Don't build your own website

You head to Google and discover hundreds of companies who'll be able to assist. You try and look for one with some sort of pricing on their website and get in touch, thinking that if they don't display their prices, they're far too expensive anyway.

You now weigh up your options, whether to build your own, or get someone to assist.

With the hundreds of free or 'build your own' services out there, it's almost too easy to get caught up in the "build your own website" fever. It's also not just about building your own website, it's also paying someone to build you a cheap website. Everyday I'm flooded by emails from companies that can build me a website for just R399.

This may be extremely tempting, but it might not be such a great idea. Here's why:

1. Using a web-development company over creating a DIY website

If you're not a car mechanic, you wouldn't service your car. If you're not a plumber, you wouldn't do all your home plumbing, so why would you attempt to build a website if you are not familiar with the web-development environment?

Web-developers are skilled professionals who specialise in certain areas of development. Just like not all attorneys are the same, not all web-developers are the same.

Yes, often development of a website can be expensive, but it's important to remember, it's a representation of your brand/you and you're paying for something that is secure.

How often do you do business with someone you found on a Google search that has a terrible looking website? Not often? Exactly. Generally, the higher cost involved is because there is time taken to ensure your website is working properly, looking good and functional as per your development brief.

2. Adapting to a constantly changing environment

The internet is constantly changing, and you have to change with it. It's extremely risky to have a static website that never gets updated. This would mean having to update the code of your website (if applicable), update your content management system (CMS), or fix potential vulnerabilities in your website.

So who you going to call?

3. Limiting features

For someone who doesn't know about web-development, or even these drag and drop create your own website companies, the features of your website are immediately limited.

Web-developers (the proper ones) are able to add custom functions to your website that will help you stand out. For example, if you have an online shop, you may want to integrate your client account area with your courier's tracking system, allowing your clients to track their orders through your website.

Good luck doing this if you're not sure what's going on.

4. Security of the website

As previously mentioned, the internet is constantly changing and you'll have to keep your website secure and updated.

By just leaving your website and not managing it, you're opening yourself up to hacking and serious legal issues. Why legal issues? Well imagine you keep some client information in the backend of your website and it gets hacked. Remember POPI?

Often websites that are outdated get hacked and all of a sudden, your website is now a fake online banking phishing page. This is perhaps not such a great representation of you or your brand.

5. Updating of the website plugins

If your website is developed in a CMS, it's so important to keep your CMS and its plugins updated.

Sometimes client's misunderstand this and think that a maintenance fee is overrated as they can update plugins and the CMS themselves. Yes, you probably can, however newer versions of the CMS and plugins can result in your website theme no longer being compatible.

This means you have a website that no-one can operate. Best to get some help from a web-developer who can sort these types of issues out and quickly.

6. Free themes vs paid themes

Why pay for something when you can get it for free? Doesn't apply to websites. Seriously.

Free themes often contain weaknesses in the coding which makes it easier for hackers to get into your website. Not only this, but often these themes have their main functions or style sheets stored on another server (such as the theme developers server). You may not think this is a problem, but when their server goes down, or is no longer available, your website isn't either.

Paid themes are expensive for a reason. You're buying peace of mind and a theme that is yours, not running off some other server.

7. What if something goes wrong?

The big what if, but what happens if something does happen, such as your website has been hacked or there is someone running a phishing scheme off your domain?

I can tell you that your web-hosting company won't care. Your hosting account will be suspended quicker than you can say phishing. That means no emails and no website. They're within their rights to do this, and will more than likely ask to deal directly with your web-developer in helping you fix the problem.

Don't have one? Paid for a R399 website? Good luck.