With dozens of “free” do-it-yourself website platforms out there, many business owners fall prey to cutting costs and using one of these services to design their website. Though it can be an economical option upfront, the longer term costs you may pay should always carefully be considered to determine if they are really the right option for your business’ online persona. Here are the top 5 reasons why you should avoid using these services.
Reason #1 - You’re Renting Space. You may “own” the domain name, but the space your content is living on is not yours. You can update the text and images as you see fit, however, if you choose to move your website to another platform, it can be almost impossible to do so. Creating a website and hosting it with your own hosting company can be the way to go, if you want to maintain control of your content and where your site is hosted.
Reason #2 - Give Up Uniqueness. These sites are perfect if you want to start a blog or create a family website for an upcoming event like a wedding or baby shower. You’re likely going to be limited to choosing from pre-made, generic templates that look similar to every other site. But, if you’re looking to build a jaw-dropping, visually appealing website that stands out from the other tens of millions of websites, then these platforms are not the right fit. With the average customer seeing at least 15+ websites a day, it will be quick to distinguish the websites that were custom-built from the ones that were created from a stock template.
Reason #3 - Hidden Costs. From buying your domain name to paying for a premium template, to even paying to get an email address tied to your new site, the costs for these platforms can add up quickly. Not to mention, many run promotions to lock you into building your site and within 12 months, the rate increases and you are seemingly stuck with paying their fees, unless you want to jump ship to a new website provider and start all over.
Reason #4 - Steep Learning Curve. Some of these platforms are easy to work with, while others may require long hours of looking at YouTube tutorials just to change images or text layouts. Either way, the time you will likely spend building your website could be better used building your business or managing the day-to-day operations. The more customization you want to add to your website, the more time it may take for you to figure out the right line of code or the right commands to input. When it boils down to it, the learning curve associated with creating an average website, is better spent going with a professional website designer and getting an awesome website - in less time (and for cheaper than you may think).
Reason #5 - Lacks Flexibility. Since you’re working inside of a pre-programmed template, the level of customization you can do is restricted. Adding specific things to represent your brand and enhance your web visitors’ experience can be challenging, if near impossible to do. Some templates may allow a high level of customization (if you have the HTML skills to program it), while others may not allow for any level of customization. Either way, as your business grows and your website needs changing, building a website on Wix or Weebly may not be the best long-term option for you.
Are you looking to migrate your website to a new platform? Or, is it time for you to completely revamp your website to accurately and professionally represent your business? If you answered “yes” to either of these questions, then contact the award-winning website development team at Snowball Creative Group today at 404.678.0338 or email us here.
