Nowadays, there are lots of CMS tools like WordPress, Joomla or Drupal that help one out in a fast website setup. With endless amounts of plugins, themes, and hosting methods available people started creating their websites by themselves. In this article, we will cover the pros and cons of building a site yourself, compared to the work done by professionals.
I’m Doing It All By Myself!
The Pros
Most of the time, people decide to set up a website themselves for financial reasons. Creating a visually appealing website can reach around $100 but is well worth it.
It comes down to choosing a hosting plan, installing any CMS tool and selecting from a variety of available visual representations of the site (themes). Such a website can then be powered up by numerous extensions (plugins). These themes and plugins range from simple to complex, offering memberships, shops, payment integrations, etc.
Take WooCommerce for example; they are an easy-to-setup e-commerce solution that let you set up an online shop, giving an ability to choose from several payment methods, tax configuration options, physical and digital products for sale.
Pros of this approach:
- The site may stand out visually
- The site setup is pretty quick
- The site setup is exceptionally cheap
The Cons
Cons and risks associated with developing a site yourself:
- Non-technical people are unaware of the impact on site speed, which decreases with every extra plugin installed
- The marketing of hosting companies can easily fool non-technical people
- Non-technical people believe they can save money but end up wasting personal time by doing everything themselves
- In the end, people who develop a website themselves still have to seek professional help
What is important (if not most important) is the identity of your business. Using a ready visual solution (theme) serves as a potential risk of having a site similar to yours. If your direct competition used the same theme, there is a chance your site could look nearly the identical which provides you with no extra value.
I’m Willing to Trust the Professionals
Given these arguments, it is easy to conclude that the savings of building a site yourself are just an illusion. In reality, one can easily be fooled by the hosting provider which means the development firm can ultimately fool you.
Your first step should be conducting solid research on the approach of the service provider:
- What is their portfolio?
- Are there any verifiable testimonials?
- How fast is their response?
- Are they paying enough attention to detail?
- Are they providing in-depth analysis of client requirements?
Let’s cover the pros and cons of trusting a web development firm. Some have already been covered, so let’s do a quick summary.
The Pros
- Your website will be fast and more personal
- Your website will be taken care of, and there will always be someone to help you in case something goes wrong.
- You won’t be all alone
- All of the choices concerning technology and it’s limitations will be the sole responsibility of an outside company.
The Cons
- Requires money investment
- One may get fooled by the marketing of poor coders
Summary
Choosing a web development company can be challenging, and there are pros and cons to doing so. However, putting your website in the right hands saves you a lot of time and stress.
Choosing an excellent and reputable development company is a huge step forward for having something personal, that stands out. While creating a website yourself can be a good place to start, it can often lead to a creative dead end.
Where Should I Start?
WP doin is one of the best web development companies. They focus on WordPress Theme and Plugin development and have over 6 years of experience with the technology used, and have created numerous small and mid-sized websites, wordpress.org and client specific plugins. Some of their many services include theme development, improving SEO, fixing out-of-date code,
WP doin creates personal bonds between their clients leading to a more personal, detailed approach to the development process, which differentiates them from some of the larger agencies. This approach allows them to focus on the small and important details that make each website stand out.