The DIY Dilemma is at the top of the list for most entrepreneurs - When you're getting started, the temptation to penny pinch is STRONG. Believe us, we've been there! At first, the allure of DIY website building might seem appealing... But as you start navigating the complexities of design, functionality, and SEO, you might find yourself in a little over your head.
Well, pull yourself up by your boot straps, my friend! You didn't become an entrepreneur because you gave up after the first sign of hardship, and we are sure you are up for the challenge. Here are our very best tips for building a website in a Do-It-Yourself fashion.
Our biggest advice: If you decide to DIY, make sure you do it right. We see it time and time again (typically when business owners decide they no longer want to DIY). They discover that they had huge errors on their site that left their business exposed for potential accessibility lawsuits, or that the Blog they had been writing for years for some reason wasn't being cataloged by Google at all. What. A. Waste. Of. Time. So, don't let that be you! Be methodical, check your information in more than one place, and tap into as many expert resources as you can, several of which we highlight here!
1. Do your research
Like literally. Take a course on web design, learn a bit about SEO. Neil Patel has some pretty amazing SEO & marketing courses which are FREE, so don't immediately feel like doing your research will require money... It will just require time. Plan out your project and everything you should include on your site. Execute. Don't slack off and say you just don't have time to do the research. If you don't have time to do the research, you need to hire a pro. HubSpot also has its own 'Academy' where you can learn tons about SEO, Web Design Theory and so much more.
2. Choose your web builder wisely
You don't want to set everything up on a platform that you hate using so much you never edit your website. Look at reviews. Do a free trial and try out the builder to see if you find it easy to navigate. Transferring everything to a new web builder in a few years will cost you the same amount of time you spent creating the first website AGAIN.
3. Know you are going to spend some time
Probably a lot of time: Let's face it, everyone would renovate their own bathroom if they had the time and could do all of the research necessary to be able to make it look amazing. But suddenly, as we're in the 8th hour of chiseling grout out from in between the 3,697 tiny bathroom tiles, we question our decision. You need to know that in order to do it right, you are going to need to spend some time, some metaphorical elbow grease, and some really long chats with an online support that might get you somewhere.... or nowhere. That's just the price to pay.
4. Understand that there are things you don't even know that you don't know about web design
The extension of this is 'there are also things that you need to do outside of your website that will make your website function at its best'. Your entire digital marketing strategy matters, and your website is simply a piece of that. But, if you're digging into designing your own website, it's important to keep in mind how this piece of the puzzle plays with all the other pieces that your business has floating around the internet. Make sure what you are doing and designing on your website flows into the branding on your socials and that information is consistent across the internet for your business.
5. Take advantage of AI... but not too much
AI can be an incredible tool for
potentially designing a website the right way. For example, if I ask ChatGPT to create an outline of what I might want to include on the home page of a cleaning business website, it will probably give me some good guidelines. If I want to create some content, use a certain tone in my language, create a certain intent with the language on my website, AI is my bff. However, everything learned should be verified, and checked for originality. AI is not a human, it's a tool (and one that on the DIY side can save you a LOT of time).
6. Check everything after you publish.
Once your site is published and available for everyone to see, the work begins! Make sure you check in with Google Search Console and Google Analytics to continue to track your website's progress, and make sure that Google has actually found your site to begin with. Checking PageSpeed Insights or other similar tools can also be helpful to understand if your site is functioning optimally. While it might seem like this should just happen naturally, it does not!!! You don't want to look at this tool a year from now and realize that no one has been visiting your site because it takes 10 seconds to load. This tool will also give you an idea of if your website is implementing website best practices, SEO, and Accessibility so that if there are glaring issues you can go back and fix them.
When is it time to cash in your chips?
When you find yourself a little too lost, or spending more frustrating time trying to adjust the alignment of a page than you are actually working on your small business, it's time to think about hiring a pro. We are all for the DIY, but also understand that it has taken us years to develop the knowledge we have now, and that doesn't even touch the tip of the iceberg when it comes to knowledge that anyone needs to continue to learn in this rapidly evolving industry. From time efficiency, to understanding the technical intricacies, to even things as simple as making the website responsive to different size screens... These tasks can certainly be done yourself if you're willing to make the time. If you're not, a pro should make your life and your business sanity a whole lot better <3
When I started SimplicityDMS, my goal wasn't to simply charge the going rate if my experience hadn't earned it. Just because I could charge $3500 to design a 5 page site... should I?! In reality, our goal for SimplicityDMS is to work with business owners through their ups and downs and growth and challenges... and be able to adjust their website accordingly. Where most business owners get stuck poring through support articles, or struggling through conversations with generic customer service.. we wanted our clients to be able to fire off a text or an email to us and know that we will find a solution for them! We never want you to have that feeling of 'I have so many things I need to do with my website but never have the time to get around to doing them'. We are in the marathon business, not the sprint business, and that is why you see perhaps confusingly low up front prices for our websites. We know that you need to continue to adjust and adapt over time, and we want to have your back for many years to come.
Happy Website Building!
About SimplicityDMS
SimplicityDMS is a small, independent woman-owned web design company based out of Greater Boston, MA. We specialize in working alongside entrepreneurs & small businesses to optimize their web presence in an affordable way, and offer ongoing support and hosting to keep your website and business thriving. Schedule your
free consult today to brainstorm the possibilities for your next project!
