When starting a new business, one of the first things you need to consider is creating a website to show off your new brand. You may already have a flourishing a business, but you want to update your website due to rebranding, or it just looks outdated compared to your competitors.
With website design/creation becoming more and more accessible to non-web designers using such services as Squarespace, Wix, etc. you might well be tempted to have a go yourself at building your new/updated website.
In the short-term this can definitely be the cheaper option when compared to hiring a professional web designer, but it's not always guaranteed to give to a satisfactory end product that actually achieves your goals and realises your vision for your website.
Your website is one of - if not the - most important digital assets, and investing in a professional designer can save you a lot of time and money in the long run.
Here are some of the reasons why hiring a professional web designer can benefit your business/brand.
1. Your website is your biggest marketing tool
Your website is usually the first thing potential customers search for when they hear about your business, services or products. It’s probably how they find your business in the first place, and in some cases, your website is your business. Without it you have nothing.
With that in mind, would you allow someone with no sales experience take charge of your sales department? The answer to that is more than likely an enfatic 'no'. You should think the same about your website.
When people interact with your brand, user experience will be a key deciding factor when it comes to them deciding to buy from you. This is why it’s vital to get it right.
A good website isn't just measured by the quality of its content or how it looks. How easy it is for users to navigate and find what they’re looking for is also a huge part in determining whether a website is good or not. This can make the difference between someone doing business with you or not.
A good user experience covers everything, from where and how your content and images are displayed on the page, font choice, right down to the choice of colors in your design.
Choosing a professional ensures that the user's experience is prioritised, giving you the greatest chance of a return on your investment.
2. We all don't have an eye for design
If you don't already have experience in a creative field, there's a very good chance you will not know all aspects of creative design. Web designers have years of experience in making websites stand out from their competition.
A web designer will also be able to look at a brand identity (logo, fonts, colors, and other creative assets) and make sure that your website reflects your brand accordingly. People without design experience can often be disappointed when creating their website from scratch as it doesn’t match their wider brand identity.
The psychology behind good, consistent branding is crucial to any brand.
3. Code is not dead
One of the main selling points for DIY website builders is that you no longer need to be a coding wizard to build a website. That doesn't necessarily mean that developing your own website won’t require some level of technical expertise.
Buying a website template or theme will only take your web design so far; you’ll still most likely need to use HTML and custom CSS in order for your design to accurately reflect your brand. You’ll definitely want to do this if you want to ensure you don't end up with a website that looks exactly the same as someone else, or even worse, one of your competitors!
If you've never built a website before, you may not appreciate the different technical aspects of web design that affect a website's performance. This includes how the size of the images you’re using can affect page speed, or how your design will look on a different devices.
A professional designer will ensure that your website is properly optimised, ensuring the best user experience on any device (computer/laptop, tablet or phone).
4. Time is Money
If you're not experienced in designing and building websites, it can be overwhelming trying to create one from nothing. That’s because creating a professional-looking, high-quality website requires time and skill.
Learning how to effectively build a website using DIY builders won’t happen over night either. There will still be a huge amount of functionality that you’ll need to learn to use to create what you want.
Someone with no experience could easliy end up spending hours building a website only to find that a certain element doesn’t work properly. They could easily end up having to consult a designer to step in and fix the problem for them.
If you’re a business looking to appear professional and make the most from your website, it usually pays in the long term to work with a professional web designer. The upfront cost will more than likely save you time now, and prevent costly fixes in the future. This will ultimately give you a much better return on investment from your website in the long run.
5. A web designer is up-to-date with latest trends
Web designers and developers will always be seeking out new ways to improve their website designs and user experience. They'll also be aware of what not to do when it comes to making user-centred websites; not every trend is a good thing!
The world of web design is constantly evolving, adding new functions and features that people without design experience may not be immediately aware of or how to use effectively. Not keeping updated with the latest web design conventions may be stopping you from your competition.
Why do you need to hire a professional?
Whatever you want to achieve with your website, a professional website designer will often know the most effective way to realise it for you.
Hopefully you’ve found our advice useful and it’s got you thinking that now might be the time to revamp and update your website. If so, we'd love to help you achieve your vision.
