WIX, Weebly, GoDaddy — there are a lot of do-it-yourself (DIY) website options out there today. Their apparent low cost and claimed ease of use can seem appealing. Here are some things to consider carefully:

• Up-Sells: While the initial price looks great, you’ll immediately be asked to buy add-ons for your site. Do you need them? Maybe, but sometimes it’s hard to tell. You may spend more than you need to; monthly fees can really add up.
• Ongoing Costs: While the initial website can be cheap, there will be monthly and yearly charges. Are they truly for the cost of maintaining your site, or are they a way of covering for the inexpensive build?
• Leaving: If you decide the DIY option is not right for you, how easily can you reposition your site? Some vendors make it difficult to move your website elsewhere. Are you prepared to start over?
• Time is Money: With the DIY option, you can easily spend days getting your website just right. Could you spend your valuable time more productively than learning how to be your own webmaster?
• Search Engine Ranking: Yes, many services say they optimize for search engines – but their process is automated. For the best results, a knowledgeable person needs to review all your pages to match the target keywords for your line of business.
• Mobile Version: Mobile computing (via phone and tablets) is one of the fastest growing areas of the Internet. In fact, Google won’t list your site in mobile search engine results unless it has a mobile-friendly version. Make sure your site is responsive (that means mobile-friendly). Some DIY providers conveniently forget to tell you whether the site you’ll get is built to be responsive or not.
• Limited Options & Objectivity: A static menu of choices to build your site relies on you picking the right options based on what the DIY provider assumes you may need. Do you have the expertise to make the right choices? Are you over-engineering? or missing functionality that could give your business a competitive edge?
• Customer Service: If you’re having trouble building your site, can you talk to someone who will guide you? Will they fix it for you so you can concentrate on the 100 other things you need to do today

  It’s important to know the risks when considering a DIY project. Even if you’re just exploring all your options, I offer free initial meetings. Let me show you how I can help you with your online presence. Contact me.