Establishing a robust online presence is no longer optional for small businesses. It's essential for survival and growth. Many small business owners are understandably attracted to Do-It-Yourself website builders that promise a quick, easy, and often inexpensive avenue to get their business online. It's often presented as an exercise in entrepreneurial self-reliance: be your own person; make your own website! However, hidden costs and limitations associated with these platforms can be considerable. It’s important to be aware of some of these potential pitfalls before diving headfirst into DIY website creation.
Customization
DIY website platforms typically provide a range of templates and themes to simplify the design process. However, pre-designed templates—and the software framework they’re packaged in—can restrict how much or how well you can personalize. The more you try to customize, the more you may find yourself bumping up against limitations of the software, or even needing to hire a professional designer to achieve the look you want.
Lack of customization can extend to functionality as well, especially if you want to use specific tools or e-commerce capabilities. Sophisticated, filterable data catalogs or image galleries, booking systems, lead tracking, or specialized e-commerce set-ups could be unavailable or might require a premium plan. Once again, you could end up needing to hire a professional developer to achieve what you want (defeating the purpose of going the DIY route).
SEO Performance
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is crucial for driving traffic to your website. Websites created with DIY builders often struggle in this area, especially if you are hosting your site on their URL domain. Many of these platforms do not incorporate robust SEO tools, and without technical know-how, optimizing your site for search engines can be a herculean task. Issues such as site structure, badly written code, and slow loading times will definitely have an adverse effect on search engine ranking, reducing online visibility and potentially losing out on valuable customer interactions.
Ongoing Subscriptions
This is a big one. DIY website builders often promote free trials or low initial starting rates. But monthly and yearly subscription costs accumulate over time, and core functionalities and features may be tucked behind higher-tier subscription plans. As your business scales and your website needs increase, so too could your monthly or yearly outlays to maintain the services your website requires.
Portability
Having built your site on a particular DIY platform, you may find it challenging—and sometimes even impossible—to leave it to migrate to a different hosting service. You may find that many elements, like specific designs or ways your content is presented, cannot be transferred, and it could end up being easier to start over from scratch. If you're running up against the limitations of the platform and want a professional to help, switching to more flexible software may be costly.
Time Investment
Just like subscription costs, time investment is one of those things that can creep up over time. Learning how to use the platform, designing the layout, creating content, and maintaining the site are all time-consuming. Figuring out how to work around limitations and issues may cost more time, and create stress as you are distracted from core business activities. Time is your most valuable resource. Hidden time investments can be costly in the early stages of establishing your business, when every hour counts.
The Bottom Line
DIY website builders are an attractive proposition for small business owners looking to establish an online presence without a hefty investment. It can be a great way to get something—anything—live while you work with a pro to create something that's a better fit. As you do, pay attention to the true cost of using these platforms—it could end up outweighing their initial benefits.
Understanding these hidden costs and limitations is crucial in making an informed decision about how to best establish your business's online presence. By carefully weighing the pros and cons, small business owners can ensure their journey into the digital marketplace is both successful and sustainable.