The Good, The Bad And The Ugly Of DIY Websites

Whether you run a small business, have a semi-successful regional band, or just like to blog about how regularly you can force “Spinal Tap” references into everyday conversations, the chances are pretty good that you have a website. Unless you’re one of those rare creatures who are flush with cash, the odds are also pretty good that your website could use an overhaul.

The question everyone ask themselves when this situation arises is whether they should do it themselves, have someone do it for them or if they should use one of those DIY websites that are available online.

If you need a new website — click here for information about site hosting — in many ways, there has never been a better time to figure out how to do it yourself. That being said, DIY website building isn’t all ponies and rainbows. From saving money to costing yourself more in the long run, here is a look at the good, bad, and ugly of building a website yourself.

The Good

Right off the bat, one of the most obvious advantages to building your own website (whether you use DIY websites or not) is that you’ll be able to do it a lot cheaper than you would if you hired a freelancer, a friend, or a firm to do it for you. Website building can come with a hefty price tag, and while some are relatively inexpensive, any money you can keep in your pocket is money you can spend elsewhere. Also, there are tons of amazingly simple-to-use website building tools (DIY websites) available. Whether you have any coding experience or you’re a practicing Luddite finally getting into the Internet by fate, you should be able to find a platform or software to assist you in a way that makes sense. Some of the more popular DIY websites and options include:

• Squarespace

• WordPress

• Wix

• GoDaddy

• Weebly

The Bad

Unfortunately, do-it-yourself isn’t always a cakewalk, and when it comes to what can go wrong with Web building, the sky is the limit. For starters, there are the limitations of time. When you’re doing the work yourself, you may find that the week you allowed yourself to finish the work has stretched into a month due to other, more pressing, and unalterable commitments. Time issues can completely derail your plans to revamp or rebuild your site. If you’re someone who struggles to complete things in a timely manner, you may want to hire the project out just to ensure it gets done.

Another issue that can make a DIY experience truly heinous is functionality. If any of your website’s needs are complicated, or, if you have any features that simply must work correctly or you and your company, family, mortgage, etc. go under, then it may not be worth the risk of tackling it yourself. Honestly consider the importance of your website’s functionality.

If you’re mostly running a blog that just includes some interactive commenting, you’ll probably be fine. If you have shopping carts, multiple selling options, complicated shipping, or any other business needs that, if poorly tended to, can ruin your bottom line, it’s probably best to throw in the towel before you even start and hire a professional.

The Ugly

Let’s say you have the time to build a website, and you have no stomach for procrastination. Let’s even say you have the savvy to build it well, and your needs aren’t overly complicated, rendering concerns over functionality moot. Doesn’t that mean you should tackle it yourself? What could possibly go wrong?

It’s at this point in the DIY website building process that difficult-to-counter trouble can emerge because ugly websites hide in plain sight of the person making them. When it comes to taking too long or crafting a site that doesn’t function well, those problems readily reveal themselves, which allows them to eventually be addressed.

If the problem with your site is bad design, however, how will you know it? If your writing is mediocre, riddled with inconsistencies, or grammatically out to lunch, who will tell you? Be sure to have a trusted and knowledgeable friend honestly weigh in on the quality of your site’s design and content just in case you’ve got a case of the ugly website. In lieu of that, hire a website consultant to look over what you’ve made so you can hear from a pro what does and doesn’t work.

Of course, if you fear you may need to go that route, you might be better off just hiring out the whole thing from the get-go. While DIY websites have a great deal to offer any people, before you tackle one, be sure doing so is a great idea for you.

How To Master DIY Websites

IMAGES: [BRIGHTINTEGRASI] [FREE VIDEO LECTURES] [SANDY FEET MEDIA]