If you own a small business start up and want to put up a website, you have about a billion options these days. Options like Squarespace are everywhere on radio and TV. You may think to yourself, “Why would I need a web designer?”. While these website options sound like a great deal, are you willing to bet the reputation and success of your company on the least expensive available option? As with most things in life, you get what you pay for!
In today’s age, your website is the first – and sometimes the only thing – your potential customers will see when they are searching for your products or services. What kind of first impression are they getting when they visit your website? Does your website properly represent your business and make potential customers want to call you, or does it make them want to look elsewhere?
Without the necessary skills, knowledge, experience and TIME, the do-it-yourself website experience can be disastrous and ultimately cost you thousands of dollars. Everyone knows that hiring a professional comes at a cost but there is a good justification for that cost. Remember the last time you tried a do-it-yourself repair at your house and ended up having to call someone to fix or finish the job? This isn’t a scenario you want to be in with your business.
Many small business owners believe that they can handle the daunting task of designing and maintaining a website. What they don’t understand is that web design is complicated and a full time job. Using a Squarespace template is one thing, but beyond putting up some pictures and a paragraph here or there, what are you going to do when you need more functionality and a professional, not stock, appearance? See the video below for a good laugh :).
Below are five important reasons why you need a professional web designer:
- Your Website Represents Your Business
- Your website needs to convert potential customers into a buyers. If you are like most people that need a good or a service, you Google that business before you even attempt to call them. A web design company can deliver a site that you can be proud of and one that will convert your customers. Your site should look professional and be built purposefully for the type of customers you want to attract.
- Spend More Time Running Your Business. Creating a site and maintaining it takes a lot of time. Managing the design, optimizing the content for Google, making sure your site looks good for desktops, tablets and mobile is basically a full time job. Web designers have experience and tried-and-true techniques that would take you months, if not years, to master correctly. Even simple things like learning how to set the picture you want when Sharing Web Pages On Social Media can take hours to figure out. Technology changes quickly and your site needs to adapt to those changes. It can be extremely difficult to run your business and stay up to speed on the technology changes.
- Stay Ahead of Your Competition. Many small businesses fail to develop a successful online presence. Many do-it-yourself websites start out strong but quickly become outdated and way behind current and constantly changing technologies and trends. Hiring an experienced web designer to create a professional, functional and user-friendly website for your business can give a leg up on your competitors.
- Improve Marketing, Branding and Visibility. Your web site must not only look great, but should fall in line with your overall marketing strategy and should compliment your other advertising avenues for your business. A web designer will work with you to align your traditional marketing with your online presence to solidify your brand and your online reputation.
If you are a small business owner with limited time, consider hiring a professional web designer to handle the appearance, logistics, growth and maintenance of your website.
To learn more, contact Springboard Website Designs.
