Is it “cheating” to use different tools when building a website?

Professionals in all fields have tools. As a homeowner, there’s a good chance you own a plunger. But do you have a drain snake? Why not? Would it be cheating if a plumber came to your house and used a drain snake instead of reaching down the drain by hand?

Would it be cheating if the carpenter uses a table saw instead of a hand saw?

Would it be cheating if you used a drill to put together new furniture from  IKEA, rather than using a regular screw driver? (Have you tried putting together IKEA furniture? It would take days without a drill!)

Of course not. So why do so many consider it “cheating” to use various tools when building a website? I’m talking about tools such as using a Framework (like Genesis) or using a page builder like the Conductor Plugin or Beaver Builder.

There’s a subset of people in the web development field who feel like it’s necessary to denigrate the way others work, to minimize their process, because it’s different than theirs. And to this, I say PHOOEY.

There is a place for everything and everyone. I use a lot of different tools when I build a website. Nobody would accuse me of cheating because I use Photoshop, but if I say I use Genesis Extender or Dynamik, then some would qualify that as cheating.

If you have a tool that helps you achieve a goal, reduces the time it take to achieve that goal, and makes your life easier, then I think it’s a valuable tool. And while some people may choose to look down upon you for using different tools for the job, if you are providing a service that someone finds valuable, then there’s nothing that’s cheating about it. That’s just smart business.

Back when I first started in this field, back in 2006, I was listing my house for sale and my realtor wanted a website. We were pretty stupid cheap back then, and I was charging her $250 for the website. She hemmed and hawed quite a bit, because there was a lady who was doing websites for some of the other agents and only charging $100. So I looked at these other agent sites, and to my eye, they were really awful. (Think Geocities.) And I’m ashamed to admit, that I told the realtor how bad they were. I’m ashamed that I bad-mouthed this lady.

Because the truth is, she was providing a service to her clients, and the clients were happy with it. So what if it was different than how I would have done it, and if it was cheaper than I was willing to do it. She was using the tools she had to offer something that people wanted.

There is a place in this web development world for all of us. I would never say I’m the best web developer in the world. I have a great set of skills that I use for my clients, and my clients are happy. And I hope that others who have different skills, even more advanced skills, will recognize that and accept me for what I am able to do and offer my clients.

Just as I have learned as I’ve grown and become more mature, to see that there’s value in how other people do things, even if it’s different. That the value isn’t in the product that I deliver, but in the eyes of the client who receives that product.

So I say to you, stand proud! Use tools that you need to use to get the job done, and be glad you know how to use them. There’s no shame in finding the right tools for the right job. And recognize that doing something different doesn’t make you better or worse, it just makes you YOU.