6 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Build Your Own Website

Nowadays, having a website for your company is Business 101. Your website can help you gain followers and keep your clients updated about new product offerings. But if you’re new to websites, you might be inclined to try and make one on your own. And while it’s certainly possible to build your own website, it’s not as easy as you may suspect. In fact, it can take up time and resources your business can’t afford. 

Here are 6 reasons why building your own website isn’t the best idea:  

1. You’ll Need Good Content, and Lots of It!

Let’s start with a core aspect of website creation: content. Content refers to the images, text, and videos on your website. It can also include banners, gifs, and links. Having well-written, accessible content is an important aspect of web design. Additionally, said content should be laid out in an intuitive manner so that your site is easy to navigate.  

Poorly written content will deter prospective clients, and broken links or outdated text will make users question your company’s professionalism. Similarly, if your content is boring or unrelated to your company, users will wonder what it’s doing there. Website content should be relevant, well-written, and easily searchable; if it isn’t, then your website is hurting your business, not helping it. 

2. If You Build Your Own Website, You’ll Need to Code

Along with content, coding is one of the most important components of your website. Coding usually refers to more difficult languages like Java and C++, but it can also refer to HTML and CSS. If you don’t know HTML and CSS, you’re going to have a hard time creating your website. The former is a markup language while the latter is a style sheets language, and both are integral for your website’s overall design and functionality.  

Even if you understand these languages, a small error can prevent your website from going live. Maybe you left out something as simple as a back slash, or maybe you misspelled a command several different times. Regardless, you’ll have to figure out where the problem is and fix every. single. error. And if you’re unable to figure out what’s wrong… it might mean starting over from scratch. 

3. Unique Platform Specifications 

Let’s say you’re great at writing content and have a solid foundation in coding. Excellent! Except… you might not be familiar with your website host, and if you don’t know how their platform works, you won’t be able to use it. Sure, you could spend time researching said platform, but that’s less time available for other important company needs. In fact, the amount of time spent researching and optimizing your website is a huge impediment on its own.  

4. It Takes Time to Build Your Own Website

Website design takes time, and it takes even longer to implement said design. If a problem occurs, that means more time fixing it. And if you don’t know how to use some aspect of your website, that means times spent researching, which doesn’t necessarily equal learning.  

Economizing time is important; you only have so many hours in a day, and you have multiple priorities to consider. The more time wasted on fixing your website, the less time you have available for other necessities. The same is true of your money, which brings us to…   

5. Costs

If you’re making your own website, you’ll need somewhere to host it. Paying a host might seem inexpensive, but remember: that’s all you’re paying them for. If you run into issues and your site doesn’t go live, they won’t help you fix what’s wrong and they won’t prorate your time or offer a discount. In fact, you might have trouble getting in touch with them at all! In desperation, you’ll probably pay someone for HTML help or hire someone who knows how to use their platform. Coupled with the original hosting fee, this option might be more expensive than hiring an expert outright.  

6. Other Considerations 

If you’re new to creating websites, you might not know how to make your website accessible. You might also have difficulties getting it to rank on Google, and it might appear almost unreadable on a phone or tablet. Understanding compliance regulations, SEO, and responsive design are all important when building your site. Failure to implement even one of these factors could lead to slow traffic, poor performance, or even a fine.  

Creating your own website might sound like a good idea, but in practice, it often leads to wasted time and money, as well as performance issues. Hiring a trained professional can bypass many of these financial and time stressors, leaving you with the exact website you desire. If you’re thinking of updating your website or making one from scratch, Onepath is here to help. We offer Good, Better, and Best website templates to meet every website vision, need, and budget.