Yes anyone can build their own website but there are things to consider – will it be the quality they want, will they have the knowledge to do so and how long is it going to take them?
It is often heard, “I’m going to build my own website”, and why not? There are so many tools out there that allow someone to drag and drop items on to a website, to see it built in front of their eyes.
However, as a web developer, I am continually learning, investing £1000s on continued training, spending lots of time developing new skills and techniques to be able to build attractive looking websites, optimised for search engines. This is what I specialise in.
If someone builds their own website, how much time is taken away from what they specialise in? Could that time have been spent on growing their business? Could that time have been spent on doing work in their business bringing in revenue and profit?
I have a Renault Clio as a car. Why do I take it to the garage to service it? Surely I could just buy a Hayes Manual for £20 and do it myself for free?
Would I do as good a job as a mechanic?
What happens when I don’t understand something and I’m half way through?
What happens when something different happens to what the book says?
How do I get it to the garage to fix if I’ve made a mistake and it stops the car working?
How much more will it cost to fix the mistake on top of actually doing the service I need?
Would it have been cheaper to have just had the mechanic do the service?
How long would I spend on doing the service?
Could I have earned more in the 5 hours it might take me to service the car, vs the cost of a mechanic taking a couple of hours?
So if someone is considering building their own site, will it really be cost effective. In the hours they spend learning these new tools, in the time they spend swapping and changing items, in days they try to solve something not quite working right on their site. Have they really saved any money? How much more could they have done for their business with that spare time?
We do websites for starter companies often ranging between £99 and £349. So even if them creating their own website, only took 8 hours, in 8 hours could they have invoiced more than £350? Could they have built a new relationship with a referral partner? Could they have written up a quote? Could they have closed a several thousand £ deal? Could they have even just spent a bit longer with their children playing?
Free is never really free, there is always a hidden cost, and time is our most valuable resource in our lives.
