You have two options. You can enlist the help of a website designer or use a website builder on your own. There are pros and cons for each option, and choosing will depend entirely on the needs of your business and website.
Website Designer vs. Web Builder
You can either hire a professional website designer or use a website builder. A web designer is more expensive and of higher quality, while a website builder is usually much more affordable and more flexible. A website builder is ideal for small businesses that want a website but don’t want to spend much, while a website designer usually has more experience and is a better choice for larger businesses that want a top-quality website.
A web designer can help bring your idea to life. They are highly skilled in web design and have a wealth of experience to draw from. They can help you create a website that takes your business to the next level.
On the other hand, a web builder has the advantage of being affordable and easy to use, even for the most inexperienced businesses. Using a website builder means that you can get a professional level website done in just a few hours.
What Is a Website Designer?
A website designer is a professional that helps create high quality, useful and functional websites. A website designer specialises in user experience, search engine optimisation, graphic design, writing and user interfaces.
Website designers are committed to providing their clients with the best possible website for their business, and to achieve the best possible results for their clients. They specialise in giving their clients a website that is easy to navigate, looks great and is user-friendly.
A website designer provides a higher quality website, with more flexibility and a larger range of services, at a higher price. They are more expensive to hire, but they are well worth the investment.
Pros of Hiring a Website Designer
Website builders are capable of giving your website a professional look and creating a website that is easy to navigate and update. They are affordable options available for all types of businesses.
Here are some of the biggest benefits of hiring a website designer.
1) Customised Design
Website designers can create a website to look and function however you want. They create custom designs for each and every one of their clients and can even include custom graphics or text. This is why hiring a website designer is ideal for small businesses. Website designers can offer you a range of customisation options that you simply can’t find with site builders.
2) User-Friendly
Website designers are experts at user experience and creating websites that are easy to use and highly functional. They know what their target audience is looking for and what they need to make their website a success. Not only will their websites look nice, but they will also be easy to use.
3) Security
Website designers are responsible for web security. Whether you are looking to protect credit card information or other sensitive information that you are storing on your website, a website designer will design a website that is secure and safe for your business.
4) Time-Saving
Using a website builder can take a lot of time. Even if you know how to use a website builder, it takes a while to figure it all out. There are many features, elements and options you have to select. There are also many features that the website builder won’t let you add.
With a website designer, you won’t have to worry about spending a lot of time creating your website. The designer will take care of it all. They will create a website that is functional and works with your business.
5) They Know Their Stuff
When you hire a website designer, you are hiring a professional. They have years of experience in the field and know what they are doing. Website designers are professionals and will offer you a highly functional website that is easy to update and maintain.
Cons of Hiring a Website Designer
Here are some of the biggest challenges of hiring a website designer.
1) Higher Cost
Website designers cost more than website builders. They offer more features and higher quality services, so they cost a little more. However, they are worth the investment and the cost of hiring a website designer is usually much less than you will spend on advertising.
2) Needs Commitment
If you decide to hire a web designer, you will need to commit to an ongoing relationship. A website designer will need to work with you to learn about your business and your target audience.
You will have to work with them to find out the best way to promote your business and which options would work best for your business.
3) Has Contracts Like Any Partnership
When you decide to hire a website designer you are entering into a partnership. You will be working with them for a long time and you need to feel comfortable that you will be working together effectively.
Web designers who provide a high level of service will have contracts that include confidentiality and non-compete clauses. They want to make sure that their work remains their work and protects them legally. They will want their clients to sign a contract to ensure that they are treated fairly.
What Is a Web Builder?
Website builders are tools that you can use to create your own website. They give you tons of options to help you customise your site and make it work for your business.
While in many ways the idea of building a website from scratch can sound like a lot of fun, you should keep in mind that there are several things that need to be done. You will need to figure out how to design your site and how to choose the best features for your site. You will also need to figure out how to create a functional site that is easy to navigate and update.
However, choosing a website builder can make all of this much easier. With a website builder, all you need to do is pick and choose the elements you want to use and the website builder will build your website for you.
Websites built using website builders are ideal for small businesses that need a professional-looking site without a lot of hassle. Website builders offer great results, but they are easy and
Pros of Getting a Web Builder
Website builders offer tons of features that you can choose from. These are some of the biggest advantages of getting a web builder.
1) Cost-Effectiveness
Using a website builder is a very cost-effective way to build your website, and there are affordable options available for all types of businesses.
The cost of a website builder is significantly less than the cost of hiring a website designer. Although there are still investment costs, a website builder is much more affordable than hiring a website designer.
2) Lots of Options
Website builders give you a lot of options. You can choose the exact look and feel of your site and get exactly what you want. Website builders give you more flexibility than a website designer and allow you to create a wide variety of website styles.
There is a wide range of features and elements that you can choose to include in your website. You can get the exact features that you need without paying for anything more than you need.
3) Easy to Use
Website builders are easy to use, even for the most inexperienced business owner. You just need to pick and choose the elements you want, and the website builder will do the rest. You don’t need to know any coding or graphic design. You don’t even have to know how to use a computer.
Website builders are so easy to use that you can build a website in a few minutes without any experience. All you need to do is pick the features you want and select the options you want.
Cons of Getting a Web Builder
While there are a lot of benefits to using a website builder, there are also a few drawbacks to using a website builder.
1) Constricted Design
A website builder will give you a lot of options which is great, but it also gives you a lot of limitations. You might like a certain design feature and be able to find it in the website builder, but you won’t be able to incorporate everything you might want.
Using a website builder can be a lot more restrictive than using a website designer, so if you want a completely customised design and the ability to use any feature you want, a website builder might not be the best option for you.
2) Not Great for SEO
The search engine optimisation (SEO) capabilities of a website builder are limited. They usually focus on making your website easy to use and attractive, but they won’t make your website a priority for the search engines.
You will have to pay an SEO company to help promote your site if you want to get any SEO benefits. SEO experts can help you drive more traffic to your site so that you can increase your revenue. You need to decide if paying for SEO services is worth it for you.
What You Should Know Before Planning Your Website
Before you decide to hire a website designer or use a website builder you need to know what you are looking for. You also need to know what you want to accomplish with your website. Only then can you truly decide which option is best for your business.
Here are some things to consider before you start planning your website.
1) Your Target Audience
You need to know what your business is, who your customers are and who you want to attract. Identifying your target audience is the most important thing you can do for your business and website.
Knowing your target audience will help you create a website that will appeal to them. Knowing who you are trying to reach will help you decide what features you need to include and what you don’t need.
2) Your Website’s Goal
After you have figured out your target audience, you will need to figure out what you want to accomplish with your website. What do you want your website to do? Do you want to drive more traffic to your site? Do you want to turn visitors into repeat customers? Do you want to get people to sign up for your email list?
You need to figure out what your goal is and what you want your website to do for you. This will help you make decisions about what you want to include on your website and what you don’t need.
3) Your Content Style
You also need to know how you want to present your content. You need to know what you want to say and how you want to say it. Does your writing style require a lot of visual design or do you prefer to keep things clear? Do you want to make your website personal or professional?
Once you have figured out this information, you can decide whether you need a website designer or a website builder. You will know what kind of content you will need for your website, and you will know what sort of style you want to use.
Conclusion
Many small business owners are confused about the differences between website designers and website builders. Hiring a website designer or using a website builder is a big decision and you need to consider a lot of factors before you decide what option is right for your business.
If you want a website that is truly unique to your brand, then you need a dedicated web designer to help you out. At Stellified, we will help you create a business website that not only looks good, but will rank effectively with SEO. Get in touch with us today to learn more.