Q&A: Should I Get A Custom Site Or DIY?

Design

Jan 27

Hey guys it's Promise, the Founder and CEO of Go Live. And Ash, the Creative Manager for Go Live! We've been getting SO many questions recently on just about everything under the sun and we're now giving you our thoughts on your most burning questions!! ;) This Q&A is for creatives who needs a little investment advice.

James asks: "I'm getting ready to launch a new business. Should I bite the bullet & pay for a custom site or should I do it myself? I want it to look LEGIT."

Such a great question to ask & no matter what you pick, custom or DIY, we agree that you should make your website look legit! :P But if you're just starting out with a new business, we would recommend going the DIY route! When you first launch your business you will probably need to test the waters a bit with your brand strategy, messaging, layout, and target demographic. So, having a site in which you can quickly and easily change and tweak is important.

We’ve seen people that just started their business and went straight into a custom route. After a year, they realized that the custom design didn't fit their needs anymore. Unfortunately, they spent so much money for a custom site just to do it all over again. Going the custom route right from the start of your business, is a huge investment in something that will certainly need to be changed, tweaked, remodeled or completely over-hauled sooner rather than later.

The cool thing about DIY is that it can grow and change with your business!
You can tweak & remodel as you move forward in your endeavors & tailor it to exactly what you want & need.

Your first priority when starting a business is... to understand what you need in a website AND insure that your client's and/or customer's needs are met FIRST. By doing a DIY, you have the skills and power to learn, grow and change the site yourself. It’s important that you have a solid foundation of a website that looks professional & legit but also has functionality when you're DIYing. Starting your business and understanding your brand takes time. So you need to "live in your brand" and understand your business for a while before your invest in a really expensive custom site. Once you finally nail down your client's needs, the functionality of the site, the goals of the site, and you know what your brand goals are, then BOOM! That's when you’re ready to go custom.

If you're ready to dive into the fun world of DIY then...

You can shop our sites where we have many different designs using the Squarespace platform. We give you all the tools you need to tailor it to your own brand, so that way you can have a unique site that stands out from other traditional templates. And our quick & easy-to-use video tutorials will help you make the website of your dreams in a jiffy! Or if you're ready to do the TKO route, then you can hire us below to start your custom site. Happy picking!