As a business owner, you have many important decisions to make regarding how to best represent your company online. One of the most significant choices you’ll face is whether to hire a professional web designer to create your business website or take a do-it-yourself approach. While a DIY website may seem appealing in terms of upfront cost and control, working with an experienced Reno web designer offers some compelling benefits for your business that are worth considering.
Why Hire a Professional Reno Web Designer?
As a business owner, hiring a professional web designer to create your company website is a smart investment that will benefit you in many ways:
• Expertise and experience: Web designers have the technical skills and knowledge to build an attractive, user-friendly website that effectively showcases your business. They stay up-to-date with the latest web design trends, standards, and best practices to optimize your site.
• Save time: Creating a website yourself requires a significant time commitment to learn the necessary skills and actually build the site. Hiring a web designer allows you to focus on running your business while the designer handles the technical aspects of building your website.
• High quality results: Professional web designers have the tools, resources, and skills to produce a polished, high-quality website. DIY websites often look amateurish and unprofessional in comparison.
• SEO benefits: Web designers incorporate effective search engine optimization (SEO) strategies to help improve your search rankings and drive more organic traffic to your site. Things like page titles, meta descriptions, internal linking, and more. Optimizing your site for search engines requires specialized knowledge that web designers possess.
• Mobile-friendly: With more people accessing the internet via mobile devices, having a mobile-friendly website is critical. Web designers build responsive websites that automatically adapt to mobile devices, ensuring your site is easy to view and navigate on any screen size.
• Future support. Reputable web designers don’t just build your website and then disappear. They offer ongoing support to help you make any needed updates or changes to your site to keep the content and functionality up to date.
How Much Does a Custom Website Cost?
When considering whether to hire a professional web designer or take a DIY approach to building your business website, cost is often a top factor. A custom website built by an experienced web designer typically ranges from $5,000 to $30,000 or more, depending on the complexity and features. In contrast, a DIY website builder may charge $0 to $500 per year.
While a DIY website seems appealing from a cost perspective, it often lacks the professionalism and functionality of a custom site. A professional web designer will create a site tailored to your business and target audience. They possess the knowledge and expertise to:
- Conduct market research to determine the most effective layout, content, and features
- Design an attractive, user-friendly interface that engages visitors
- Optimize the site for search engines to improve your rankings in Google and other search engines
- Ensure cross-browser compatibility so your site displays properly on all devices
- Build in essential features like an ecommerce shop, blog, lead capture forms, etc.
- Provide ongoing support and updates to keep your site secure and running well
The investment in a professionally designed website will pay off through increased visibility, credibility, and revenue for your business. While a DIY site may save money upfront, it risks appearing amateur, turning off visitors, and limiting your growth potential. For most businesses, a custom website is the smarter choice for long-term success.
Choosing a Web Design Company: What to Look for
When looking to hire a web design company, there are several factors to consider. A reputable firm will have the expertise and experience to build an effective website for your business.
Relevant Experience
Seek out a web design company with experience creating websites for businesses similar to yours. They should have an established portfolio of professional sites they have developed. Review their case studies and client testimonials to determine if they are familiar with your industry’s best practices and standards. An experienced team will understand how to optimize your site for search engines and convert visitors into customers.
Custom Design
Your website should have a custom design created specifically for your brand. Avoid cookie-cutter templates, as they will not differentiate you from your competitors. A custom site with your logo, color scheme, and a layout tailored to your needs will appear more professional and help strengthen your brand identity. Discuss your vision with the web design company to ensure they can bring your concept to life digitally.
Responsive and Mobile-Friendly
With more people accessing the internet via mobile devices, your website must be fully responsive and mobile-friendly. Content and navigation should resize and adapt nicely to any screen size. Ask if the company uses a mobile-first design approach. Their process should focus on optimizing the mobile experience before the desktop version. A responsive site will provide a good user experience for all your visitors, no matter the device used.
Search Engine Optimization
For the best results, choose a web design company skilled in search engine optimization or SEO. They can optimize your site to rank higher in search engines like Google. Key things to look for include page titles and meta descriptions, internal linking, fast page load times, and mobile-friendliness. Good SEO will drive more organic traffic to your new website, increasing visibility and new customer acquisition.
Conclusion
As a business owner, you have many important decisions to make regarding how to best represent your company online. While a DIY website may seem appealing in the short term due to lower upfront costs, hiring an experienced Reno web designer is the smarter long term choice. They have the skills and expertise to create a custom website that properly showcases your brand and engages your target audience.
