Thanks to the growth of Web-design software, many people think they can create their own websites without the expense of hiring a professional. While these do-it-yourself programs may work well for those with hobby or personal sites, a professional or business typically requires more than a "pick a template and go" type of personalization. Your company's website is the online storefront of your business, and as such it should look and flow as professionally as possible.
Save Time While there are countless books and websites dedicated to "website design," the actual act of designing and implementing a website involves hours upon hours of tweaking, coding and typing. If you're running your own business, the time spent finding just the right color scheme for your website could have been used to actually run your business instead. A professional Web designer does this for a living and can theoretically have your site finished in a fraction of the time it would take you to do it yourself.
Customized Design
A simple Internet search for "website creation" compiles pages of sites and programs available for your website developing needs -- many of them free. While this may seem the perfect solution to your dilemma, these programs and sites typically offer a limited number of starting templates for you to "customize." In reality, these templates can all look very similar to not only each other, but also to countless websites already online that have also used this software. A professional Web designer works with you to create a website that fits your needs with a look that that's unique with a branding solution that fits you and your business.
Quick Solutions
Generally speaking, any problems that crop up within the website or any changes that need made are handled by the person who created it. If you created your website, and it unexpectedly fails or requires frequent changes, you could lose valuable time making adjustments or simply trying to figure out where the problem lies. In many cases, a professional Web designer helps you learn how to manage the site yourself (in the case of a "Web presence planner"). Sometimes the Web designer even manages the site for you, correcting invalid links and quickly making changes as necessary.
Professional Impression Perception is everything when it comes to reputation, and if your potential customers see a "Site provided by Free-B-Site-Maker.com" link at the bottom of your website they may think you're not truly a professional business. With the affordable price of domain names, hosting and Web-design software, anyone can buy a website name and some space and put a site up claiming to be a real business. A professionally designed site helps solidify your position as a real, professional business -- and offers your visitors a greater confidence in trusting you.