Web design, with its codes, languages and functions was, for a long time, completely incomprehensible to anyone not versed in specialist programming or development, and so hiring a professional to build your site was the only practical option for most businesses.
However recent years have seen the rise of a plethora of do-it-yourself websites that allow amateurs to produce professional looking results with just a few quick clicks of their mouse.
And though these sites are brilliant for bloggers, small organisations and individuals, if you want to have a website that really works for you, hiring a professional is still the best idea, and here’s why.
Search engine optimization
If you’re considering a foray into the world of web design, you’ve probably already heard the term ‘search engine optimization’ or SEO bandied around.
This is the process by which your website is made to work perfectly with the search engines, pushing it up the rankings and therefore causing more people to visit your site.
WordPress allows users to build their own site from scratch
SEO is a complex set of rules and guidelines that, although achievable by keen amateurs, are best understood by professionals. And as it is such an important part of building a successful website, it’s one of the most important reasons for hiring a professional design company to complete the job.
Usability
There’s nothing worse than visiting a website that jumps around, has a confusing layout or is difficult to navigate, and if you’re building the site yourself, this could be just what you end up with.
Usability is an important part of ensuring repeat visitors, so having a professional company design the layout and navigation system of your site will help to ensure that visitors come back again and again.
Branding
A large part of the web design process is concerned with ensuring that the branding of your site is appropriate to your company and consistent throughout.
A lot of companies therefore also offer logo design or consultations on exactly what sort of image you want your website to have.
And although you may have a clear idea of the results that you’re looking for, knowing what you want and being able to build it yourself are two very different things.
SEO is an important part of web design
Cross browser compatibility
Though technology has come on leaps and bounds in recent years and most internet user experiences are now fairly seamless, this is largely due to professional designers being familiar with potential problems and tackling them before they become and issue.
There are still bugs and glitches in the system that need to be ironed out and one of the most important is cross browser compatibility.
What this means is that a website that might look brilliant on Safari won’t display properly on Firefox or a video that plays smoothly when viewed on Google Chrome will refuse to work on Internet Explorer.
There are ways to overcome all of these issues, but it often takes a professional to know the ins and outs of each browser. So if you want to give every visitor a good user experience, a knowledgeable designer is a must.
Professional finish
As most visitors to a site judge it within the first few seconds, having a professional looking finish on your site is a must.
And though many of the DIY sites do give a good standard result, it’s all too easy to fall into design traps and layout no no’s without the help and guidance of an experienced design team.
Hiring a professional bespoke website design company can seem like a big expense if your business is just starting out, but the benefits that both you and your visitors will get from having a well-made and well-designed site are definitely worth the investment.
