Create website yourself or have it created

The number of websites on the internet is constantly increasing. Not only are more and more individuals enjoying sharing their hobbies and interests online, but especially commercial online presences are becoming more common. For self-employed individuals and businesses looking to sell services or products, having their own website is almost essential nowadays. But how can you best get your own content online? Should you create a website yourself or have it created by specialists?

Create a website yourself

Creating a website yourself requires two important factors. On the one hand, you need to have the necessary know-how, and on the other hand, you need to have enough time to dedicate to the project. If you have never created a website before and have little experience with tools and programs on the internet, you will most likely struggle with creating your own website. However, there are people who enjoy delving into a subject and take great pleasure in independently implementing projects.

If you are planning to build your own web presence from scratch, expertise in HTML and CSS is essential. Additionally, for more complex online projects with advanced functionality, knowledge of scripting language PHP and databases like MySQL is necessary. Such knowledge is indispensable, especially for websites with dynamic content and features like email functions or shopping carts and payment processes for online shops.

For those who do not want to delve too deeply into the subject, an alternative is to use pre-built Content Management Systems (CMS) such as WordPress or Joomla. These provide a basic framework for your web presence, which only needs to be tailored to your own wishes and ideas. With the help of themes, you can create individual designs and with the use of plugins, you can customise the functionality of your website. Although a CMS provides the technical framework for your website, some knowledge of how to use the respective system is still necessary. And especially when it comes to adjusting small details or encountering unexpected errors, you may often find yourself needing to delve deeper into the code behind the system.

Another way to create a website yourself is through website builders. These are easy-to-use editors that allow you to create your own web presence directly with just a few mouse clicks. The major advantage of easy usability also brings the biggest drawback of such builders: customising your web presence is very limited. Websites created from builders tend to look relatively similar and generally cannot be equipped with individual functions. Therefore, if you want to publish a truly unique and functional website, this option may not be the best choice.

Get a Website Created for You

Anyone considering having their website created should definitely have a sufficient budget available. Instead of investing valuable time in creating their online presence, an alternative option is to engage a service provider for this purpose. There are two different approaches to consider.

Firstly, one can commission a web agency for the creation. These are small to large companies with multiple employees who take on and complete customer orders. The main advantage here is the size, structure, and experience of the service provider. Agencies are usually well-organised and can demonstrate a lot of experience with similar client projects. They provide a clear cost estimate and are always accessible to the customer. Due to having a pool of several employees, deadlines can always be met. Communication and coordination, both internally and with the customer, are very well-practised and professional. Of course, this all comes at a price. Engaging an agency usually incurs relatively high costs.

Alternatively, instead of an agency, a freelance web designer can also be commissioned. The main advantage here is the direct contact and often lower costs compared to an agency. Since a freelancer is usually working alone and carries out the commissioned work themselves, direct contact is possible. Small details and customisations regarding one's own website can therefore be communicated and implemented with less effort. Due to lower fixed costs and smaller structures, freelance web designers can usually offer their services a bit cheaper while still delivering good quality work. For those with a limited budget for creating their website, collaborating with a freelancer is often the best solution.

Conclusion

Essentially, the question of whether to create a website yourself or have it created arises only if there is sufficient know-how or time available for familiarisation. If this is not the case, there is no way around commissioning a service provider. Those who enjoy implementing projects themselves and have enough time or expertise can also engage in website creation themselves. On the other hand, those who do not wish to deal with this task and have enough budget available can also have the website created for them.

Whether you create a website yourself or commission a service provider for the creation, in any case, suitable web hosting is also required to ensure that the online presence is reliably accessible on the web. While for small private websites or blogs, a simple web hosting package is completely sufficient, commercial operators of extensive websites should rather consider their own Virtual Private Server (VPS hosting) or dedicated server.