So have you been tempted yet? You’re not alone if you have. There are plenty of people who believe they can create an outstanding website all on their own.

Now some of them might admittedly be right – if they are web designers themselves, that is. But the rest will fall short of the high standards that are required to attract any real attention online today. There is no doubt that it’s cheaper to try and do it yourself. A DIY or template website costs a fraction of what you would pay to a web designer. But there is a big caveat that you should be aware of.

Let’s suppose you are going to sell a wide range of goods on your website when it launches. How long will it take you to create your website, do you think? A couple of weeks? A month? Maybe longer?

It takes the average person a lot longer to create a half decent website than it would take an experienced web designer to create an outstanding one. And if you factor in all the lost sales you could have made if you had got professional help for your website design to start with, how much money does that add up to?

In truth a lot of people end up going to web designers anyway in the end. They find that the task of putting a website together is beyond them. With web design you really do get what you pay for. The best service will provide every last nut and bolt, and all the things you need to be able to compete with your rivals in the same sector. How much of that could you reasonably create yourself?

You still need to have a good idea of what you want to achieve with your website however. If you approach a website designer with no clear idea of what you want, it will be virtually impossible to come up with a website that will serve your needs.

You need to know your business inside out and know exactly how it works to be able to talk with someone who can realise your dreams for you. Do you have an idea of how you want your website to look? If you have a particular colour scheme in mind make sure you mention it early on, for example. It all helps the web designer to move towards the perfect solution and the ideal look for your site.

A good web site design is crucial to succeeding online. Anything less will be spotted nowadays and that isn’t the way to do business online. You may need to save up to be able to afford the service but while you are doing so you can research your business topic more fully. In turn you will be more prepared and more able to push your new business forward.

There will always be some people who will try to go it alone in this department. But they are rarely the ones who make a grand success of their online business.