DIY Website vs. Hiring a Pro: What’s Actually Worth It?

So, you want to start your website and are wondering which to choose: a DIY website vs. hiring a pro. If so, then you’ve come to the right place.

There are tons of articles to help you create a website on the internet. You’ll also come across many cost-effective website builders.  

But the real questions are: Who to hire? Which website builder? Should you do it yourself? What’s the cost? And many others!

We know the hassle because we’ve been there. It wasn’t an easy task for us to design and create our website. But here we are with a fully functioning website that has been around for many years.

That’s why we’re here with this guide! We’ll walk you through different perspectives on when to create a DIY website vs. hiring a pro.  

Let’s get started, then!

A. Overview of DIY Website

The concept of DIY (Do-it-yourself) is popular today. It’s mostly used in fashion, decor, and building a website as well. 

But how do you do it? It’s simple: you need to choose a website builder!

Besides, if you’re interested in starting your site, then you must have encountered some popular website builders like WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, etc.  

Moreover, these site builders let you create websites without using a line of code. Plus, you’ll get features like drag-and-drop editors and ready-made templates. Simply create your site, customize it, and publish it yourself. 

Even if you’re a beginner, it’ll be easy for you to create one. 

What do they include?

• Drag-and-drop editors to quickly move text, images, and other elements on your site.
• It also offers various pre-designed layouts to choose from.
• Easily adjust colors, fonts, and layouts to match your brand style.
• Some also include features for adding contact forms, photo galleries, or even creating an online store without premium tools.

The best part is that you can create a site entirely for free. The only things you need to pay for are hosting and domain. But it won’t be too expensive! 

Moreover, many hosting providers, like Bluehost and Hostinger, offer hosting services for as low as $2.95/month.

Also, you’ll have complete control over the design and content of your site. 

If you want to start building your site yourself, then check out our detailed guide.

B. Overview of Hiring a Pro

Don’t want to DIY your site? No worries! You can always opt to hire a professional.

With a professional web developer/designer, you can rest assured that you will get a full-fledged custom website. These people are experts in making websites look good and work well with your business model. 

While hiring a professional has many benefits, it’s important to consider your budget and time. Why? 

That’s because professional website developers can be more expensive than building your site yourself. But the good thing is the quality and effectiveness of the final product. And trust us, the result is better.  

C. Pros and Cons of DIY Website vs. Hiring a Pro

Now you know the difference between a DIY website vs. hiring a pro. We believe you would like to go through their advantages and disadvantages. 

Let’s take a look!

Pros of DIY Websites

• It’ll save you money, as most website builders have a free plan. 
• You’ll also have complete control over your website. 
• While building a site, you’ll get to learn new skills.
• Also, you can get many useful plugins like SEO, security, and contact forms for free.

Cons of DIY Websites

• If you are new to this, then it might take longer than you think.
• As you’ll be using a template, you might not have a unique website.​
• Also, it’s possible that you may face technical difficulties.

Pros of Hiring a Professional

• With experts, you’ll get a custom site as per your imagination.  
• They will add complex features for you.  ​
• Experts know SEO better, so there’s a high chance your site will rank in search engines. 
• Plus, you can always rely on professionals for future technical support. 

Cons of Hiring a Professional

• Hiring a pro can be expensive.
• You’ll need to contact your hired expert whenever you face an issue. 

D. Factors to Consider When Choosing a DIY Website vs. Hiring a Pro

By now, you must have picked one method to create your site. Let’s take a look at some factors you can consider before you choose.

E. When to Choose a DIY Website?

So you want to go with the DIY method! But still want to make sure whether you should or not! 

Well, here are the conditions:

• DIY is ideal if you’re low on budget.
• Also, if your site is a personal blog, portfolio, or small business site with basic features.
• Or if you want to learn about web development.  
• To get full control over your site’s content and updates.
• If you want to build your website quickly, DIY website builders are the option. 
• You can opt for a DIY website if you’re just looking for a new project and want to test before investing.

F. When to Hire a Pro?

Do you want to hire a pro to build your site? Let’s discuss the clear situations here:

• If you want a site that matches your brand.
• Also, experts in SEO can build your site and optimize it to rank higher.
• You will get to add complex/unique features to your site. 
• With experts, you can save your time and focus on your business.
• Also, if your site needs numerous visitors, then experts can build a site that’ll handle heavy traffic. 
• Or when your site needs to capture leads and convert visitors into recurring customers. 
• Most importantly, if you lack technical knowledge, then do hire a pro. 

G. Can You Have the Best of Both?

But how about hiring a professional and also getting a DIY site? Is it possible?

Yes, it is!

First, build your site with a website builder like WordPress. This platform comes with 59,000+ free plugins and over 13K themes. So, use them and create a site in a blink. As we said earlier, hosting and domain are the only things you’ll need to pay for. 

Once your site is ready, hire a professional designer or developer. You can ask them to add specific features, such as custom graphics, a change in site layout per your brand, or advanced functionalities. 

We’ve already mentioned that an expert will have complete SEO knowledge. Therefore, you’ll have a site ranking on the search engine results page. 

After creating a site, you can consider hiring a professional writer for blogs. That’s because a blog page is important for a site to engage visitors. 

But if you are an expert in writing, go for it! Still, you can hire a professional to refine it, do in-depth keyword research, and optimize your content for better ranking.

In the end, you’ll have a full-fledged experience creating a unique site. So, give it a try!

H. Start Your DIY Website (Step-by-Step)

Here, we’ll give you a quick demo on starting your DIY website. Let’s say we want to build a blog site. The first step is to choose a platform. For this guide, we’ll go with WordPress.org. 

As we mentioned earlier, this website builder offers access to many free plugins and themes. This makes the process of building a website a breeze. 

And with a DIY website, you’ll need to pay for the hosting and a domain. Also, there are many domain registrars and hosting companies. So, purchase a domain and hosting from any of these platforms, whichever fits your budget.  

Once purchased, log in to your hosting account, and many hosting providers offer one-click WordPress installation. After that, simply log in to your website using wp-login.php at the very last part of your URL. 

For example, http://example.com/wp-login.php is how you should enter it.

Once logged in, you’ll see the WordPress dashboard! 

From here, you can manage your entire website. The first thing to do is find the right WordPress theme and install it. Many blog themes like Ashe, Fairy, etc., are there for starting a blog.

Let’s go with Ashe here!

After activating the theme, start customizing it as per your blog site. 

Here, you can change your site’s color, typography, logo, layouts, and many more.

After customizing, add content to your blog. But be mindful of what type of content you can add to your site. There are 2 types of content (Pages and Posts).

Pages share static content like services, about us, contact pages, etc., that you won’t change frequently. In contrast, posts are dynamic content, like news, articles, and more, that you’ll be updating often. 

Finally, after writing the article, publish your blog posts. Simply click the ‘Publish’ button in the top right corner, and you’re done!

And that’s it. Your site is ready.

Isn’t it easy to DIY a website? 

For a complete detailed guide, do follow our article on how to start a website. 

I. Best Platforms to Hire a Pro

Now, if you decide to hire a pro to build your site, then here are some of the platforms you can find them. 

1. Codeable

First, we have Codeable, which is the only WordPress freelancer platform. This platform lets you find professionals who can help you with every task. It can be fixing 404 errors, plugins not working, slow database optimizer, website maintenance, etc. 

Moreover, you’ll find 510+ highly examined developers. The best part is that you don’t need to bid and can get a fair price with the best quality of work. Simply explain what you need, and you’ll be connected to the right developers to chat with about your project. 

How Much Will It Cost?

The pricing is simple for this platform, and you’ll get a single estimate based on their $80-$120 hourly rate. You can also try the filters, which are based on the complexity and urgency of the project. 

Below are the costs for low complexity, low urgency, and the basic project scope for different projects. 

• Custom Plugin Development: Costs from $960
• Custom Theme Development: Costs from $980
• Speed and Security Optimization: Costs from $420
• Website Design and Development: Costs from $2,500
• E-commerce Site Design/Development:  Costs from $3,200

Also, they will charge you a 17.5% fixed fee that covers expert vetting & training, 24/7 customer service, and platform management. They also offer a 28-day bug-fixing warranty.  

2. Upwork

Next, we have Upwork, where you can find high-quality talent to build your custom website. This platform comes with a category you can browse through: development & IT, AI service, design & creative, sales & marketing, writing & translation, etc. 

Besides, on this platform, you’ll get access to the top 1% of talent. You can simply post a job and hire a talent. Before hiring, you can check their work samples, client reviews, and identity verification. The best part is that you don’t need to pay until you hire a pro.  

How Much Will It Cost?

When you post a job, wait for the proposals, check your profile, contact talent, and then fix a price for the job. Otherwise, you can shop projects already planned by the talent; no need to post a job- just browse and buy.  

Besides, they have different plans depending on the service fee you’ll be paying. They are:

• Marketplace: For this plan, you’ll be paying a 5% service fee, which includes a global freelancer marketplace. Also, you’ll get access to AI-powered features, standard reporting, and more. 
• Business Plus: For this plan, you’ll need to pay a 10% service fee, talent shortlisted within 2 business days, premium customer support, monthly invoicing, etc. 
• Enterprise: For this plan, contact sales for pricing estimates. It comes with dedicated account and program management, SSO, and integration, including VMS, ATS, etc.  

3. Fiverr

Fiverr is the best platform for finding experts in programming and tech, graphics and design, digital marketing, writing, AI services, and more. The popular services you’ll find are website development, logo design, SEO, architecture & interior design, etc. 

With Fiverr Pro, you’ll get dedicated hiring experts to find you the right talent. You’ll also have the option to hire on an hourly basis or by the project. The best part: You’ll get access to a pool of top talent across 700 categories. 

How Much Will It Cost?

Fiverr will charge commission fees for sellers and buyers. For buyers, the service fee for Gigs is 5.5% of the purchase amount. For purchases under $100, an additional $3 small order fee will be applied. 

4. Toptal

As the name suggests, Toptal has an exclusive network of the top 3% freelancers who are experts in software development, design, etc. Besides, this platform is trusted by leading brands like Shopify, Duolingo, USC, and so on. 

Moreover, on this platform, you’ll have access to professional coders and architects with expertise across hundreds of technologies. You can also hire quickly within 48 hours, and it offers flexible engagements from hourly to full-time. 

How Much Will It Cost?

The platform pricing rates are based on the preferred developers, location, complexity, project size, etc. They also have a flat-money subscription of $79, which will be charged if you decide to proceed with a talent search. 

5. Freelancer

Finally, we have Freelancer, one of the best platforms and the world’s largest freelance marketplace. On this platform, you can connect with over 79 million professionals worldwide. Besides,  it’s free to post a job. After that, you’ll get competitive bids that match your budget.

You can also choose from over 2700 categories to get your job done. Including web design, research writing, article writing, graphic design, and more. Besides, you get to hire an expert based on their skills, location, and category of work. 

How Much Will It Cost?

As we’ve mentioned, this platform is free to sign up, post a project, receive bids from freelancers, review the freelancer’s portfolio, and discuss the project requirements. 

Also, the cost and how the project fee is charged depends on the type of project.

• For Fixed Price Project: It’ll cost you a fee of 3% or $3 (whichever is greater).
• For Hourly Projects: It’ll cost you a fee of 3% on each payment you make to the freelancer.

The best part is that you may cancel the project from your dashboard for a full fee refund up to 7 days after it’s accepted.

J. Our Recommendation – What’s Actually Worth It?

We’re at the end of this guide, and we’ve covered everything related to creating a DIY website vs. hiring a pro.  

However, if you’re still unsure what to choose, it depends on your budget, technical skills, and website needs. A DIY website is ideal if you want to build a personal blog or a simple website at low to no cost. 

On the other hand, hiring a pro is the option for custom features, advanced functionality, or a website that aligns with your brand. 

But we recommend working with both methods. It’ll be within your budget, you’ll learn a skill, and you’ll also have a custom website. 

However, the choice still depends on you! Either way, you’ll have a great experience in building your site.

Conclusion

So, that’s all for now!

In this article, we guided you on what to choose between a DIY website vs. hiring a pro.

We went through various aspects of the two methods of creating a site. And we also talked about how they differ from one another to help you decide which one to start with.

You can also check our article on how to make money with a blog and what is affiliate marketing?

We would be motivated by your thoughts on this article, so feel free to comment on any queries or suggestions below.

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