When you are a small business, you need to stand out and make sure everything looks professional, especially when it comes to your website. While it may be easier than ever to build your own website, should you?

Here are nine reasons why you should leave it to the professionals when it comes to building the website for your small business. 

1: You Own The Code and the Site

Let's start with a biggie. Hosting sites like GoDaddy or Squarespace own the code and the files you use to build your site. You don't have access to any of the CSS or codes used to create your page. 

This means if you try to upgrade or increase the functionality of your website, you can't. You also can't move your site from one of these servers to another.

So, when you do decide to go bigger or move to a different server (it happens), all the work you put in is gone. So, you will have to start over, from scratch.

2: They Are More Unique

DIY websites are great for blogs when carbon copy design and interactiveness isn't that important. However, when you are trying to set yourself apart from the crowd having a cookie-cutter website isn't going to cut it.

Sure, you may get a basic template which is along the lines of what you want or are looking for. But you know what? So have literally thousands of other businesses.

This means you are going to see the same fonts, layouts, and tools as your site all over the place.

By hiring a professional designer, you will get a site that is customizable and truly reflects your company and its product. This allows you to stand out among all the rest

3: Better SEO

As everyone knows, SEO is what helps people find your page when they search for your product or services. And, it is always evolving in ways DIY sites can't keep up with. So, why not leave it to the professionals to make sure it gets done right the first time.

SEO isn't just about keywords. It is also about how fast your page loads, how cluttered the code is, and a whole bunch of other things. This can be a problem when using DIY sites and they tend to be overly coded and slow to load.

Plus, when it comes to keywords and how to rank and place them, some of these sites may only give you access to meta codes and headers on the home page, but not internal pages or, even worse, blog posts. This means Google won't crawl through your entire site, leaving you ranking far lower than professionally built and optimized pages.  

4: Mobile Friendly

Using mobiles to search the web and browse sites is more or less commonplace these days. So, it is important your site looks great on smaller screens.

Sure, those plug and build sites may offer "mobile versions" but more often than not they aren't very mobile-friendly. They lose a lot when they are compressed to fit on your handheld device, which can lower the user experience AND hurt your SEO rankings. However, professional web designers know to create code which will scale down beautifully and create a site that works with both a desktop or mobile device.

5: Better Security

Build your own website servers are notorious for being lax with security measures and if one of the sites on their servers gets hacked, it leaves all the others vulnerable. All it takes is a faulty script or a cyberattack on the server itself to leave your site open to hackers.

For example, in 2016 the DIY website company Weebly was hacked leaving 43 million users at risk. That is a lot of potential malware floating around. And you don't want to be the reason your customers get a virus.

Professionals know how to create sites that are harder for hackers to breach. That has to be worth something, right?

6: Better Time Management

Even if you use one of those plug and go sites, the amount of time you are going to spend fiddling with it to get better rankings on Google or ensuring it is secure is time away from running your business. It could also mean you are adding extra hours to your day and not with your family and friends.

However, the professionals can build and maintain your site for a fraction of the time. So, even though it may cost a little more upfront, the time they save you will only add to your bottom line.

7: Transferability

This reason actually ties into the first item on this list. Since you don't own any of the code or site files, not only can you not transfer it, as we stated earlier, but if the site goes bust or decides to close (hey, it happens) everything you have worked so hard on is gone. All the pages you so carefully optimized to the best of your ability, all of your blog posts, all of those onsite reviews, you guessed it, GONE.

The best way to make sure you aren't left scrambling to rebuild a site is to make sure you own everything from the start. When you outsource to a professional web designer not only do you own all the code and files, more often than not they will help you find the best server for your site if something ever happens.

8: Slow and Steady Wins the Race

Many of those plug and go sites look, well, cheap and rushed. After all, some claim you can have a website up and running in as little as 30 minutes. Surely, your business deserves more than just 30 minutes to set up?

Looking a bit slap-dash is not the look most businesses are going for. However, when you hire someone who will take the time and effort to build your business a professional site, it shows. That attention to detail will entice clients and customers to trust you

9: It Is Actually Better For Your Visitors, Too

Admit it, most people know next to nothing when it comes to creating a user-friendly website. And that it is ok. You are probably an expert when it comes to what your company offers.

But you know who is an expert on UX designs? Professional web designers. So, they will create a site that your visitors will intuitively understand and navigate through.

This user-friendly design will transfer over into leads and sales. After all, it is easier to buy things and inquire about services if you know how to find them.

You Can Build Your Own Website

Of course, if you want to, you can build your own website. Just make sure you take your time, learn some basic coding languages, and don't be afraid to admit you need help when you are in over your head.

We have plenty of services and ideas on how to help you create a stellar website! Get in touch today to see how we can help you and your small business,

Image courtesy: Simplex - Web Design Sydney