Web Development; DIY or Pay a Pro?

Web development is basically another term for creating a website from scratch for use on the Internet or Intranet. So you’re a new business, you are all excited about your shiny new website and know exactly what you want. Do you do it yourself or use a significant chunk of your start up budget and look at online services such as php web development at fastfwd.com? There are pros and cons with both but hopefully this guide will help you make an informed decision as to which is best for you and your business.

Cost

DIY wins hands down in this area. There are dozens of do it yourself platforms online where you can literally create your own website and manage it yourself for very little outlay. The website building itself can be done for free and all you pay for is the hosting and web address or URL. Even this can be free if you take one that has the name of the host platform in it or you can buy your own. If you are like many new businesses with a very strict budget the undeniable cost effectiveness of doing it yourself is very appealing, but it could end up costing you down the line.

Time

Building a new website can be a time consuming business, especially if it’s intended to be for E-commerce. The free website creating sites are designed for ease of use by those with no kind of training and it is extremely satisfying to see your website come together before your eyes. The problem is that while they are easy to use they are also incredibly time consuming as the way they have been built tends to go from A to B via D to ensure it’s simple enough for everyone to use. IF you have several weeks, or even months, to spare to create your site then great, but this is one of the main reasons why people go to the professionals.

Appeal

We have all visited websites with the wow factor. The home page has you hooked and by the time you’ve browsed around a bit and visited several areas of the site you’re hooked and it becomes your go to website. Do DIY sites have this appeal? Well, not so much. There is a general rule of thumb that the web development should reflect the audience. So if you want your own blog site, for example, then the free sites are perfectly adequate as you don’t need hundreds of pages packed with products and features such as shopping cart and checkout. For a top notch professional website or online store you really need a professional to make your web dreams come true.

UX

You get one chance to make a first impression, and if your website blows it then the users aren’t going to come back. From the second they arrive your visitors should feel special, as if the website has been created just for them. The searching should be quick and responsive, the check out seamless and the user left satisfied from a great user experience.

Hiring a professional web developer is definitely money well spent. You could try to do it yourself to start with but by the time you have the money to get it done professionally you will be on the back foot by having to try and attract back all those users who have come,hated and left again.