People often ask me what I think about prepackaged website design-building companies, like Intuit’s Homestead or 99designs, who charge low prices for generic webpage templates.  They ask why they should hire a professional website designer if they can use these cheaper services to build their website for a fraction of the price?

These questions are currently part of a big debate: is there any value in spending more on a professional design service when a basic template gets the job done for less?

It’s true that prepackaged websites can be successful, but to understand where they fall short, you have to understand what you’re hiring a professional web design firm to really do – and that job requires much more than basic design.  Because although an easy-to-navigate, easy-on-the-eyes design provides the foundation of any smart website, it’s really just a jumping-off point; there are many more factors that need to be considered to make a website that works for you.

As Theresa Yattaw, CFO of Technology Therapy Group explains, “It’s not only about hiring someone who knows how to build a website but someone who understands why they are building that website…meaning they will work with you to figure out what you are looking to achieve with the website.”

More Than Just a Pretty Face

Your website is a marketing tool; its design should engage your user, move them through your site in a way that motivates them to take action, buy your product or book your service.

Professional web designers understand this, and it’s their job to engage and consult with you on how to build a website that not only looks and works great, but markets your product in the most effective way while sending a clear message of who you are – the company beyond what appears on the computer screen.

This is where pre-packaged design services come up short, because when you sign up, you have to play by their rules – and often, you can’t break them. For example, does the prepackaged application advise you that you should change the color of a call-out to make sure the user notices it?

Melissa Welch, Project Manager and Web Editor, agrees; “A professional will keep usability in mind throughout the entire process and will customize that usability based on the target audience.  For example, we recently designed a website for the 55 and older audience; we kept in mind having larger fonts, browser compatibility for older versions, and streamlining the shopping cart check-out process for ease and time efficiency.”

So to answer the question of this big design debate: yes, the prepackaged designs may have cheaper price tags initially, but you can think of a professionally designed website as a long-term investment piece – something that will pay for itself in time.  It’s 24/7 marketing, something that’s working for you even while you sleep.

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 25th, 2010 at 5:17 pm and is filed under Blog, Web Design. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.