Before you consider building your own website, ask yourself this: “If you were constructing a house, would you handle the electrical wiring yourself, or would you trust a professional?” I ask that to say this: I like to think of the process of website development in terms of building a house.
For illustrative purposes, imagine that you buy a plot of land and decide that you want a two-story colonial. You start with marking out the foundation, digging and then eventually pouring concrete. Next, the carpenters come and start framing out the house to your specifications, which are specified in the site plan. They start with the bottom floor and then eventually move to the second floor and then the roof. After that, the roofing, siding and windows go up. Now that the exterior is protecting the interior from the elements, the electrician and plumber come followed by the dry wall, trim and flooring. Lastly, paint goes on the walls to give it that finishing touch.
The Foundation of a Strong Website
Web Development isn’t much different. You start off with figuring out what kind of site you want to build; is it a web application, an online store, a blog or a business profile. Next, you decide what kind of server is best for your needs – this is the foundation of your “house”. Now, just like when you build a house, not all “foundations” are created equally. Some houses are built on stilts, some on slabs, and others with full basements. A resource intensive website built on a poor foundation will start to crack and show its weakness over time. After choosing the appropriate foundation, it’s time to build the walls.
In Web Development, instead of using wood to build our frame, we use code – such as PHP. With PHP, we can create many web-based applications, online stores and websites. However, to “use” this PHP we need some HTML and CSS. The HTML will allow us to add fields, texts boxes, and pictures. The CSS tells the browser how to style it and make it look pretty. If you put it together, you get your virtual “house”.
Pitfalls of DIY Website Builders
So, what’s so bad about all these DIY Website Builders? Well, to go back to my question about running the electricity or hiring a professional, when you use a DIY Website builder, the result is the same as running the electricity for a house and not being an electrician. You run the risk of hidden problems that can cause major issues down the line – like faulty wiring leading to a fire. In many cases, these problems are hidden and not readily apparent until it’s too late.
The appeal of the DIY route is that they tend to lure unsuspecting clients with promises of “drag and drop” convenience and “low cost” (more on that later). But the reality is much more complex. Building a functional, effective website requires more than just dragging and dropping elements onto a page – it requires specialized knowledge in web development. What happens if you outgrow a site like Wix and want to move it elsewhere? Guess what? You can’t take it with you and you have to start development from scratch. This will cost you sales, downtime and more than if you had paid for a professional developer to build your site.
And how does their pricing actually stack up? Currently their lowest plan is $17/mo but only allows 2gb of storage. Gray Wolf Web Design, at the time of writing is almost 2gb and is 6 pages, with a blog. They also lock different addons and software behind the next tier. Want the “advanced developer” platform? That’s in the package that starts at $159/mo. For comparison, we offer UNLIMITED content changes for $75/mo – and we definitely don’t charge you every month to access new features. You pay for everything one time and that’s it.
The Dangers of DIY – a Real World Example
Here’s an example of a real website created on Wix. Notice any potential problems for customers? Let’s start with the obvious: you can’t read the main text in the center of the background header image because it’s a light colored text on a light background. It gets better: the text below the heading is the default text Wix adds for you – they never changed it! Now, for the not-so-obvious and potentially most damaging issue: Would you believe me if I told you that the second circle in the upper right hand corner is actually the shopping cart? Imagine how many customers they are losing from not being able to find the cart to checkout!
Why Professional Web Development Matters
Then there’s the whole psychological aspect of websites that most people aren’t even aware of. For example, square buttons on a Call to Action are less inviting than buttons with curved corners. Or, the impact of certain colors on conversion rates. Another good example is that having your website load just .8 seconds faster can increase conversion rates by up to 20%. Many users will click off a site if it loads too slow, and even worse, it effects site rankings in search engines. Think of loading times as using the wrong gauge electrical wire when you’re building your house.
At Gray Wolf Web Design, we don’t just build websites – we craft digital experiences that are fast, functional and designed to convert. When you partner with us, you’re not just getting a website – you’re investing in your business’s growth and success. Ready to take your website to the next level? Contact Gray Wolf Web Design today and let’s build something amazing together.