Should you outsource or DIY your website design? (7 questions to help you decide)
So you've finally decided to create a new website! This is probably one of the most exciting business stepping stones!
Building a beautiful, modern website is easy. But building a website that represents your brand, is SEO optimised and that converts - is no easy task my friend. There are so many elements and factors that come into play.
While anyone can throw together a WIX or Squarespace site in just a couple of hours using the given templates - it takes months to really understand the platform and utilise it to its fullest potential.
They say first impressions matter, but you can't exactly do that if people aren't finding you - so you have no one to leave an impression on! This is where SEO optimisation and backend tech development is so important for your website.
It took me months to understand SEO and implement these strategies on websites, then to learn CSS coding so that I could fully customise websites, and lastly, to study brand strategy- which is so much more than just a logo and colour palette.
So when you decide that your business is ready for a website, the next step is to determine whether you will DIY it or outsource it. In this blog post, I'll share the 7 questions which will help you decide on the option that's best for you.
Pssst… Want website leads on autopilot?
CONTENT - The 7 Questions to Ask Yourself:
How much is your time worth?
How much is your energy worth?
How much do you know about design?
What is your level of tech competency?
Do you just want a pretty website or one that converts?
How much do you value expert, high quality work?
Is this something you are GOOD at, LOVE to do and MUST do?
1. How much is your time worth?
Depending on how long you've been in business for. Your time is usually worth more the longer you are in business and the more profitable it is.
When to DIY:
If you are just starting out, then you will most likely be wearing different hats and trying to learn and troubleshoot anything and everything your business needs - even if they are not directly related to profitable tasks.
This is ok, because the value of your time has not yet reached the point where it's worth the extra expense of outsourcing to someone else. Plus, you might not have enough 'business savings' to expend on such a large investment, like a fully customised website.
So, if this sounds like you, then it might be a good option to DIY your website.
When to Outsource:
If you've been in business for a while now and your day is filled with highly profitable tasks that only YOU can do (such as consulting or coaching calls, design work, recording videos, etc.), then your time is worth significantly more.
You're aware of the trade-offs and opportunity costs, so you know that your time is better spent on the profitable tasks (and website design is not one of those things) then this is when you're better off outsourcing to an expert.
2. How much is your energy worth?
Are you the visionary or leader for your business? Does your business constantly require your fresh, creative energy? Or perhaps your enthusiasm and deep focus when working with a client?
Either way, your best and most profitable work most likely requires a lot of your energy. So if you had to learn and expend energy on building a new website, then you're technically draining your 'profitable' energy reserves.
When to DIY?
If your profitable work does not demand huge chunks of your energy daily and you have a lot of 'free time' to work on other aspects of your business (such as website design), then a DIY website might be a fun project to take on.
When to Outsource?
If most of your week is filled with client work or any work that requires you to show up 100% every day as the visionary or leader, then it really doesn't make sense to drain your precious energy resource on something you could easily outsource.
This would also allow you to focus on delivering higher quality work to your customers and clients, so that you can make back your investment faster AND allows you to work ON your business instead of IN your business - like a true entrepreneur.
3. How much do you know about design?
By design, I really mean - how much do you understand about HOW design can influence your audience’s emotions, build trust, AND increase your conversion rates?
Shapes and colours are a big part of how we make sense of the world. In website design, shapes would be Typography (fonts), graphics, logo and illustrations. Colours would be in the form of colour palettes, background and font colours, colours in your graphics and illustrations, etc.
There are HUGE psychological factors at play here. For example: certain colours make people feel more trusting and others make people feel either luxury or cheap.
Following suit, your font style also influences people's perception of your business: certain fonts make your business seem traditional and old fashioned, others make you seem modern and progressive, and some bring out fun and quirky personalities.
When to DIY?
If you have a design background or are super eager and willing to learn more about design, then you would probably do a great job at DIY!
Here is one of the best Design books I can recommend to get you started:
How to Style your Brand - by Fiona Humberstone.
When to Outsource?
If design is simply not a language that you're familiar with and you don't have the time or energy to invest in learning design - then outsourcing will take ALL that headache away for you! Hire a designer you vibe well with and watch the magic happen.
4. What is your level of tech competency?
Building a website is not just 'design' - there are so many backend technicalities involved with making sure it runs smoothly and is optimised for SEO and mobile - all the things that makes Google love you, so ya know... you kinda want to be on Google's good side.
I also just want to be honest here and say, while you don't HAVE to learn coding... it is a HUGE bonus to know CSS coding (and HTML and a little Javascript) because you can break out of the platform 'restraints' and fully customise your website the way you want.
When to DIY?
If you're secretly a tech nerd like I am and coding really satisfies that logical side of your brain, then I think you'd love the challenge of figuring out the backend tech systems - provided you have the time, energy and enthusiasm to do so.
When to Outsource?
If tech jargons and coding make your insides squirm and backend website development does NOT sound like your cuppa tea, then no worries. You can actually hire someone who would LOVE to do ALL that for you! It's called outsourcing - crazy right?!
5. Do you just want a pretty website or one that converts?
Now ask yourself this honestly: what is the goal or purpose of your website?
Is it to simply have a place to write your little heart away, to share your art or hobby or passion with family and friends? Or is it to offer a service or product as a business, with conversion in mind?
When to DIY?
If you just want an online space to share your thoughts, passions, hobbies and art with friends and family - without the aim or pressure of making it profitable or sharing it outside your social circle, then a pretty website is really all you need.
When to Outsource?
But really, it's always a better long term strategy to build a website that converts right from the start.
Think of it like building a house that's earthquake proof - do it from the get-go and you won't have the extra hassle of having to build it in later, when you finally do decide that conversion matters (which it does!).
So it's always a good idea to outsource to an expert who understands how to design a website that converts - is what I'm saying.
Speaking of, how would you like some free resources to get you started on building a website that converts? ↓
6. How much do you value expert, high quality work?
Think about your business. Do you offer expert, high quality work? Or perhaps that's something you strive for? I know most people do.
Your website is the first impression people have of you and your business. So it's important that your website truly represents you and your core values or message in a trustworthy and authentic way.
When to DIY?
Well, the opposite of expert, high quality work would be: cheap, budget, confused, unsure, low quality and amateur?
So unless you're confident you can create an expert-level, high-quality website or you’re really not fussed about how people perceive you, then by all means DIY.
But given the choice - it's always a good idea to aim for expert, high quality work because it pays itself back tenfold! Especially in the long run.
When to Outsource?
Do you want your clients and customers to associate you with the words: premium, trustworthy, charming, high value, high quality and expert? If so, how important is that to you? And how much do you value your business being perceived and associated with these words?
If your answer is a lot or it's invaluable, then it's worth investing that extra cash or business savings on a designer who will deliver expert, high quality work.
Think about it: if you want others to perceive your work as expert and high quality, then why would you accept web design work that is anything less that what you'd deliver to your clients?
It's your business, your reputation and your future - and YOU are so worth investing in.
7. Is this something you are GOOD at, LOVE to do and MUST do?
One of my favourite ways to determine which tasks I should DIY vs outsource, is by categorising all the business tasks into 2x 4 quadrants and then finding the ones that overlap.
Don't just outsource the tasks that you see everybody else outsourcing. Assess your own skills, enjoyment and priorities to figure out the best strategy for you.
When to DIY?
Look at the tasks that fall into the quadrants you are GOOD at and LOVE to do + ONLY YOU CAN DO. These are the perfect task for DIY.
eg. if you're great with design, love learning new things like how to create a website AND you're the only one who can do it because you're an aspiring web designer - then DIY your website.
When to Outsource?
Look at the tasks that fall into the categories which you are NOT GOOD at, DISLIKE doing and actually DON'T HAVE to do personally (ie. coding, SEO, and website design ). These are the best tasks to outsource first because it then frees up time for you to do the things you're actually good at and that brings in more profit.
“You can do anything but not everything”
It just makes sense when you think about the opportunity cost. Since you cannot do everything, then the tasks you DISLIKE, are NOT GOOD at and DON'T HAVE to do personally will always have the least priority - which is why they probably never get done.
But don't discount them as unimportant as they could be an extremely profitable aspect of your business - like a website.
Let me know if you have any questions and if you're still stuck between DIY or Outsourcing your website design! Leave me a comment below or message me here @arohavisuals.
