the problem rather than waste time on figuring it out themselves.

Now, I’m acutely aware that financial circumstances are different for millionaires (which is how they can afford to fast-track things). But so are their priorities (which is instrumental in defining their circumstances).

I’m going to assume that, as a business owner, you already make decisions about outsourcing other facets of your business to experts in other areas. Which begs the question, why doesn’t a website garner the same attention? Because if you see the creation of your website as a DIY project, I’m thinking that you don’t fully appreciate the role it plays in business.

Options for Getting Online

Not for nothin’ but, if you genuinely view your website as a business asset, you’ll have an honest-to-goodness budget for this, one that isn’t driven by dollar signs. Although, I get that dollar signs are a reality in life and it’s prudent to want to get the best bang for your buck. But give your business the benefit of the doubt and weigh the options for getting online.

1. Subscription-Based Website Builder (eg. Wix, Squarespace, Shopify). Be prepared to pay ongoing monthly fees. And I mean, ongoing. As in, forever (or, as long as you want to keep that website online). If you have dreams of business growth, expect those subscription fees to increase as your website requires more functionality and bandwidth. I elaborate on why 3^rd-party subscription-based options aren’t in your best interests, here.
2. DIY Self-Host With WordPress. Up front expense + learning curve (& troubleshooting) with optional monthly fees depending on the functionality and licensing fees.
3. Hire A Web Designer. Up front expense with optional monthly maintenance fees. A seasoned designer will include SEO pricing and licencing payments into their overall project fee. While the up front expense is greater than the other two options, you’ll eventually level out into a nominal monthly payment (annual hosting and domain registration fees, because you own your website and aren’t paying someone else higher fees to host it). Plus, you’ll have so much more functionality and growth potential.

Being Transparent

The takeaway here is being authentic about this question: Are you settling for the DIY approach to building a website because of the cost, or because it’s not important enough?

It’s ok to not value a website (it doesn’t make you a bad person). Just own that decision and move on. Do what you need to do to create an online presence (knowing that there’s a difference between a “presence” and a “business”) and don’t give a website a second thought.

If it’s a money thing however, I think we both know that there’s usually a way to creatively finance something that we consider necessary. Even if it means procuring it in stages. Even if things are painfully tight, just prioritize the things that are immediately important and revisit the peripherals when you’re in a better position. But own this decision too. And include it in your business goals. And don’t mask it as something you can do on your own.

The Peripherals

If you’re still bent on the DIY approach, I feel compelled to point out the things to think about even before the designing bit starts (which by the way, should include a working knowledge of color, space, and typography).

There’s the highly strategic and learned skill of SEO copywriting. It should be compelling enough for readers to support high dwell times and CTRs, structured for internal linking, engaging, and shareable. It should also abide by the rules that Google looks for to index and rank it.

There’s the email conundrum. Cloud-based hosting providers don’t typically include email servers so where do you get an email account? And aliases? And how do you tie it to your DNS? And where do you get the best deal on marketing & transactional emails (I’m forever baffled over the number of agencies who still use MailChimp and other autoresponders)?

There’s the selection of tools for bringing specific functionality to your website. And knowing which ones play nice with each other. And configuring each one to be compatible with, well, everything.

There’s the automation of the customer journey. (The what?)

And then there’s the troubleshooting. Because Murphy lives in the back pocket of every web designer and well, things don’t always play out as drawn out. I know first-hand the fun he has with DIYers.

And when it’s all said and done, there’s the upkeep. Which can be anything from regular updates to preventative maintenance and ongoing content development (a requirement for “freshness”).

So when you finally sit down to start to DIY one of the most important business assets you’ll use, make sure you know how to tackle the basics.

• What platform will you build on?
• What hosting provider will you go with?
• What email provider will you use?
• How will you make it responsive across all viewing ports?
• How will you optimize for speed, content, and ranking factors?
• What content will you create, and how often?
• Are you able to work on it until it’s done or do you anticipate working on it “whenever”?
• Don’t forget to optimize it for local search

The rest of the iceberg is under water (in the troubleshooting and unanticipated costs).

Still Not There

And then there’s the industry-specific resources and bulk licensing fees that agencies are privy to (and DIYers aren’t). This means that your design options will be limited to cookie-cutter templates (limited customizations) and default integration configurations because all premium tools require expensive licencing fees.

Both of these things (templates and licenced apps) can easily add up to 3-4 figures for one-time applications, depending on the functionality that you’re looking for.

However, a seasoned web designer has access to commercial licencing of the very resources that you’re probably drooling over, eliminating what would otherwise be an expense to you as well as the time to learn how to use them and troubleshoot their compatibility with other integrations.

(By the way, don’t accept it when an agency charges full price for addons and licences because that’s a money-grab. A conscientious web designer won’t charge for licencing because they recoup a percentage of these costs in the overall project fee.)

Left to your own resources, you’re also solely responsible for creating content (and sourcing images) and ensuring that it meets minimal ranking factors. And when all is said and done, maintaining the website after you build it. Without support.

I hope I’ve painted an intimidating picture of the kind of time commitment you can expect to embark on when you take on your own website build. But if it helps, you have my deepest respect for having the confidence to take it on. Truly.

Priorities

I learned a long time ago that I can’t do everything myself (no matter how hard I try). Common sense dictates that my time is best used by focusing on the things I do well and farming out the rest. Which is how I know that priorities advance the rate of my business growth.

Even if you have the savvy and enthusiasm to build a website, it’s the time factor that needs to be weighed. There are already enough tasks that usurp your time. It doesn’t make sense to spend time you don’t have on learning things you don’t know – time to learn (about things you never knew were a thing), troubleshoot, automate processes, implement marketing strategies, troubleshoot some more, you get the idea.

If you think you’re busy now…

Don’t kid yourself into thinking that you’ll get around to DIY-ing it when you have time. You’re the only one who knows your limits and what you would prefer to spend your time on (business, family, being outdoors). When you’re honest about that, you might find yourself re-evaluating your DIY mojo.

Building websites is a multi-faceted endeavor with a lot of moving parts and specialized applications. Knowing how to marry design and functionality with specific elements of your specific business model is a bit of a science (especially when it comes to knowing which tools work best with each other and for specific uses).

On top of that, there are the behind-the-scenes elements that are regularly overlooked by many freelancers and chop-shop agencies. Specifically, technical SEO. Getting this right is essential to the overarching functionality of any website and directly determines how it’s indexed and ranked. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.