In this article we discuss the pros & cons of free DIY Website Builder’s to help guide your decision moving forward with your new website.
Free DIY Website Builders – Pros and Cons
When creating a website for your business, the first important decision you will make is what platform you will choose (CMS, HTML, etc.) and if you’re going to try to build it yourself or hire a professional.
When it comes to the platform, check out the following article on how to choose which one is best for your business:
Which website platform is best for my business? (Part 1)
“Limited Budget” is often synonymous with new businesses, so free DIY website builders can be understandably quite appealing. There are many pros and cons to using a free website builder, which we will discuss in this post.
Pros
- It’s free, obviously. Every new business or start-up is carefully counting their dollars, so a free website can leave what money you do have available to invest in other things.
- DIY website builders usually don’t require any coding and are designed for people who might only have basic computer and word processing skills. Depending on your skill level you may need to educate yourself through some online articles/forums, but generally, this should be minimal.
- They are often built to be customisable by the user, and depending on the platform can sometimes be optimised for mobile devices.
- Some offer third party widgets or apps to be applied to your site, making it easier to run and add extra functionality.
Cons
- Most free websites are free because they offer low-quality materials and functionality and/or include their own URLs and branding. Furthermore, they often have a limited amount of templates for free accounts so many websites can often start looking very similar. This can greatly affect the first impressions that people will get from your business.
- If you want to remove the platform’s branding or have your own URL in the majority of cases you have to pay for that privilege so they don’t end up being free anyway.
- If you have absolutely no experience in making a website, or anything related to computers, then even the easiest to use templates and interfaces could be very time consuming and tedious to learn how to use.
- The point of every website is not just to look great but be functional. With free website builders, you may be sacrificing functionality for price and your customers may get frustrated and look to your competition instead.
- Just because the free DIY website builders don’t cost you anything does not mean that it is a good value for money. The above-listed cons could seriously damage your credibility and ability to turn clicks into purchases.
- Switching hosts and moving your website is a massive pain in the butt, so if you plan on using a free website just for now and upgrading later when you’re making more money, you’ll probably regret it.
Conclusion
If you have read to this point you will hopefully agree that free DIY websites aren’t the best option for your business; at the end of the day, you get what you pay for and consider this; if something can be given away for free, what is it worth?
However, perhaps you’re still saying, “but that doesn’t change the fact that I have a very tight budget and can’t afford a professional designer. I have no choice right now.”
Not true!
I’ve been in your shoes so believe me I understand, my first website was actually one of those free Yahoo Geocities static websites (years and years ago!!) I think it may have even had a flashing star background; it makes me cringe just thinking about it… But at the time I had no money and no other option!
It’s actually one of the reasons that I get the most satisfaction with working with new and small businesses. These days, you have to have an online presence, but I genuinely appreciate that not everyone can easily budget for a quality website, particularly when you’re just starting out which is precisely why I offer flexible payment options to help you get the website you want without having to compromise because of financial restraints.
Ready to get a professional website?
Great! Welcome to the big leagues!
Rivmedia Web Design specialises in creating high-quality, purpose-driven websites that convert visitors into customers. Get in touch with us today and let’s chat about getting your dream website up and running.
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Libby Hogan
Web Developer & Strategist
Hi there, I’m Libby and I’m a Web Developer, Strategist, and Founder of Rivmedia Web Design. I help entrepreneurs who have outgrown their current website to elevate their brand & scale their business.