5 Ways DIY Website Builders Ruin Your Brand

They say building a strong website is easy. And by “they”, we’re referring to the countless ads for DIY website builders that aim to hook small business owners in with “free and easy websites”. Some even claim to help your ranks in the search engines (known as Search Engine Optimization, or SEO). This is extremely misleading and unfortunately, is a costly and painful journey for small businesses. The truth is you need an experienced web designer who is also familiar with your brand strategy to create something worthwhile for your business. Here are 5 ways DIY websites ruin your brand.

1. Having a Template = Lack of Care

Your website is the central hub where all your brand elements come together. You have the most control in this space as well. If you opt to use a template theme that anyone can replicate, your website won’t be unique to you, even if you incorporate your brand colors and fonts. If you aren’t willing to take the time to craft your website to accurately reflect YOUR business (and not thousands of businesses like yours in the industry who all used the same template theme as you), it’s a lost opportunity to hold a place in your customer’s mind.

If nothing makes you special online, nothing makes you special in a potential customer’s mind.

2. Not Created With Strategy in Mind

As a small business owner, you may think your website’s purpose is to showcase your product/service and make it visually appealing. But so much of a website’s true potential lies within the unseen – tracking pixels, back-end and front-end development of SEO tactics, content strategy, user experience design, etc. It’s a way to ensure your content is being seen and received how you want and collect information to provide insight into your viewers’ behaviors on your website. This tells you whether your brand strategy is effective or needs to be refined.

The true value of a website’s potential lies within the unseen.

3. It’s Not Yours

Did you know you may not own the content on your website? Even though you paid for your domain, if you’re using a free (or even premium) template theme, in many cases, the original creator owns the design, content, and preset stock images. Additionally, if you ever miss a payment or want to migrate your website to another host, you will lose all your content and must start over from scratch. This forces you to stay with the same website builder permanently, regardless of your satisfaction of their services and offerings.

If you don’t own your website, it can be taken down at any point at the discretion of your website builder.

4. Poor SEO

We’ve said this many times: If your website exists for the sake of existing, but no one sees it (or can find it!), it’s pointless. SEO is critical to your success, especially as a small business owner. It’s easy to get lost in the search results pages, well below the paid top spots from your larger competitors. And let’s be honest: how often do we bother to look past page 4 or 5 in a search engine for the answer to our own searches? Unless you’re well-versed in web design and best SEO practices (which are always evolving to match Google’s ever-changing algorithm) or have someone on your team who is an SEO specialist, your website isn’t helping advance your business.

If your website exists purely for the sake of existing, it’s pointless.

5. It Won’t Make You Money

At the end of the day, the ultimate goal of your website is to bring in new customers and increase your sales. At some point you will spend money on it – whether it’s on a domain, a host, a premium theme, etc. Your website is not simply a box to tick on a list of things you need for your business. It’s a prime opportunity to create interest and bring in new customers, as well as retain existing ones.

Did you know that 97% of customers search online for local businesses? Your website is often the first point of contact for a new customer. Making sure your website accurately reflects the kind of service and experience they will have helps your customer make an informed decision about whether or not to visit your business.

97% of customers go online to find a local business.

Consider your own past searches. Have you ever decided against a particular business because the website was poorly designed or seemed like a scam? As a potential customer, we often feel what we see is what we’ll get. If you’re on the hunt for a luxurious treatment at a local business, then the website for that business should FEEL luxurious. It should give a sense of what your experience will be when you visit. If you are put off by the website, you’ll look elsewhere for an alternative. This is why a strong website is so important. The big takeaway is this:

If your website isn’t making you money, it’s a waste of money.

Avoid the chaos of trying to build a website on your own (or from someone who doesn’t understand the true purpose of it) and discovering mid-way that it’s more difficult or less effective than you anticipated. We can help you build a website catered to your specific business needs that is not only beautiful, but functional as well, to help build your brand and increase your sales. Contact us today to get started.