Take a guess at how many websites you’ve personally trawled through in the last week alone, would you say ten, a hundred, more? The truth is that even the most casual user can get through hundreds. As users we have high expectations. We do not expect sites to crash or to be left hanging when making a payment. We don’t expect web design to look misaligned and out of place. When we do spot these howlers they really stick out and naturally it puts us off going any further than the first page.

There are some things, when designing your own website, that you can do yourself. Even if you have the most basic grasp of web design there are a plethora of do-it-yourself sites that will take you through set-up and design, one step at a time.

But just because you can come up with your own site, should you? Can you really get a professional looking website without letting a professional near it? The answer is both yes and no.

There are some things you’ll probably be fine with. These might include writing the content and using a template to get at least the basics down but there are some things again, that if you leave to guess work are going to look at best, a little lopsided and at worst, totally unprofessional. As mentioned up post, if a website looks unprofessional then your visitors will assume that both the service you provide and you yourself are also below standard. It’s just not worth taking the risk.

And this is where it’s worth bringing in the people who know what they’re doing. First let’s take a look at your written content. Sure, you can write using correct English, but can you make things flow? Do you have a writer’s eye and ear for how the written word sounds inside, not just your head but in the heads of complete strangers? It’s this ‘everyman’ ability to write that makes a good content writer worth their weight in gold but be careful to check that they have real life experience and have a look at some of their work.

Your web designer is where the real value is at. Let them loose on your landing page and you’ll be looking at high quality Video Promotion, slides that transition at precisely the right speed and a beautifully designed, fully functional website that might have taken you far too long to do yourself.

So, while it’s admirable to want to save money and go your own way when it comes to creating websites, sometimes it’s a worthwhile investment to get in the professionals. Your website is your shop front, make it stand out from the crowd with daring design and wonderful words.

Don’t let your website be among the ones that gets overlooked every day. When you’ve got a product or service to sell you need to make people stop in their tracks and get the recognition your brand deserves.

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