Web Design Company

“Anybody can download a website template or use a website builder and make a few updates to it — why should anybody pay a designer to do it for them?”

A blunt question – and while no one has ever asked me that directly, I’m sure many business people DO wonder if hiring someone to design a website is money well spent.   So here’s my answer – and it’s pretty blunt too.

Getting a site UP (technical skills) is not the same as getting a GOOD site up.

Many web design tools are fairly simple to use, especially if you’re pretty comfortable with software such as Microsoft Word or online services like Facebook. It may be a time-consuming and frustrating process, but you can probably get a site up.  But it takes experience and training to make proper choices – in colors, in wording, in site navigation, in domain names, in keyword research, in marketing strategy.

Say you decide to build your own home, and it looks pretty good.  But unless you know about drainage and materials and insulation and air flow and traffic flow and plumbing etc etc, it probably won’t be a comfortable place to live in.  And unless it’s in a good location with desirable features, it’s probably not going to sell in a few years either.

It’s less about how a website LOOKS and more about how a website DELIVERS.

Today you don’t need to be a graphics whiz to build a site that looks good.  There are millions of attractive websites.  But sexy graphics aren’t usually what deliver the sign-ups, sales and traffic that you want.

Yes, a site should have the appropriate “look” for your audience.  But what matters MORE isn’t web design at all, it’s web MARKETING.  Online copywriting, keyword research, search engine optimization, competition analysis, smart information architecture… all are key to the success of your website.

Do you have those skills?  Probably not.  (In fact a lot of “web designers” don’t either – they’re good at using a particular web design tool, but they don’t know much about web marketing.)

Your business is your livelihood.

Can you AFFORD to have a website that screams “Another free website from  XYZ.com”?  Do you want to look successful and professional or desperate and clueless?  Why should someone invest their hard-earned money hiring you, when it doesn’t look like you were willing to invest your money in your own business?

Your website is not the place to present anything less than your best face.

Of course budgets need to be considered, but a smart modern web designer will usually be able to offer options that keep costs down while giving you a professional web presence.

If you want to build your own website for hobby or personal reasons – sure.  Have fun.

But your business website is just too important to be designed by an amateur.

Roofers do it.  Attorneys do it.  Chiropractors do it.

Hire web design companies who specialize in their industries, that is.

Rather than work with a web designer who builds sites for all sorts of companies, some business people choose web design specialists who focus on building sites for particular niches.

Is this a smart idea, or not?  Let’s look at some of the pros and cons.

Pros: Working with an Industry-Specific Website Design Firm

• They speak the lingo (They can actually SPELL “chiropractic.”)
• They understand the issues and concerns faced by business owners in that industry because they’ve worked with multiple companies.
• They understand the customer base and what’s hot, trending or topical; they may already know where to find current research, appropriate images and current content.
• If that design firm also does SEO (some don’t) – They have real-world experience, they should already know which keywords are most important and how difficult they are to rank for.
• Often – but not always – these are well-established larger firms with the resources and expertise to handle a variety of marketing needs.

Cons: Working with an Industry-Specific Web Design Firm

• They can be extremely expensive; you’re paying for the industry insight, the pre-built templates or the array of options, even if you don’t use them.
• They may also be working for your competitors.  How would you feel if you’re paying a web design company to get your website to the top of Google for a particular search term – and two local competitors are paying them for the same thing?
• If they use identical templates and content for multiple websites, it hurts your search engine rankings because your site is less unique.  This is more common among lower-cost providers.  Sometimes you don’t even own your domain name.
• They’re less likely to innovate or offer perspectives from other sites/industries.
• Proprietarial design and content management systems may make it difficult for you to make site updates, get help with site management, or redo the site if you ever change your mind.
• Larger firms may be impersonal and less focused on the success of any individual website/company.  You may find that they’re less inclined to answer your questions or make site modifications to suit your preferences.

What’s most important to you?

One angle to consider is not only what you have to gain but what you have to lose by a particular decision.  Which costs more?  What kind of support are you getting for the money? How much are you willing or able to do on your own? How difficult will it be to use a different web designer if the relationship turns sour?

A lot of the advantages are less important than they might seem, in my opinion.  As someone who’s built websites for many different kinds of companies, I can tell you it’s not that hard to find websites to give me ideas.  And I have the tools and experience to do keyword research for the search engines; it’s not that time-consuming or expensive to do, especially for local markets.

Besides, part of my job is to get to know your business and your online marketing goals.  You, presumably, can tell me what you do and what’s special about your business.  You can probably show me sites you like (and don’t like) to use as examples.

I believe that personal connection is key, regardless of the size of the web design company or the industry specialization.  Are you working with someone you can trust as a business adviser, someone who has your best interests in mind?

If so, working with an industry web design specialist can be a distinct advantage.

If not – the possible savings or convenience aren’t worth it.