Professional Website Designer Vs Free Website Builder

Creating a website for your business is an exciting prospect as it gives you the chance to show off your products and target a brand new audience. However, deciding whether to employ a professional website designer or opt for a free website builder software package is often the first hurdle you will need to overcome.

We have broken down the two methods below so that you can make an informed decision on the best way to plan your website. Take some time to read through the advice before you get started!

The Pros Of Using A Professional Website Designer

Many people choose to engage a professional website designer when they are planning a new site. This is generally because they may lack confidence when it comes to building their own or they want to work with someone that has experience of creating a site that will interest and impress their audience.

If you are planning a new website, then take a moment to read through our pros for using a professional website designer:

• They are skilled and professionally qualified in this field so understand what to do
• They will be up to date on the current practices and will be able to use them to build a quality site
• They will have lots of experience in designing a site so will be able to convert your desires into a functioning website
• They will understand how to overcome technical issues so that you can have your page exactly how you want it
• They will provide you with an initial plan and then revisions until you are happy with each detail
• SEO will be incorporated into the content design so that you can achieve a higher rank in the search engines
• Your site should be up and running quickly as designers work quickly to produce your requests
• Each website designer understands the importance of user flow and will work to develop a highly converting website
• You will be presented with a fully functional, live website that is ready to use
• You should gain access to all their design files for any future editing that you want to undertake

The majority of the positives of using a website designer focus on the fact that they are qualified and understand what they are required to do. If you choose to use one, then you will probably feel less stress and pressure, knowing that it is being handled by someone with a wealth of experience.

The Cons Of Using A Professional Website Designer

With every list of pros comes other concerns that you will need to be aware of before you begin your project. It is vital that you have considered all aspects of hiring a website designer as once you have signed the contracts, you are liable for the bill!

We have collated the negatives to using a website designer so that you can be fully aware of what you are signing up for:

• There is an understanding that your website can cost a significant amount of money if you employ a website designer
• You run the risk of not liking the finished version, despite revisions being completed
• They may be unable to deliver the site on time due to other projects overrunning
• You are unable to guarantee the work will be of a high standard until you have commissioned the work and seen the final result
• There are often many hidden costs that come with website design so your budget could spiral out of control
• You may fall for a designer who offers a low price but then regret it when the site is not what you had hoped for

It is clear that there are certain things that could potentially spoil your future website if you employ a website designer based on low cost or without checking out what they offer for their money. With the right effort, you will be able to avoid some of these cons when finding someone to complete your site.

Things To Consider When You Use A Professional Website Designer

If you are seriously considering using a professional to create your website, then you should make sure that you are asking the right questions and considering the specifics you need to be met before you agree to hire someone. Some of the following things may help you to make a reasoned decision:

• Ask for an itemised quote and see if you can agree on a total figure for the whole project to save you from being hit with unexpected costs.
• Do not agree to part with the entire fee before you are happy with the finalised version.
• Request a list of milestones so that you can check whether the project is on track
• Ask to see their portfolio and get in contact with some of their previous clients to see how happy they are with the site that was built for them
• Agree how many initial designs you will get to choose from to widen the scope of you liking your finished site
• Check if you will have a single point of contact who you can receive updates from during the life of the project

Ultimately, using a professional should mean that you end up with the site you have been dreaming of, but you need to be savvy enough to sift through the designers until you find one that matches what you want. Do not ever be afraid to ask questions before signing a contract and be ready to check progress as they begin to work on your site.

The Pros Of Using A Free Website Builder

If you are concerned about choosing a professional to build your site, you may be thinking of using a free website builder instead. Many people think this is the best way to get their site up and running, especially when you are working with a very small budget.

To help you decide, we have come up with the main positives to using a free website builder for your new site:

• You will not be expected to understand how to code or how programming works as these builders are created to help people who do not have these skills
• Free website builders cost nothing unless you choose to upgrade specific elements to get access to premium features
• If you do your research first, you can get a free website builder that works across many platforms, making it super easy to export
• You do not need any artistic or design skills as the majority of these builders offer a range of themes for you to choose from meaning that all you have to do is pick what you like the look of
• You are in control of the entire process so that you end up with a site that you really like the look of
• You can complete your site in a timeframe that suits you

These days there are many free website builders on the market for you to choose from, so it is important to do your research before you begin. Look for one that has a range of features and has themes that suit what you want for your site.

The Cons Of Using A Free Website Builder

If you have been considering a free website builder and checked out our pros for this way of designing your website, then it makes sense to educate yourself on the cons too. If you understand the cons, then you are more likely to find a free website builder that can meet your needs.

We have listed the main cons below so that you can be certain that a free website builder is the way you want to go:

• If your site is for a business, then you are unlikely to find a website builder that can meet your demands due to a need for strong SEO and professional features
• Free website builders do not offer custom designs so you may find that your finished site looks exactly the same as many others
• Many website templates are not compatible with mobile devices
• There are no SEO addons to help you raise the rank of your site when you publish it
• Many free sites take some time to load, meaning that your visitors may get bored when waiting to access your content
• When you use a free builder, then your access to different pages is limited as you can only use them to build a few pages in total
• Because the builder is free, there is very little access to technical support, so if you have an issue it will take some time to solve
• Most website builders are Flash driven, and this cannot be read by search engines meaning that your site will not be searchable, leaving you will less growth and visitors

If you want to use a free website builder, then you must have realistic expectations of what you are going to be able to achieve. You will never end up with a site that looks as good as one that has been professionally built.

Things To Consider When You Use A Free Website Builder

When it comes to deciding whether you want to use a free website builder or not then you must take some time to consider what you need and whether the builder will be able to help you achieve what you set out to do. Take some time to consider the following:

• Will the free version provide you with everything you want to achieve?
• Have you taken the time to check out a wide range of free sites to work out whether they offer what you need
• Will you need to budget for the cost of premium features to create the site you really want?
• Have you taken the time to plan out what you want your site to look like and mapped out milestones with deadlines for you to work towards?
• Can you find a theme that works with how you want your site to look and matches any color scheme that you have in place already?
• Take some time to check out whether the customer service team can provide the support you may need and how long their response time is
• Consider how much time it will take you to build the website and if the time commitment is truly worth the free cost of the software

The reality of using a free website builder means that you are solely responsible for how your site looks and how you choose to organise it. If there are technical issues you need to be prepared to wait for support and your site will not be searchable online. If all these issues do not worry you then using a free website builder may be the best way to go!

The Best Way To Create Your Website

Now you have had time to consider the pros and cons of using a professional vs a free website builder; you will be able to make an informed decision on which one suits your site the best.

As a general rule, if you have the budget, then a professional website builder is always the way to go! The reason for this is that you are able to share what you want and then wait as someone creates a site that will look great, load quickly and can appear in search results online if you use SEO services. There is also the added bonus that you do not need to spend the time creating the site, leaving you free to work on building up your following.

No matter what you choose, you have to spend time researching all options so that you can be confident in the choice you eventually make. Do not be afraid to ask questions, read reviews and take up free trials before you spend time and money creating the site you need. When you have completed your research, you will be ready to take the plunge into the world of website design!

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Janszen Media designs and develops beautifully responsive websites, optimized for SEO and user experience. If you need a new website contact us at info@janszenmedia.com for a free quote.

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