Should you DIY your website or hire it out?

It’s the age old question of any entrepreneur that is used to bootstrapping their business… “Should I try to build my own website using one of the many website building platforms or should I just hire someone to do it for me?”

It’s a legitimate question. Hiring someone to design a website for you is no small investment and it can be a lot to swallow when you are counting every dollar… Choosing the right places to investment is huge!

So let’s look at the pros and cons when it comes to deciding whether to DIY your website.

Benefits of Building Your Own Website

1. You can get your website built quickly if you put your mind to it. Website building platforms have made it quite easy to get a website up and running within days. My personal favorite, Showit, is so user friendly and has a wide variety of professional, unique templates that you can DIY a website without spending much time at all!
   
   
2. It’s more cost-effective to DIY. That’s a no brainer. But this only holds true if you do the process quickly, as mentioned above. We’ll discuss the reverse / con of this in a second… In general though, you’ll save money by going this route.
   
   
3. You don’t need a fancy, custom website at this point in your business. If you are just starting out (0-3 years in business) you most likely don’t require a custom designed website and you’d be better off spending that money elsewhere such as on your copywriting, education, marketing strategies or a coach.

Cons of Building Your Own Website

1. It can be a time-suck if you let it. Deciding on a platform, finding a template or theme, adjusting the template or theme to match your brand and needs and going back and forth, over and over making tweaks can drag out the DIY process. I’ve had some clients tell me they’ve been working on their websites for MONTHS. And that kills me. Because you can get a website (especially one of my templates) up and running within a few days. The difference is having a website that is designed to easily input information into and included instruction for getting it done.
   
   
2. Building your own website is cost-effective, unless you are spending too much time on when you should be spending the time in your zone of genius for your business. At that point, you may be losing money. So if you aren’t getting your website built quickly, it may be best to hire an expert.
   
   
3. If you are building from a template or theme, you may be limited by what it offers or not have the knowledge to change things as your own business grows. This is usually what will happen when someone starts from a wordpress or squarespace website. It’s great until they need changes. Then they need to hire a developer / coder to assist them. That’s why I love Showit, there’s no need for that. So if you are choosing the right platform to build your website on, you’ll experience much less headache as your website grows with you.
   

I’m a huge advocate of building your own website because I know that a lot of women business owners are DIYers just like me.

That’s why I create templates that are user-friendly for both them and their visitors. They are perfect if you are looking to DIY your website because they also come with a step-by-step course that takes the learning curve and the time-suck risk away. Women have easily launched their websites within days and have a professional, high converting website ready to go for their business, without spending a fortune.

BUT, there is a time and place to hire it out.

When do I recommend that? Or how to do so?

I rarely recommend a custom website for newer business owners in their 0-3 years of business. It’s just not necessary for the majority of service based businesses. But what I do recommend is the option of hiring someone to build your website out from a pre-existing template or theme.

This is more budget-friendly than hiring a design for a fully custom website and still allows you to get it off your plate!

When & Why You Might Be Better Off Hiring It Out.

When you decide to outsource, you are hiring an expert so there should be less headache for you and you are skipping the learning curve.

DIYing a website is always going to take some effort.

That’s why it’s the most “affordable” thing you can do, because it takes time instead of money. But when you hire someone (like me) you get a middle of the road solution. And because I offer a quick turnaround for your site, you are most likely getting it faster than the average person would end up building it.

I usually recommend my customers hire me when they know they just do not have the time to put into doing it themselves.

It’s not that they can’t build it themselves, it’s just that they recognize it’s something they can hand off and have me complete for them, quicker and easier, and worth the investment if they can swing it!

If you have the time and the drive to just get your website done then by all means go for it and DIY your website, you’ll be in great hands with my templates and course. But if you are on the fence, you’d probably be best hiring it out vs. dragging your feet if you aren’t motivated enough to do it on your own.