You’ve seen them advertised before your favorite Hulu series or YouTube video. Build a professional website in no time with zero experience and hardly any money. But, are DIY website builders really the best way to create your business website?
Drew and Michael reveal the hidden costs of Wix, Squarespace, and other do-it-yourself (DIY) website builders. Should you ever use them or are they a total waste of time?
What is a DIY Website Builder?
A DIY website builder is an app that allows you to create a website without any previous website building experience. Do-It-Yourself websites help you generate a web presence rather quickly for a relatively low price. But there is a cost.
The Reality of DIY Website Builders
In marketing, and in life in general, people tend to want things in a triangle: good, fast, and cheap. People want a quality site, that is up and running fast, and at a cheap cost. Drew, however, points out that it’s only reasonable to pick two of those things. You won’t be able to get all three at once. You may be able to get a good site for cheap, but it won’t be up quickly. Or you may be able to get a site for fast and cheap, but it won’t be very good. Or you may have a site that is very good and up and running quickly, but it will most certainly not be cheap.
Let’s dig in a little more to learn about some Do-It-Yourself website builders and how they each have their own hidden costs.
3 Examples of Do-It-Yourself Website Builders
Do It Yourself web builder platforms have grown in what they offer and how they look. DIY website builders require a ton of customization. However, because they have templates that are specific to your industry, they could be a good fit to get you started.
These are 3 major players in the DIY website building space. Let’s take a deeper dive into them.
Wix (wix.com)
Wix is a website builder in which you can create a website quickly and is visually appealing. One drawback to the DIY website builder Wix is that you must input your own images or source them yourself. Wix has both monthly and yearly subscription options. They also have multi-tiered plans within those subscription options. They have general websites and e-commerce plans.
At the time of this writing, a general website plan runs $11/month while an enterprise level site will cost you $500/ month. These are introductory rates and will eventually double after the introductory period is over.
3 Things To Keep in Mind
- You can not transfer these websites to a different host. If you want to end your subscription, you will have to completely rebuild your website with another provider.
- You must register your domain name, which is a separate cost.
- You must write your own content and imaging.
Squarespace (https://www.squarespace.com)
Squarespace is another DIY website builder that requires customization for every single item. Squarespace is less user friendly and requires an extreme amount of attention to detail than Wix. It does not have as many apps or add-on options. Like Wix, Squarespace has many apps embedded within the site that cost money. Unless you enjoy doing the meticulous work of setting up every detail, this may not be the best option for your business or best use of your time.
WordPress (wordpress.org)
WordPress is the final DIY website builder that we will discuss. Using WordPress will cost you anywhere from $19 to $50/month. WordPress offers more add-ins, also known as plug-ins, than the other two DIY website builders mentioned. However, these plug-ins also come with added costs.
With WordPress, you are required to pay for a site host. Drew recommends Siteground as a reputable website host.
WordPress has an array of pre-made template options.
WordPress is a great builder that will allow you to scale up your site as your business grows. However, by the time you add in all of the plug-ins, it will most certainly not be cheap.
A Few Important Tidbits
When creating your DIY website, do not use photography that you don’t have the rights to such as Google images that are not yours. This is illegal and will costs you money.
Also, it is critical to get your web presence up and running, but be willing to modify the site to make it appealing as you move forward.
Action Tip of the Day: Take a critical look at your own website.
Your website is not for you. it is for your customer. You need to look at your website and determine what your customer needs in order to take the next step with your company. Do you want to obtain their contact information? Do they need to reach the point of sale? Is your website up to date? Do your website images and layout convey what you want it to? What does your customer care about? Your website is living and breathing. Don’t allow pride to get in the way of taking your website to the next level. If you don’t like something or it won’t appeal to your client base, change it!
Want to Know More? Reach Out to Us
Need help determining if it’s time to move from a DIY website builder to utilizing a professional service. Reach out to Drew at Escape Plan Marketing today.
This episode is sponsored by Escape Plan Marketing. Book your Discovery Call for a FREE marketing audit of your business.
