Here at Awkward Media, we’ve been musing on
personal branding recently, and some of
strategies around building a personal empire, or even just your own vegetable garden. But whether you’re an owner of a business, or a one-person show, you’ll likely decide to put up a website at some point. For most, it’s going to be more effective than spending money on a billboard ad with your face attached, even if you’re proud of those dimples, Sunshine.
Speaking of dollar signs, it’s often an important variable when deciding how to go about building a website. With a budget, there’s an army of techies able to code your wildest dreams. On the more cost effective side, a number of website building services have popped up in recent years allowing you to be in the control seat. Website builders have grown in popularity for a number of reasons, but it’s not always clear that there’s a one size fits all solution to creating a website.
Let’s explore why you may decide to use a website builder over a custom designer.
It’s cheap!
As I mentioned, using a website builder is the budget option. Many individuals begin their business journey without coin in their pocket. There are a number services, like Wix, that offer a free web building package for a basic site. Something more substantial, such as
It’s easy!
JavaScript, CSS, HTML5, Ruby on Rails. If any of those sound like cocktails to you, we can probably be friends. I, like many others, am not fluent in the world of computer languages. Website builders offer templates, and easy to use customization that doesn’t require testing or troubleshooting through lines of code. The broad range of aesthetic templates means you’ll find something that suits your purpose. There’s also no need to worry about where your cocktail party, I mean, website, is hosted. Including social integrations and analytics tools are often part of the offerings too.
It’s quick!
Don’t expect many delays or scope creep when using a web builder. Sure, you may get carried away with the joy of adding new pages or funky features to your website but within a day you can have your website up and running. With a web designer, you may not be the only client and asking for changes could take days or weeks.
But ultimately, it’s up to you!
So you’re pretty much sold on using a website builder, right? Well, they are pretty impressive, but ultimately that means the design and management of the site come down to you and you alone. There’s a saying, if you think it’s expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur. Choosing a colour scheme, optimizing the site directory for SEO, determining what features make the most sense are not always easy tasks. When you pay a web designer to create your website, you’re paying for their skill and experience. Sure, it’s costly, but overtime it can pay off and save you from the cost of not getting it right the first time.
The decision is going to be different for everyone, based on their sensitivity to cost and time. You can definitely end up a beautiful website using a builder, and it’s not impossible to end up dissatisfied with a hired web designer. Do the research, let us know if you have any questions about the process of building a website.
