Are Do-It-yourself Website Builders the Best Approach to Creating Online Website Presence?

Since I published a post called Edu Net Solutions Business Division Site Launch, I’ve been researching Do-it-yourself (DIY) website builders. My interest intensified in this web solution when last week I completed a website for a small business called Total Health Naturopathy. This business has been operating for over two years now. When its owner first started her business, she used a DIY website builder and now, as her business enters a new stage, she has engaged us to help her build a fit-for-purpose website. This experience has lead me to question whether DIY builders are the best approach to creating online website presence for small business owners.

In the business world, small business must stand out to even have a chance to be seen. When starting a small business, all owners face the challenge of working out how to best promote their business online within their means. It is true that during the early phases of start-up, every owner needs to spend mindfully, keeping expenses to a minimum so that the business can break-even or a make a profit as fast as possible. For many, the idea of employing a web developer to create a website is daunting and immediately conjures the big dollar sign. Meanwhile. most business owners possess limited knowledge of the web development process and it can also be difficult to find an experienced and cost-effective developer. So, as a result, owners often avoid seeking professional guidance and instead utilise two main approaches to developing an online presence.

The first strategy is to simply delay in developing a business website. Instead some owners focus on targeting their audience through social media platforms, such as Facebook and Instagram. However, they do so not realising while their audience may enjoy their posts and feed, if they really like their advertised products and services, they will search for the business and look for a website. Having a website is, therefore, a crucial strategy to build the credibility of a business. Social media should only ever be a complement to a website.

1. No web accessibility;
2. Poor search engine optimization (SEO) or none at all;
3. Poor/Basic template design; and,
4. Poorly presently or written content, including typos.

Perhaps the most serious issues are points 1 and 2. If your business has no proper SEO on every page and no web accessibility, your business will not rank well on Google. Please read my post why website accessibility is good for business and other posts in my blog to find out how SEO and web accessibility go hand-in-hand. If your business fails to rank on Google, this means your potential client or customer will not be able to find you. Simply put, your business will be lost in cyberspace!

While a DIY builder will help you initially gain a presence on the web, it is important to highlight that many free templates are basic and cannot be easily altered. Arguably, only a professional and experienced web developer possesses the knowledge and skill to develop a website that is tailored to your business.

As a final point, the other downside of the DIY builders is while they initially seem cost-effective, many providers have add-ons, which are extra and end up costing almost as much as hiring a professional. It is important to highlight that many of the renown DIY website companies are based overseas and your domain may end up with a .com extension when it should be .com.au, for Australian websites.

At Edu Net Solutions, we’ll build a cost-effective online presence for your business. Not only will we build a professionally developed website tailored to your business, but we will also take care of your business domain (or redirection), logo design, provide you with an email with your company’s domain, website maintenance (or training if you want to maintain it yourself) and even business cards.

Needless to say Total Health Naturopathy’s owner is delighted with her brand new website.

If you relate to this post, contact us.