“Getting a quality website is not an expense but rather an investment.” - Dr. Christopher Dayagdag

“Should I build my own website and online store on a drag-and-drop builder like Wix, Squarespace or Shopify, or hire a professional web designer to do it for me?”

This is a question that plagues many an entrepreneur in their quest to maximize savings, so let’s dive into the 5 biggest pros and cons of each:

1.Cost: This is usually the biggest deciding factor when trying to choose the best way to build your online presence. The general belief going around is that creating your own website is the cheaper option, while hiring a professional designer is the more expensive option. This CAN be true in the short term for sure, especially if you don’t have the initial investment to hire a pro. In the long run however, when you add up the costs of the ongoing fees, maintenance and hours of your own time with DIY platforms, it usually ends up not being the more economical option. At the end of the day, the pros of building your own website on the many DIY platforms out there in terms of cost lie in the lower upfront investment.

Although you will want to pay attention to those bandwidth, storage and ‘extra-feature’ limitations with DIY platforms. That’s where hidden fees start to creep in, and you definitely want to do your homework before deciding if a platform will truly be your cheapest option over time. (Hint: a basic contact form is a must on ANY website, and shouldn’t be considered an extra feature only available in premium plans). If DIY is truly the best fit, you will want a platform that gives you everything you need without any limitations, like our very own Buttr™ CRM.

2.Time​: As important as cost, is the consideration of time. If you have the time to play around with the many themes available on DIY platforms and have a creative spirit, then this might be the way to go for you. For many solopreneurs and small business owners however, the need to quickly get an online storefront or web presence up and running while they focus on the nuts and bolts of running their actual business is a huge deciding factor. Needless to say, hiring a professional who can get a website up and running for you in a matter of weeks, and usually in just a couple of days for a static website (static = not dynamically pulling data from an external source) is the way to go if time is of the essence. Remember: time = money!

3.Ease/ Vision: If you have a specific vision for your website and strongly feel the need to control the littlest of details on it, the ease of DIY website building platforms makes them a great option to build your website exactly how you want it. Especially in today’s digital climate where your website is also your primary storefront and business card. On the other hand, trying to find a professional who matches your vision and design aesthetic exactly can sometimes prove to be a challenging task! Even if you do find one whose style you love and find that your own style resonates with, communicating your vision can sometimes be a lot harder than just building it out yourself. So for creative professionals who have a strong desire to control all the little details, I would definitely recommend a DIY platform like Buttr™ unless you know of a professional already who emulates your style and vision.

4.Code Export/ Integrations: Usually only a consideration when your business scales and your website has outgrown the functionality it was originally created for, most DIY platforms don’t allow you to export your website code and transfer it to another hosting platform if you ever need to down the road. Your only options at that point would either be to stay locked into the platform you built your website on and deal with its limitations, or start from scratch!

5.Marketing/ Tracking Traffic: My business coach and mentor once said to me, “a website is only as good as the traffic it brings in”. I have known and believed this simple truth for a while now, but have never been able to put it as simply and eloquently as she did! She is spot-on of course, because what good is a fabulous website if it isn’t making you any money? If it isn’t driving people to your business or brand, catering to their needs and ultimately driving more sales? A website that isn’t tracking your traffic (even while you sleep) and giving you a way to retarget to a warm audience that is already interested in your brand, services or product, is like leaving money on the table! Or like my husband Kunal says, it’s like having a gym membership and never going to the gym- you are totally not getting the full benefit of what you’re paying for.”

How does this tie in with the consideration of deciding whether to build your own website on a DIY platform or hire a professional to do it for you? Although anybody can install Facebook and Google’s tracking codes on your website no matter what it was built on, having this done right from the get-go means that by the time you’re ready to scale your business and tap into the power of social media marketing, the data is already there for you and ready for the taking.

The Short (TLDR) Version: Here is what it all boils down to: if you have a creative spirit, a little time on your hands, a specific vision, a limited up-front budget and a basic know-how of how website code works so you can do minor tweaks and install tracking codes by yourself, then DIY might be the perfect solution for you. If, on the other hand, you’re looking for long term savings, are short on time, have a basic vision but would prefer a professional’s creative touch, have the up-front budget for it and most importantly, know that you will eventually want to scale your business with powerful social media marketing and search engine optimization (SEO) strategies, hiring a professional from the get-go might be the solution you’re after. Whichever way you decide to go, make sure that your time, energy and money are being spent where your business needs them the most.

What are your thoughts? Do you agree or disagree? We would love to hear your story! Please share the tools you use or have used in the past to build your website below, and tell us what you love (or hate!) about it 🙂

Prefer a DIY, drag and drop website builder with free hosting instead? Click here to check out Buttr CRM, our standalone customer relationship management tool that includes an easy-to-use website builder, free hosting, and so much more.