Why You Shouldn’t Use An Online Website Builder: Part 1

Serious About Your Business? Here’s Why You Shouldn’t Use An Online Website Builder: Part 1

Your small business is thriving and you’re at a point where you want your business to grow even more, but you don’t know where to turn. There are many website builders like Wix, Squarespace, and Weebly who tell you that you can build a spectacular website with all the bells and whistles in just minutes. Sometimes when something is too good to be true, it is.

Over the coming weeks, we will explain why it is beneficial for your business to use a website design and development team and article 2 will go into, reasons why you shouldn’t use an online website builder.  

Why choose a professional website design agency over an online website builder?

1. When you partner with a website design agency, brand strategy is at the forefront.

When building a website with an online website builder, you pick out of a selection of templates that limit your growth by lack of branding, design, and aesthetics.

Sound, strategic branding can increase the value of your company, give your company a clear direction and goal, and, most importantly, helps your potential customers know exactly who you are, what you do, and why they should care.

By choosing a website builder, you are often limited to what a  particular template offers, rather than implementing a fully-customized,  brand-building and business-growing sales tool. When partnering with a professional website design and development team, your brand strategy, aesthetics, design, and functionality are at the forefront when designing every single aspect of each page on your website.

And, you’re also involved in each step of the web design process from the initial layout to the website launch.

Website development teams are invested in your successes from the beginning whereas online website builder providers simply want to sell you a subscription and some templates and then leave you to your own devices.  

2. When you partner with a website design agency,  you’re getting a teammate invested in helping grow your business.

Website builders like Squarespace and Wix charge you a monthly subscription for you to do the work yourself. Choosing an online marketing agency that is invested in helping you grow long term is essential for your business. With a design agency, each step in a  custom website design project is performed with your best interest in mind.

As a business owner, it’s like that you’d rather spend your time nurturing your business rather than spending valuable time maintaining a website. Partnering with a dedicated web design team that essentially monitors your website 24 hours a day is beneficial for your online success.  If something on your website stops working or if you’re not quite sure how to include specific functionality, having a website design and development team close by can help keep you in-front of potential customers and running on all cylinders… 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

3. With a website builder, you’re just “renting” a website. With Jetfuel Creative, you own your site.

Most online website builder providers  (and even some “website design companies”) charge you a monthly subscription that’s  essentially a lease for a website. Once you opt out of paying the monthly subscription you lose your website and entire web presence.

Online branding and marketing agencies like Jetfuel Creative, however, offer turnkey website design solutions that you own. This means that if you pay for a website… it’s yours, period. Even if you don’t continue with other services that a professional agency like Jetfuel Creative provides, you still own your website… no questions asked.

The same goes for other projects like logo design or branding, once you pay for it, it’s yours.   

4. When it comes to your online presence, first Impressions are important

Often, for your customers, perception is reality… and if your website gives off the impression that you aren’t serious about your business, then your customers might actually believe that to be true.

You wouldn’t leave your storefront in shambles for customers to see how little you pay attention to cleanliness and organization, nor would you show up to a presentation or meeting with a client looking like you just rolled out of bed.

And you shouldn’t let your online presence give potential customers or clients the impression that you don’t take your business seriously.

In conclusion

Quality, professional web design is more affordable than you might think. Partner with an agency invested in your long- term success, rather than some large corporation who only knows you by a customer ID number. Website builders may say you can have a website in minutes, but what exactly are you paying for?

Turn to a professional marketing agency like Jetfuel Creative for strategic brand development and website design. Jetfuel Creative is the strategic branding, website design, and online marketing expert in the Tampa Bay area.

About the Author: Sahil Patel

Sahil is an SEO/SEM strategist who graduated from the University of South Florida with degrees in marketing and international business. He has been with Jetfuel for 6 years and lives in the Tampa area.