An Ongoing Struggle: DIY Websites vs. Web Developers

In this episode of the Life Improvement Media blog, we’re talking websites. And not just for the heck of it. In case you’ve missed all our weekly social media posts, we’re giving away a FREE website to one lucky winner who enrolls in our promotional giveaway. Your name and your email are all you need to enter to win. In case you missed the link, it can be found right here. We’re covering the conversation on education about which websites are better: those plug-and-play DIY (“do it yourself”) websites or working with a developer.

Don’t Judge A [Website] By Its Cover

Something tells us that when people think of expensive (and quality) websites they think of tons of coding you must learn or pay someone to do for you. Like what’s pictured to your left… no, not really. Not even close. If this was 1994 and HTML coding was the only way to write a website, you might be stuck with it. But, not anymore. There are many options to build a website in 2017 if you haven’t built one already. (Quick aside: personal websites are becoming as common as social media profiles if you’re some sort of figure–author, businessman, speaker, coach, doctor, lawyer, nutritionist, trainer, etc.) Here are the ones you’ve most likely heard of SquareSpace | Wix | Weebly | WordPress. We would advise being wary of websites that do not specify any type of pricing up front. While not always the case, it’s a good chance you will have to nickel and dime in order to get what you really want. After all, looks aren’t everything and can be deceived. Speaking of pricing, did you know that WordPress is free? Signing up for a WordPress account is indeed free. What many people think regarding pricing is false. WordPress is free to create with and use. When you incorporate a domain, integration and hosting your website, that’s where the money comes in. One package might fit all your needs. However, the lack of control you have could present your business with limitations that would not hinder you had you gone with WordPress. Just a piece of food for thought. Know your limits with the website platforms before you pull the trigger on a monthly or yearly fee.

Looks Aren’t Everything

Yes, some of the more popular, less expensive, do-it-yourself options do have beautiful designs. Beautiful … templates, rather. There’s nothing wrong with templates, though.The challenge is that you’re quite limited with the design you choose. What happens if you select a template, build it out and then need to change a few modules or a page? You can’t change just a few things and be finished. Inevitably, you will be forced to change your template choice if you want to alter the design. Changing your design means starting over and putting all the information back into new, different sections. You’re essentially putting a limit on your creativity with strict templates from free or DIY websites. Just so you know, WordPress has templates to choose from too–hundreds in fact. They too are beautiful and come filled with demo content so you can get a feel for how your content would look on the live pages.

Websites: It’s What’s On The Inside That Matters

Cliche number three. It even applies to websites. Here’s what separates the men from the boys; the women from the girls, the business professionals from the business amateurs, and the trusted from the distrusted. The back end. Take Divi for example (see left). I’m writing this blog on a Divi platform. Divi is gorgeous. It’s extremely user-friendly. Think of Divi as the Siri for professional websites–makes life easier for you. Drag and drop. Create global modules. For reference, global modules are modules you can set across multiple pages on your website. Therefore, if you change info on the global ‘home page’ module, the modules on the ‘about’ and ‘contact us’ will reflect those new changes. Import. Export. Custom sections. Design how you want. Divi really forces you to think outside of the box in terms of creating your own website.

Concluding Thoughts

WordPress. That is all. Whether you go with us, go with another team, or do it yourself and risk the uncharted waters, WordPress is a no-brainer. The designs, the flexibility, the value in non-limited SEO and the price difference is all you need. If you have questions, start by emailing our digital strategist, Justin: justin@life-improvement-media.websitepro.hosting.

Thank you for your attention! To refer back to our blog during your website research, click below for a downloadable PDF.