The Tea: You Don’t Need a Web Developer
I’d like to tip my hat to the web developers out there who manage to convince small business owners that they need help creating a website. Your salesmanship is enviable — but I’m here to tell your customers that they probably don’t need you.
Here’s the thing: Building a website has never been easier.
There are countless tools out there ready to help every business owner build a site that showcases their products and services with relatively little effort — and most of them have free options. If you can point and click, you can build a modern, simple, mobile-ready site. And, frankly, the best part about building your own site is that you don’t have to reach out to a developer every time you want to change a logo or add a page.
Here’s the low-down on the easy to use tools we love for building websites:
WordPress is the O.G. of DIY website builders. In fact, 35% of all sites are built on this platform. If all you want to do is blog it could be a great fit for you, but to get the most out of the tool you really do need to have a little bit of tech-savvy. You could hire a WordPress Developer to get you started, but there are other, easier to use options.
SquareSpace seems to be making significant headway into the DIY website market, and for good reason. There are plenty of site templates that are clean and modern — and easy to implement. Frankly, we threw this site together on SquareSpace in about a day. You have to remember to fill out the various metadata fields for each new blog post, but otherwise, it’s easy-peasy. Oh, and there are a lot of integrated CRM and contact management tools you can take advantage of, as well as storefront and payment options.
Wix is similar to SquareSpace but even more beginner-friendly. Which one you choose probably just comes down to personal preference and pricing, but both platforms will get you what you need.
Google Website Builder is kind of a no-brainer. Build your first site for free and benefit from everything the search giant brings to the table. This is an especially appealing option for businesses that have really simple needs and are already invested in the Google ecosystem.
All of these platforms will sell you a domain and even set up email addresses connected to your chosen domain. So if you’re looking to save a few dollars but want to make sure you’re making the most of your web presence, think about spending a few hours creating a website on your own and forego the expensive developer.
Still not convinced you want to be in the business of building a site? Or maybe you just don’t think your designer’s eye is up to the task? That’s OK, we’d be happy to help you build a site and show you how to maintain it. Just give us a shout.
