Should You Build a Do it Yourself Website?




With all the pay for service web platforms around, business owners are wondering why they can’t just build a great website themselves these days.

The short answer is, they can. There are really super tools that can allow anyone to quickly register and within a few hours, build a simple website. For some businesses, spending those few hours, might be all they need to do.

But when it comes right down to it, if you have a business or marketing plan, a basic “off the shelf” website might not help you meet your goals, or attract the right customers to your front door, even if it looks cool, and you had fun making it.

Also, most business owners want to focus on what they do best. And unless what they do best is build websites or create marketing campaigns… even using a plug and play website builder is probably not their thing. Any website should be a valuable part of your marketing effort, so having an expert help you, is a better investment, than having someone in your office “throw a site together” one afternoon.

Just because you build it, it does not mean that “they will come”.


On the surface it can seem like a logo, a few photos and some text are all you need. But it’s how you thread those things together, how you choose the photos, and how you voice the text in your website that can make all the difference. And having an expert guide you along the way can be incredibly valuable. Just having “anything” up there when someone googles yourbusiness.com is not always better than having “nothing” up there.

For one thing, launching a website does not mean that people will all of a sudden find it and flock to your door (virtual or otherwise). There are a lot of other factors that go into making the most of your website investment. The URL you choose, the structure of your content, how it looks on mobile, how quickly things load, how polished it looks and works, and ultimately how it functions for your distinct customer base are only some of the factors as to whether it will be a good investment or not.

Do you know who your ideal customer is? Do you know how to format your logo properly for web? Do you know how to write an eye-catching headline? Do you know what your competitors are doing with their websites? Do you know what you want your website to do for you? Do you know what fonts are easiest to read? What colors evoke your business missions? Any web developer worth their salt should be able to help you find the answers to those questions and more. But…

Not everyone needs a Luxury Model.

In the years I’ve spent helping clients market their businesses I have learned a lot. Part of what I have learned is that not everyone needs a custom designed and custom built website, coded from the ground up and full of database driven goodies. Many do, but not all.

Sometimes, a business needs a website that can be completed more simply, on a smaller budget – using only the exact features that they need at the moment of launch. Sometimes a starter website is the goal, or a website that suits one specific purpose at a specific moment in time. Think: new product launch, a new company sprouting up, a rebranding, or maybe even an individual re-entering the work force.

Not every company can invest in the luxury model. But no company wants their customers to know that. So no matter what you decide you can invest in your website, you need a professional, well executed result that echoes your brand properly and provides the content that your customers expect to find.

You get there by hiring a professional or a team who can keep you doing what you do best. They will assist you to choose the right platform and customize it specifically for you. Your budget may be smaller, but you can still get professional results using one of the many pay for service web platforms available, and you do NOT have to go it alone.

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Wendy Wetherbee is founder and partner of Wetherbee Creative,  A Boutique Creative Services firm North of Boston, MA. She has, 21+ years as a creative director, helping businesses and non-profits reach the right audience and be more successful.  Services offered:  Custom Website Development, Squarespace Development, Wix Website Development, Visual Design, Graphic Design, Marketing, and Consulting.  wendy@wetherbeecreative.com 603.548.3936

Wendy is also an artist and is very active in the arts in her local area, as well as passionate about her involvement in Derry Homegrown Farm & Artisan Market. 





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