In today’s digital age, having a strong online presence is crucial for any business looking to thrive and stay competitive. With countless web builder software options available, it’s tempting to take the DIY route for creating your company website. These tools often advertise themselves as user-friendly and cost-effective solutions, promising you can have a website up and running in no time.
However, while these platforms can help you get started, they often fall short of delivering the high-quality, customised, and fully functional websites that professional web developers like Deepbluemedia can create. Skilled designers and developers bring a wealth of coding and design expertise accumulated over many years, ensuring your website not only looks good but also performs seamlessly.
Read on below to discover the myriad of reasons why your company should invest in hiring a professional web developer, including the advantages they bring and the potential pitfalls of trying to build a website without proper experience.
The DIY approach to Web Design
The allure of web builder software is undeniable. They offer drag-and-drop functionality, a variety of templates, and an easy setup process that promises a quick launch of your online presence. Yet, the reality is that these tools have significant limitations and often lead to subpar results. Here’s why:
- Limited customisation: Templates restrict your ability to fully customise your website to match your brand’s unique identity.
- Lack of professional design: Pre-made templates often look generic and may not convey the professional image you want for your business.
- Insufficient features: DIY tools may lack advanced features and functionalities that a growing business needs.
- Performance issues: Websites built on these platforms can be slow, affecting user experience and search engine rankings.
- Security risks: Without proper knowledge, securing a website against cyber threats can be challenging.
- SEO Limitations: Optimising your website for search engines requires specific knowledge and expertise that DIY tools typically don’t provide.
Advantages of using a web development company
Hiring a professional web development company brings a host of benefits that go beyond what DIY tools can offer. These advantages include – but aren’t limited to – the following aspects of web production.
Usability
- User-Centric design: Professional developers focus on creating websites that are intuitive and user-friendly, enhancing the overall user experience.
- Responsive design: Ensures your website looks and works well on all devices, including smartphones, tablets, and desktops.
- Accessibility: Developers ensure your website is accessible to all users, including those with disabilities, by adhering to web accessibility standards.
Enhanced Design
- Custom design: Developers create unique designs tailored specifically to your brand, setting you apart from competitors.
- Professional aesthetics: High-quality graphics, layouts, and visual elements that reflect your company’s professionalism.
- Brand consistency: Ensures all design elements align with your brand’s identity and messaging.
- Knowledge of templates: Even if your designer uses a template to build your site (which is quite common these days), they still possess design and coding skills that will enhance your pages and make your site unique.
Skills at building Navigation Menus
- Intuitive navigation: Expertly designed menus that make it easy for users to find information quickly.
- Enhanced User Experience: Well-structured navigation improves user engagement and satisfaction.
- Optimised for conversion: Strategically placed menus that guide users towards conversion points, such as contact forms or product pages.
Graphic elements
- High-quality visuals: Professional designers create custom graphics that enhance your website’s visual appeal.
- Optimised images: Properly sized and optimised images for faster loading times and better performance. These vital considerations enhance user experience.
- Consistent style: Ensures all graphic elements maintain a consistent style and quality.
Better security
- Robust security measures: Implementation of strong security protocols to protect your website from cyber threats.
- Regular updates: Ongoing maintenance and updates to address vulnerabilities and keep your website secure.
- Data protection: Ensuring user data is protected, complying with regulations like GDPR.
Skills at integrating new technologies
- Advanced features: Integration of the latest technologies to enhance functionality, such as chatbots, AI and e-commerce capabilities.
- Seamless integration: Smooth incorporation of third-party tools and services, such as payment gateways and CRM systems.
- Future-proofing: Building a scalable website that can easily adapt to future technological advancements.
Knowledge of Search Engine Optimisation
- SEO Best Practices: Implementation of proven SEO techniques to improve your website’s visibility on search engines and generate footfall to your site.
- Keyword Research: Identifying and incorporating relevant keywords to attract your target audience.
- Technical SEO: Optimising the technical aspects of your site, such as site speed, mobile-friendliness and proper indexing.
Ongoing support and maintenance
- Regular updates: Keeping your website up-to-date with the latest features and security patches.
- Troubleshooting: Quick resolution of any issues that arise, ensuring minimal downtime.
- Continuous Improvement: Ongoing analysis and optimisation to improve performance and user experience.
Installation and setup
- Professional setup: Proper configuration and setup of your website to ensure everything runs smoothly from day one.
- Domain and hosting management: Handling domain registration, hosting setup and ensuring reliable server performance.
- Email integration: Setting up professional email addresses linked to your domain.
Problems of building a website without experience
Attempting to build a website without professional help can lead to numerous issues that can harm your business’s online presence. Here are some common problems:
- Bad design: DIY websites often look amateurish and can deter potential customers.
- Slow performance: Poorly optimised sites can be slow, leading to high bounce rates and lost revenue.
- Security flaws: Lack of security expertise can leave your site vulnerable to hacks and data breaches.
- SEO challenges: Without proper SEO knowledge, your site may not rank well in search engines, reducing visibility.
- Inconsistent branding: Using pre-made templates can result in a disjointed brand identity.
- Poor user experience: Inadequate navigation and design can frustrate users, causing them to leave your site.
- Lack of mobile optimisation: DIY tools may not provide adequate mobile optimisation, leading to a poor mobile experience.
Why all companies should hire a professional Developer
While it may be tempting to use web builder software for your company’s website, the benefits of hiring a professional web developer far outweigh the initial cost savings. A professional developer brings expertise in usability, design, navigation, security and the latest technologies, ensuring your website is a powerful tool for your business. They also offer ongoing support and maintenance, keeping your site updated and secure.
By investing in a professional web developer, you’re not just getting a website; you’re gaining a partner dedicated to helping your business succeed online. So, take the leap and hire a professional web developer – it’s a decision that will pay dividends for years to come.