Websites are becoming increasingly important in today’s digital age. They provide a great way to share information, promote businesses, and connect with customers. However, you will encounter a predicament of whether you should create a website or outsource it.
Creating a website is not cheap or easy to build. If you want to get started, you’ll probably need some technical skills and experience.
When creating a website, you should be, first and foremost, familiar with the knowledge that websites are created using HTML (HyperText Markup Language), CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), and JavaScript. These three languages allow web developers to add formatting, images, links, and other features to websites. In addition, websites also require a domain name and hosting service.
This complexity of website creation then gives you two options here – one is to outsource website development to someone else who has experience building websites. This usually involves paying a monthly subscription fee.
The second option is to start small. Use free platforms like WordPress, HTML5, and content management systems (CMS) like Joomla! to get your feet wet before investing money into something that could end up being a flop.
Let us decipher then if you should create a website or outsource it to help you know what can work best for you.
Creating a website on your own
If you choose to create your own website, the primary thing you should do is to assess your skills and experience. After which, you will have to decide whether you want to learn how to code from scratch or use an existing platform such as WordPress, Joomla!, Drupal, etc.
The good news is that there are plenty of resources online which teach you how to develop websites without having to pay anything upfront.
For instance, you can try Codecademy, Treehouse, Lynda, Udemy, etc.The downside of this approach is that it requires a lot of time and effort on your part. You would have to spend hours learning new things every day. Also, you may find yourself stuck if you don’t understand something.
On the other hand, you could also employ platforms to help you create your website. There are currently many companies offering such services at affordable prices. Aside from those mentioned above, some examples also include Wix, Weebly, Squarespace, GoDaddy, etc.
These platforms offer templates and themes which you can customize according to your needs. All you have to do is select a template, fill in the required fields, upload your logo, and voila! Your website is ready. In fact, most of them even have drag-and-drop editors where you can easily make changes to any element of your site.
With these platforms, you only have to focus on making sure all the details are correct. So, if you feel confident enough, why not give it a shot?
However, when you go down this route, you must remember that you really have to exert all the effort by yourself. When you sign up for any of these platforms, you will still have to figure out how to design your website. That means you will have to learn how to use their tools and software. It also means you need to master HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Add to that, you also cannot expect instant results. I
t takes time to build a website using any of these platforms. So, you might have to wait months before seeing the fruits of your labor. You still have to make sure though that you have enough traffic coming to your site. To achieve this, you will also have to invest more time and energy into marketing strategies.
So, while creating your own website is certainly easier than outsourcing, it does take a lot. It will require from you a significant amount of time and energy to create a website. So, it really comes down to your priorities and preferences. Do you prefer to spend more time learning coding? Or do you wish to save time by outsourcing the task? f you are looking for quick results, then this isn’t the right path for you.
Outsourcing the development
Now let us take a look at the second option, namely outsourcing your website’s development which means hiring a professional developer who will take care of everything for you.
There are several benefits associated with this option. First, you won’t have to worry about spending too much time and effort on developing a website. All you have to do is sit back and relax while your developer does all the heavy lifting. Second, you will not need to learn how to code. It is already done for you. Third, you can hire a freelancer who specializes in different fields.
If you are looking for a designer, you can go ahead and hire him/her. Likewise, if you require SEO expertise, you can hire a person who specializes in search engine optimization. Fourth, you don’t need to pay an upfront fee. Instead, you can choose to pay per project basis. Lastly, you get to see real-time updates as your website gets developed.
The downside however is that you will be paying a premium price for each service you want. This could range anywhere between $27 – $200 per hour depending on what services you require.
Also, there is no guarantee that your website will rank high in Google. There are many factors that influence its ranking. For example, your content, link profile, social media presence, etc. So, you may end up wasting money because your website doesn’t perform well.
The best part is that you can always scale up your efforts once your website starts performing well. In other words, you can always add new features to your website once it starts generating revenue.
So, should I create a website or outsource it?
So, which option works better for you? It could be sometimes difficult to outweight the options, but these are some questions you can ask yourself.
- What kind of website do you want to build?
If you are planning to sell products online, then you might consider building a store. In this case, you will probably need a shopping cart system like WooCommerce.
Alternatively, if you just want to showcase your portfolio, then you can opt for a simple blog. This way, you can write articles and post videos directly onto your site.
A website is the first thing that comes to mind when we talk about digital marketing. And rightly so! A website is where people come to interact with your brand. Therefore, it is imperative that you make sure that your website is optimized for both desktop and mobile users. In order
- How much time do you have to devote to the project?
This is one of the most important factors to consider before deciding whether to DIY or outsource your website. If you are pressed for time, you should definitely choose to outsource because you will have less work to do. However, if you have ample free time, then you may decide to try and develop your own website.
- Are you willing to learn how to code?
If you don’t know how to code, then you shouldn’t attempt to build your own website. You will need to hire someone who knows what they are doing. Otherwise, you risk getting stuck with something that doesn’t function properly.
You can always ask your web developer to teach you how to code. Alternatively, you can find tutorials online that will help you get started.
If you have some programming skills, then you can certainly create your own website. However, if you lack these skills, then outsourcing is the only viable option.
- What are your budget constraints?
The final factor to consider when choosing between DIY and outsourcing is your financial situation. If you are strapped for cash, you should definitely think twice before taking up the challenge of building your own website.
However, if you have enough funds to spare, then there is no reason why you should shy away from the task.
After all, building your own website can also expensive. You’ll need to invest a lot of time and energy into making it happen. On the other hand, hiring a professional web developer is relatively inexpensive.
However, you may still want to build your own website if you are looking to save money. After all, why pay more than you need to?
- Is there anything else holding you back?
There could be several reasons why you haven’t developed a website yet. For example, maybe you aren’t confident in your ability to design a good website. Or perhaps you don’t think that your business needs a website. Whatever the reason, it’s never too late to start.
The best part is that you don’t have to go through the entire process alone. You can easily outsource the development of your website.
The bottom line is that there are pros and cons to both options. You must weigh them carefully before making a decision, with awareness of your needs and preferences. If you are just starting out, then going the DIY route is probably the way to go. But if you are ready to commit some serious time and effort into building a website, then hiring a freelance developer is definitely the way to go.
As mentioned earlier, it requires less effort but you will have to pay a hefty sum for each service. On the other hand, if you want to start a business online, then you can consider outsourcing your entire website’s development. The main advantage of doing so is that you can easily scale up your efforts once you start getting good traffic.
At the end of the day, the choice is yours to make, and hopefully, after reading this article, you now know what to expect from whatever you choose.
If you do choose to work with a website designer, you can also read this guide.
