So, you’ve got this brilliant idea, a product to sell, or maybe just a burning desire to share your thoughts with the world. Naturally, you’re thinking, “Hey, can I design and build my own website?” Well, darling, the answer is a sassy mix of yes, no, and maybe, but let me break it down for you in the way only a seasoned web developer can.
Not Everybody Has an Eye for Design
Let’s get real for a moment. Not everyone is born with the divine gift of a design sensibility. If you can’t tell Arial from Comic Sans or think that lime green and hot pink make a killer color combo, designing a website might not be your forte. Design matters, my friend. It’s the digital storefront of your dreams, and if it looks like a dumpster fire, chances are people won’t stick around to see what’s inside.
Bad design has the same effect as stinky people
“98% of People Would Abandon a Poorly Designed Website”
Red Website Design
And who am I to argue with Red Website Design? They know their stuff. If your website looks like it’s straight out of the ’90s (and not in a cool, retro way), your visitors are hitting that back button faster than you can say “HTML.” In the age of sleek interfaces and user experience supremacy, a poorly designed website is the quickest way to be dismissed like yesterday’s memes.
Website Builders: Not Exactly the Holy Grail
Sure, Wix, Weebly, and Shopify are shouting from the rooftops about how easy it is to build a website with them. But let me spill the tea – I’ve been in the game for a decade, and I’ve seen very few (if any) websites built with these tools ranking for their chosen keywords on Google. Plus, here’s a reality check: you don’t own your website; they do. Your online home is just a tenant on their digital property. Think about it.
50 Milliseconds is all your website’s got
“It Takes About 50 Milliseconds for a Person to Form an Opinion About a Company’s Website”
8 Ways Media
Fifty milliseconds – that’s less time than it takes to read this sentence. Blink, and your potential audience has already judged your website. Harsh, right? But that’s the ruthless reality of the digital world. If your site doesn’t grab attention faster than a cat meme on caffeine, you’re losing visitors by the second.
DIY with WordPress (Because Who Needs Sleep?)
Now, if you’re feeling adventurous and want to take on the challenge of DIY web design, welcome to the WordPress jungle. Learn the ropes, master the art of plugins, and for the love of HTML, embrace the chaos of updates. Use a builder plugin like Elementor, because who has time to code from scratch? There are tutorials galore on the interwebs, but be prepared to apply yourself. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and your website won’t be either.
Budget Blues? Google Sites to the Rescue (Even If It Looks Like Crap)
If your wallet cried a little when you found out how much a professional website actually costs, Google Sites might be your reluctant savior. It might not be the prettiest option, but Google likes Google. Play nice with their tools, and you might find yourself ranking higher, even if your site looks like it’s straight from the early 2000s. Desperate times call for desperate measures.
In conclusion, can you design and build your own website?
Absolutely. Should you? Well, that depends on your eye for design, patience for updates, and whether you’re ready to face the judgmental gaze of those 50 milliseconds.
My favourite part about the websites I design are that we can always start with the basics and add on later. Better to start with an epic landing page than a hideous 20 page website, right? What do you think?
