Most people think about handling the web design process on their own and see it as a piece of cake. Well, you just need to download some software and use the services provided by web hosting companies to have a website. A few hours on it and voila! You have a website, right? Wrong. The biggest mistake most business owners make is not seeing the importance of their website. The website is the face of the business online and it needs to reflect this. The functionality and the look of the site will determine just how well or bad your site will do. While you can handle the web design on your own, you should look at the reasons for hiring a professional web design company to know just how important it is.
Today, websites are not what they were 5 years ago. They are now used to make things easy and be 24-hour marketing tools. Some sites have actually transformed to actual markets where users can buy items from the business without visiting the physical store. This means that a lot of changes have happened and this creates a need for some professionalism when it comes to design.
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A Good First Impression
Just like when you meet people, the first impression you have is what you will think of them. When someone visits a website, they will have an opinion which will entirely be driven by how the site looks. Even if what you are selling is the best in the world, your website will be doing the selling. What would you want this website to say when it talks? The first impression is the deepest and this is why you need to go an extra mile. Hire a professional and they will know exactly what your target audience needs to see the first time they visit the site for a better chance of purchase and loyalty.
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Mobile Technology Compatibility
Unless you are a web designer, you might not know the latest technologies in web design including everything to do with mobile devices. If you do not have a standard mobile website, you might be getting into problems that will cost you traffic and sales. Mobile traffic is growing every day and has already surpassed desktop use. If your website is not mobile compatible, chances are that your direct competitors will take away almost all of your business.
If your site is not mobile responsive, chances are that you will be forced to pay another company to make your site mobile friendly. This can be extremely costly for your business. A professional web design company will explain the benefits of responsiveness and design a website that will make sure that your users are having a good experience regardless of the device they are using. The professional will also know the new emerging technologies that can impact your website as far as mobile is concerned.
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Attractive and Optimized Images
People are now using gadgets that support high-dpi images. These are images with twice as much detail as what we were used to before. If you have heard the term retina, then these are the images we are referring to. Designing a website with these images will need more than just trial and error. If you are not using WordPress, then this process will be more difficult especially if you do not have the necessary plugins. If you work with a professional web design company, you can rest assured that the images on your site will be razor sharp regardless of the device being used to view them.
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You Get a Reliable Site
After designing your site about a month ago, you want to change something. Unfortunately, all you are getting is an error message. These are things that happen always as long as the site is not designed by a professional. This is the case even if you are using the most reliable systems such as WordPress. You will most probably spend time trying to fix the problem and going through Google to try and find a solution. Most people end up calling a professional web designer, something they should have done in the first place. Even if the site is fixed, you will still have an unreliable website that can go down any time. Working with professionals will ensure that this does not happen and when it does, it is fixed fast and efficiently.
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You get a Fast Website
It is not surprising that most sites do not perform optimally. When the site is designed by an amateur or by you, chances are that the site will be slower and this will cost you a great deal. Speed is essential because a slight delay will see the user move on to the next website which mostly belongs to your direct competitor.
Another advantage of working with professionals is in the hosting. Keep in mind that the hosting services will pay a part in the performance of your site. It is therefore important that you work with the best to maintain a great performance that does not disappoint your target audience. There are great tools that you can use to check your site’s speed and know where you stand.
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Better Web Design
Using the built-in site maker means that you will be using pre-designed templates. These templates have two major issues. They are basic and almost anyone can and will use them. The resulting website is a boring one and looks like thousands of other sites. If you do not want to bore your target audience, you might want to consider hiring professionals with skills and creativity to give you a site that is interesting and attractive. If you are thinking that design does not matter as long as performance is good, look at companies such as Apple and BMW, they made sure their design was a big deal long before thinking about the product‘s performance.
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Your Site Will Have a Better Chance Of Showing Up On Google
When making a site on your own, high chances are that you will overlook SEO and it might not be in the list of your concerns. For this reason, your site will probably never see the light of day on Google. A professional company will make sure that your site has all the things good crawl bots look for to rank a site. The aim is to appear on Google search results related to the products and services you deal with. This will only happen if you let people who understand the intricate parts of SEO handle the process.
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Time Saving
Designing a website is much more than just lying down a nice design. Websites have features that can help in saving a great deal of time while increasing your revenue. If you own a car repair shop or a salon having a website can open doors to time-saving features such as online booking. This will save you all the hassles associated with bookings and overlapping appointments. You can have a follow-up email feature to thank your customers. There are multiple possibilities you can take advantage of a modern website and this will only happen if you involve pros in the design process.
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Increased Revenue
Apart from the fact that you will be saving time and money, a professionally designed website can assist you in increasing your revenue without too much effort. Remember the car repair shop mentioned above, you can add a number of extra services such as oil change, car wash, wiper replacement among many others to the website. All the audience has to do is check a few boxes for the services they want. This is something you cannot manage to get if you design your site using the good old templates.
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Affordability
If you look at the site as a cost, then you will forever see it as an expensive venture. When done properly, a website is an investment that will make you a boatload of money. The secret is making sure you do it right from the first time. This will eliminate costs associated with repairs and major improvements. Professionals might seem expensive compared to DIY or amateur designers, however, when you look at the long haul, they are quite affordable.
Conclusion
Web design is an important process and should be put in the same basket as other important processes that should be left to professionals. Repairing a garage door, repairing your car engine, paving the driveway and doing taxes are some tasks that can be handled by anyone, however, they are best handled by people who have deep knowledge in them for great results. Things are the same in web design. You can find ways to make your own simple website through the many tools online, but it will not even be 10% of what a professional design company will give you.
