What can a professional web design company do that I can’t?

In the modern era of website builders, literally anyone can spin up a website in a day and have a new website that’s live for the world to see. I listen to a lot of podcasts and hear ads for SquareSpace and WIX on a daily basis. Add to that the growing number of website builders being offered from various web hosting companies and you have a lot of options.

So the question is, what can a professional web design company do that you can’t do yourself?

PLENTY!

We’re more than templates!

If you’re using a website builder created by a DIY website company, you’re going to pick a template and install it. Then you’re going to have to put in your content, put in your logo and images. Maybe move some blocks around to make it how you want. Hopefully it looks good on mobile. But you are working from a template.

When you work with a professional, we start from a blank page. We talk to you about your hopes and dreams and what your goals are and we create a custom design for you. If you’ve never built a website before, it’s going to be really hard for you to create something unique and custom when you are filling in the blanks on a template.

We have more tools

Have you ever gone to do a DIY home improvement project, gotten in way over your head and had to call in a pro for help? Yeah, me too. (More often than I’d like to admit.) And then the pro comes in and finishes the job to perfection in less time too? It’s because professionals have tools that most DIYers aren’t going to want to pay for. I don’t own a table saw or a tile saw or even a power washer. Because I’m likely not going to use those tools very often and they are expensive and will take up a lot of space.

But as a web professional, I have a lot of tools that I pay for and use. In fact, probably more of those than I should admit. When someone comes to me and says something like, “I want to rank for this keyword,” the first thing I ask them is what keyword research tool did they use to come to that conclusion? Chances are, they didn’t because they didn’t know such a thing existed or they didn’t want to pay for it.

There are loads of free plugins out there that you can use. We use plenty of free plugins. But there are some premium ones that look better, work better, and are easier to use. I pay for these plugins so I can use them on sites because it makes the sites come together faster and easier and makes them look better. The DIYer is probably not going to pay for these options and wind up more frustrated trying to use the free tools.

We know how people use the Internet

When people tell me what I do for a living, I often say, “I make the Internet.” And while that is true, and one of the things I’ve learned as a professional in this business for twelve years is that I know and understand how people use the Internet and I can leverage that knowledge to build a better website than a DIYer could do.

I’ve been asked a few times if I thought my job would be replaced by website builders.

“Why would someone hire you when they can do it themselves?“

Why hire a lawn service or a house cleaning company or someone to walk your dog? These businesses aren’t going under so I’m not worried. People think they can do a lot of things until they try to do it on their own. I frequently get hired by folks who thought they’d do it themselves only to find themselves over their head and in need of help.

Professional web design companies have skills, tools, and expertise that bring value to their clients.