Do you REALLY want to do it yourself?

There are an endless number of websites offering to help you to build your own website. They make it sound ridiculously easy, they will do all the work for you and often it’s free. And this so tempting particularly if you are starting off in business when funds are tight.
FREE!FREE!FREE!
We have had so many clients who started their website journey in this way. Initially, they are thrilled to have a presence online. However as time goes on, they want more and more from their site, a calendar or payment portal perhaps. And this is where the excitement ends. In many cases, these template DIY sites do not offer any additional functionality or if they do, it’s for a hefty price. You can either spend hours of YOUR valuable time trying to figure it out or pay a developer to sort it out for you. So what started off as free, ends up costing a lot more in time, money and frustration. Remember the old phrase, if it seems too good to be true….

It’s at this point that a lot of people come to us for help as they discover the limitations of their DIY website is getting in the way of what they want their website to do for them. And because changing it is SUCH a big deal, they don’t and their website grinds to a halt and doesn’t deliver what it should to the business.

This one of the first limitations, as it happens, and something you should always check on before choosing how to go about getting a website online for your business. Will this website allow you to add on extra functionality? Depending on which DIY option you go for, this can vary dramatically. However, even if the options to add functionality are there it can be a complicated process to set things up and get them working in the right way for you. If you don’t have the time to figure this out it can become tricky. This is another point where we see clients getting fed up with the DIY model and come to us seeking our help.

Another frequent limitation is control. Will you own your website when it’s done? We have had a number of clients who don’t feel that they have control over their site, don’t have full access and are tied into the provider in a way that they are not comfortable with. Did your website company explain all the terms used like hosting, domains etc? Did you understand where your website is hosted and how to access it? We have met so many businesses for whom it’s all a mystery and that’s why when we set up Coppertops, we promised to be different, to give our clients their own hosting account with full access to their own files and settings. Our websites come with a fully unique and customised design that matches the needs of your business. We chat through those needs before we touch a line of code, to ensure that we understand exactly what your needs are and so that we can come up with a plan to properly sell your business online. Our websites come with a 1-hour training session at launch so that you can feel comfortable with your site and capable of managing it yourself at a reasonable level.

It’s not rocket science but you’d be surprised how many people out there have no idea how to access or update their own site. You’d be equally surprised how many web design companies don’t provide full login and access information to the client to their own site.

So tell us, did you create your own website and how did you find it?

 

busy hurry time management
19 July 2016
Andrea @ Coppertops

Andrea @ Coppertops

I help small Irish businesses get found online with clear websites, simple marketing, and tech that behaves itself.

Work with me your way:
done‑for‑you if you want it handled,
done‑with‑you if you want a partner,
or do‑it‑yourself with a helping hand.

Through Chemistry Calls, website builds the Coppertops way, and the Nurture IT membership, we make digital feel doable.

Expect straight answers, tidy systems, and gentle encouragement to press publish. Empowering people to do what they thought they couldn’t is my favourite part of the job.

My background is a path from Chemistry to Computer Science to Web Technology, where I found strong feelings about building websites that work rather than just look pretty. Adding marketing, design and strategy skills to that technical foundation means that at Coppertops we build your website to work for your business and to visually represent you online - a site that you can love and feel proud to share!