Website
In the digital age, having a professional, well-designed website optimized for conversion is crucial for any business aiming to establish a strong online presence. With the rise of online site builders, many business owners are faced with the choice of whether to build their websites themselves or hire an agency with professional designers and web developers. While online site builders offer a quick and cost-effective solution, hiring experienced, professional web developers has significant advantages. There are also times when utilizing site builder features makes good sense, which we will also share.
The Benefits of an Agency: Web Designer and Developer
1. Customization and Uniqueness
Bespoke Tailored Design: Professional web designers and developers create custom websites tailored to your brand’s specific needs, story, and aesthetic. Unlike templates provided by site builders, custom design and web development can ensure your website stands out from competitors and aligns perfectly with your brand identity. We typically build sites on the Craft content management system, which is the most flexible, user-friendly CMS for managing custom digital experiences on the web and beyond.
Unique Function & Features: Custom web design and development can incorporate unique features and functionalities unavailable with online site builders, enhancing user experience and engagement. If you’re considering chat features, store locators, booking platforms, or other additions to your site, third-party plugins that boost functionality and usability often cannot be integrated into websites from templated site builder platforms.
2. Professional Quality & Collaboration
Expertise and Insight: Professional web design and development means you’re working with partners, bringing years of expertise and experience to the table. An agency with an experienced team understands the latest tech, trends, UX principles, accessibility standards, and best practices for web design and development.
User Experience: A well-designed website provides seamless usability, making it easy for visitors to navigate and interact with your site. Professionals can integrate your message, value proposition, and product attributes in a natural way that doesn’t hinder view flow. This leads to higher engagement and conversion rates.
3. Powerful Digital Branding & Brand Consistency
Cohesive Branding: A custom-built website ensures that design and web development are consistent with your brand identity, including colors, fonts, and messaging. This consistency isn’t just visually appealing; it helps build brand recognition and trust with your audience. The best web designers focus on branding as much as user interface design and content management systems.
Stronger Brand Impact: Designing and developing websites with the team that builds your brand is a big advantage. Your brand team can plan and build from a much stronger position of understanding the brand than you get from a template or an outside vendor. Creating a website should be seen as an extension of your brand.
Deeper Audience Connection: A site offers opportunities to connect with your audience which are unique to that media and best served with custom graphics, additional brand copy, animation, and other multimedia content. Your brand team can write and design specifically for each of these situations rather than following the limitations of a template. Similarly, custom web development can implement features to enhance brand impact far beyond its look and feel. The value of building your website entirely under the umbrella of your branding agency is apparent in the end product.
4. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
SEO Best Practices: A seasoned professional web developer understands the importance of SEO and can design and develop a website optimized for search engines. This aspect of web development includes clean code, fast load times, mobile responsiveness, and proper meta tags, all of which improve your site’s visibility on search engine results pages (SERPs).
Content Optimization: Web designers and writers work with SEO development specialists to ensure your website content is optimized for relevant keywords, improving your chances of ranking higher in search results.
5. Scalability and Flexibility
Growth Potential: A custom-built website can be easily scaled and modified as your business grows. Our custom, modular sites allow your team to add new features, pages, and functionalities as needed, ensuring your website evolves with your business without the need for constant added web development.
Adaptability: Unlike template-based sites, custom web design and development can be adapted to integrate with other systems and platforms, providing greater flexibility and functionality.
Return on Investment (ROI)
Investing in working with professional web designers and developers might mean a more significant commitment in terms of time and money, but this level of design and development can yield significant returns:
1. Increased Conversions and Sales
A professionally designed website with optimized user experience leads to higher conversion rates and increased sales. A seamless and engaging website encourages visitors to take desired actions, whether it’s making a purchase, filling out a contact form, or signing up for a newsletter. Custom web development allows you to better guide the experience for your customer.
2. Improved Search Rankings
With proper SEO practices implemented by a professional developer, your website is more likely to rank higher in search engine results, driving more organic traffic and potential customers to your site.
3. Enhanced Brand Reputation
A high-quality, professional website enhances your brand’s reputation and credibility. Visitors are likelier to trust and engage with a business with a polished look, natural UX design, and well-maintained online retail presence.
4. Long-Term Savings
While hiring a professional may require a higher upfront investment than using an online site builder, the long-term savings of bespoke web development can be substantial. A well-built website requires less frequent overhauls, reducing the need for costly redesigns and fixes.
5. Scalability and Longevity
A custom website can easily adapt to your business’s changing needs, reducing the cost and effort of future updates and expansions. The scalability of custom web design and development ensures your website remains relevant and effective as your business grows.
When a Site Builder Makes Sense
While working with a web designer and developer offers many advantages, there are situations where using some features of an online site builder, such as Shopify, can be beneficial. We regularly utilize Shopify’s back-end interface, pairing it with a custom-built public-facing website to give our partners the best of both worlds. The mixture of custom web development and integrated stock features can be a powerful combination.
The biggest benefit of a hybrid approach is Shopify’s integrated e-commerce features. Shopify’s back-end functionality is specifically designed for e-commerce and comes with built-in tools for managing products, orders, payments, and shipping. Shopify also provides seamless payment processing options, including development and support for various payment gateways, which simplifies customers’ checkout process. In addition, they automatically handle software updates, security patches, and maintenance.
The combination of these features makes it easier for businesses to launch and run an online store while enjoying a customized website design that fully represents their brand—all while avoiding the time and energy of managing multiple third-party platforms.
The Shopify back end’s ease of use, paired with the brand impact of a fully designed custom site, is a powerful tool for consumer goods brands.
