Are you looking to build a new website for your business, but are unsure where to start? Maybe you’re deciding on whether you will go it alone, or if you will need to outsource so you can ensure it’s done the right way, faster. Here’s a few often missed details to consider when deciding whether to DIY or not.
Your time
Firstly and by far the most importantly, how long will it take you to build your website, and how much is that time worth.
Seriously speaking, if you are unsure of how to build a website, and you plan to ‘learn as you go’ by watching Youtube videos, you can expect to spend around 50 to 100 hours building your website.
If you have got that kind of time to spend right now, and you are not better to spend that time earning an income or servicing your clients, it is feasible that you spend the TIME rather than the MONEY to outsource. If you could make money in your business during this time doing what you do best, do yourself a favour right now and let it go, let someone faster and more experienced get it sorted for you. In this instance you are better to spend the MONEY rather than the TIME. Either way, it will cost you something in either money or time.
Your technical savvy
Everyone has a different level of tech-savvy. Usually dependent on what type of ‘job’ they do, whether they spend a lot of time around technology or not. Some of your tribe will advise that it is ‘easy’ and ‘won’t take long’ (when they have spent the last 20 years as an IT consultant). But that won’t necessarily mean it will be as easy for you if you can’t figure out how to put your emails onto your iPhone, for example. So consider your technical capability and assess the best option for you.
Which platform you’ll use
This can be very closely linked to the above point, how tech-savvy you are.
There are MANY different ways to skin a cat and to build a website. Every guru will give you their opinion, which may or may not be right for you. Here are my two cents to throw into the pile of advice.
(If you want to have a squiz at who I am, and why I am in the position to make these statements, feel free to check me out over here.)
- Want to do it yourself? Use Squarespace. It has set templates that offer little room for movement or customisation. That is good if you aren’t tech-savvy as it is hard to break. And the standard templates are nice designs. They are big on lots of white space and simplicity. Squarespace owns the website. Squarespace updates the site software.
- Want a pro to do it? Use WordPress. The only exception to this is if you have a LARGE shop and have a large logistical operation, in which case use Shopify. Otherwise, use WordPress.
- When you choose WordPress, make sure you partner it with a lightweight builder (i.e, fast to load) AND can be easily edited by you once it’s finished. This way, you get a powerful website, that can be designed and branded EXACTLY as you want it, and if the best back-end editor has been implemented, is easily updated by you. You own the site. You update the site.
Connecting your url
At the very least, you will need to link up your purchased URL (domain name) with your newly built website. By the way, I recommend netregistry.com.au to buy your domains (no affiliation, I just like their service and platform).
Ongoing software updates and backup
If you own your own WordPress website, you will need to go into the editor and update the software regularly. In the same way you would update your iPhone software. Your regular website hosting doesn’t include this as an option, so either find one that does or ask your website developer if that have a maintenance package to help.
At Pixel Co Creative & Marketing we offer fast, eco-friendly website hosting. It includes daily backups, monthly software updates, and free website restores if there are any security breaches.
SEO friendliness
When you finish building your website you want to be found on Google search, right? If you’re going to be favoured by Google, how you create your site matters. Knowing your keywords and using them throughout the site. Image labels, alt tags, descriptions, titles, paragraphs are essential.
Size
Likewise, slow sites are bad in two ways, Google does not favour them. But more importantly, you will lose more users when it takes more than a few seconds to load. So knowing how to keep your site light is vital.
Do you want to hand it over to a pro?
Book here for a complimentary strategy call to see if we are the right fit for you.
