It is understandable why many small business owners try to do as much as they can themselves. It saves money and insures that things are looking they way they want, most of the time. However, making a website should not be one of those things, unless you are an internet and web savvy person, and even then sometimes the task can be more daunting then expected. On average a typical “Do-it-Yourselfer” will spend 25-250 hours on building their own website. A business owners time is much more valuable selling the business’s products and or services, not researching on a how to manual websites 101. If time is plenty full and the business is more of a hobbie than live, then this may be a fun way to spend time. If the business is in demand then saving the owner time, is really saving money.

Typically the best Do-It-Yourself websites are templates with uniform backend or CMS systems that allow the user with basic computer skills to update or change specific areas of a website within the system. However, for a truly unique and custom design, it would be up to a custom web designer to make that happen. What most people don’t realize is that there are a multitude of different disciplines of expertise knowledge that are integrated to make a quality custom website, look, feel and function as it does. HTML, PHP or ASP, Graphic Design such as using Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, or even Fireworks are key; as well as knowing enough about the SEO game so that when it comes time to put it all together you have a website that works for your goals and will be easily found via a search engine in the future if you choose to promote your website. This type of knowledge is collected from years of experience and helps to get the job done right, the first time saving a tremendous amount of your time and money when compared to “D-I-Y” methods. Just like building a house, the builder should know the code so that the efforts do not go wasted. You wouldn’t want to spend time building, to then have to go backwards and either repair or build over. Every website should be created with a specific goal in mind, then the website is designed to meet that goal. If you need to present information to your users, then the information they seek needs to be accessible and in the format they are accustom to. If you ask yourself this question, “What is the purpose of my website” other than looking splendid of course, then you will get closer to establishing what the needs are. A good web designer will help you understand this.