So you’re ready to build a new website and you’re thinking of trying one of the many options out there offering free websites with ready-made templates from which to choose. Sounds easy and inexpensive, right? What’s important to understand before jumping into a do-it-yourself web design is how much the “free” website alternatives may actually be costing you. Here are five big reasons you may wish to reconsider designing your own website and contacting SeeQuinn instead!
1. The Learning Curve
You may have watched a “How To” video for a DIY website company and became intrigued by how easy they made it look. The truth is, you could wind up spending many hours getting familiar with a back-end interface and dashboard, and learning how to turn one of the offered templates into your website. Hiring a professional web designer, you can leave the conceptualization and design of your site to them and trust in their expertise while you use your valuable time to run your business!
2. Cookie Cutter Websites = Lots of Copycats
When you’re looking at a set of templates on a DIY site builder, remember that those select handful of templates are the same templates used by all of their other customers. So the chances that your exact website design is out there being used by other companies is pretty much guaranteed to be 100%.
3. Little to No Customization
SeeQuinn takes great pride in offering specialized customization so clients can be distinctive and unique on the web. DIY sites don’t offer this creative freedom. Think of a DIY site as a paint-by-number paint set. You have a limited number of options available and if you want to explore beyond that, it’s either not doable, or will cost money to hire a programmer to override the design defaults.
4. Negative Impact on Search Engine Rankings
A DIY company’s goal is to make their templates as intuitive and easy to use for the masses as possible. For that reason, there is a lot of behind-the-scenes code built into each template, much – if not most – of which you’ll never use. The result? A lot of bloated HTML code in the background of your site, which search engines like Google will penalize you for when it comes time to rank your site.
5. Hidden Costs
DIY web template companies may use the word “Free” to entice you to jump on board, but you’ll ultimately need features and functionality not included in the base template, which can cost significantly more.
The Bottom Line
Don’t let the lure of a DYI website seduce you into a corner that could leave you frustrated and losing clients. Put your website needs in the capable, experienced hands at SeeQuinn, and watch your business grow!