With so many web-building platforms and software programs on the market, you must be wondering how comes some people still prefer to enlist the services of a professional web developer.
Why not just use one of those tools instead of spending a couple of thousand bucks on a web developer?
As it turns out, there are quite a few reasons why working with a web developer can be better for your business than going the DIY route.
Remember that it’s not just about saving money or getting a fully functional website up and running at the lowest cost possible — it’s also about making sure that your website is equipped and efficient enough to achieve its goals and objective, which is something that a lot of DIYers still struggle with.
What Does a Web Developer Do?
A web developer creates websites. Plain and simple. But that’s just the surface-level stuff.
When you work with a web developer, you’re getting access to someone who has years of experience in designing, coding, and launching effective websites.
A web developer can help you choose the right platform and software to design and code your website and, most importantly, ensure the website is properly optimized for user experience, conversion, and search engines.
While their primary role is to ensure your website is visually appealing and easy to navigate, the developer is also responsible for your website’s performance and capacity.
Types of Web Developers
Web developers come in all shapes and sizes, with different areas of expertise. Here are just a few of the most common types of web developers you’ll encounter:
- Front-end developer: A front-end developer is responsible for your website’s look, feel, and user experience. They typically work on page layout, typography, colours, and images.
- Back-end developer: A back-end developer is responsible for the functionality of your website. They typically work on server configuration, databases, security, and scalability.
- Full-stack developer: As the name suggests, a full-stack developer is someone who has both front- and back-end development experience. They can work on both the design and functionality of a website.
- Web admins: A webmaster is responsible for website maintenance and upkeep. They don’t typically work on design or development, but they might handle updates, security, and technical support.
- DevOps: A DevOps engineer is responsible for a website’s development and operations. They typically work on server administration, automation, monitoring, and deployment.
Web Developer Tasks and Responsibilities
Web developers wear many hats, and their job duties can vary depending on their area of expertise. However, there are some core tasks and responsibilities that all web developers should be familiar with:
- Designing the layout and structure of a website
- Coding the website using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript and a framework like Angular, VueJs, React, Laravel (for PHP), NodeJs, and ExpressJs.
- Debugging errors
- Optimizing websites for performance and speed
- Creating and managing databases
- Ensuring website security
- Providing technical support
- Choosing the right software and platform
- Developing back-end functionality using PHP, Ruby on Rails, Java, etc
- Testing web applications
- Collaborating with web designers, developers, and other stakeholders
- Troubleshooting problems with user experience and performance
7 Qualities of a Great Website
No single aspect of marketing is more important than having a well-designed, fully functional website. Your website is often the first impression you make on potential customers and clients online.
A great website should be:
- Well-designed and Functional: Your website should be easy to navigate, with clean and professional graphics. It should also be fully functional; with all the features and functionality you need to achieve your business goals. Your website should reflect your company, product, services, and ultimately, your brand. Think of it as an extension of your business. And since no two businesses look and operate the same, it’s important to make sure your website is uniquely tailored to your specific needs. That demands that the developer takes time to learn and understand your business. They also have to make sure they know what you want to achieve with the website before they do anything.
- Easy to Use and Navigate: The user experience should be a top priority when designing your website. Your visitors should be able to easily find what they’re looking for without getting frustrated or lost. Layout, organization, and labelling are all important factors in creating an easy-to-use website. So is making sure all the links on your website work properly.
- Search Engine Optimized: A website without good search engine optimization is like a car without gas. It might look good, but it’s going nowhere. Make sure your website is designed with search engines in mind. That means using the right keywords and phrases and ensuring that search engine crawlers can easily crawl and index it.
- Scalable and Secure: As your business grows, so should your website. Your website should be able to handle increased traffic and accommodate new features and functionality. It should also be secure enough to warn off any potential cyber threats and protect your customers’ information and business data.
- Customizable: A great website should be customizable to fit the needs of your business. The developer should give you the ability to make changes and updates as needed without relying on them for every little change.
- Fresh and Quality Content: Content is king, and a great website should have fresh, original, and high-quality content. Search engines love quality content. And so do your customers. If SEO is the gas that propels your website, quality content is the fuel.
- Aesthetically Pleasing: This one is subjective, but a well-designed website should be pleasing to the eye. It doesn’t have to be flashy or over the top, but it should look professional and well put together.
- Bonus Point: In today’s mobile-first world, it’s hard to overestimate the importance of having a website that looks great and functions properly on mobile devices. The web developer should create a website that looks great and is easy to use on all devices, from desktop computers to smartphones and tablets.
24+ Web Design Statistics You Should Know to Create the Perfect Website for 2022 and Beyond
Before we delve into the meat of this post, let’s quickly review some key web design statistics that will help put everything into perspective.
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75% of Users Base a Website’s Credibility on Its Design
How your website looks is the first thing visitors will notice—and it’s usually what they’ll base their first impression on. If you want to make a good impression and build trust with visitors, you first have to win them over with your design.
Stanford did a study on this, where they found out that more than three-quarters of people judge a company’s credibility based on its website design.
So, if you’re not taking your website design seriously, you’re losing out on business opportunities.
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94% of People Say the Number One Reason They Mistrust Businesses Is Bad Website Design
As shocking as this sounds, it’s actually true. In fact, when asked what the primary reason is for not trusting a business online, 94% of respondents said it was due to bad website design.
If your website isn’t easy on your visitors’ eyes, they’ll leave and find one that is.
Your website’s design directly impacts the way people perceive your business. Consequently, you have no option but to get it right.
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First-impressions are 94% design-related
Websites have less than 10 seconds to make a great first impression—and design plays a significant role in that. More precisely, first impressions are 94% design-related.
That means the only way to make a good first impression on your site’s visitors is by investing in a high-quality website design.
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It Takes Visitors 50 milliseconds (0.05 seconds) to Form an Opinion on Your Website
You read that right.
That’s closest to a casual glance and immediately registering an opinion.
Now, don’t misunderstand this as people will not look further if they do not like what they see within this 50-millisecond window, but it is the threshold for whether someone will continue browsing or hit the back button.
It is also worth noting that first impressions are often based on subconscious emotional responses, so you may not always be able to pinpoint the exact reasons why someone did not stay on your site for long.
This is why it’s important to make sure every element on your website works together to create a positive user experience.
If you want people to stick around, you need to give them a reason to do so.
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60% of Online Shoppers Say Website Usability is the Most Important Criteria for Selecting a Retail Site
When it comes to eCommerce, website usability is key.
If your website isn’t easy to use, people will leave and go somewhere else.
That is why it’s important to make sure your website is user-friendly and provides a smooth shopping experience.
In fact, according to Statista, 6 out of 10 people say that website usability is the most important thing in a retail site.
One Page Design Statistics
The problem with DIYing your own website is that you could be making some grave on-page design mistakes without you even knowing about it.
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44% of Website Visitors Say They’ll Leave a Company’s Website Should They Fail to Find a Contact Page
That’s right.
Almost half of your website visitors will leave a website if they can’t find a contact page.
And it’s not just about having a contact page, but placing it where it can easily be found.
You don’t want people to have to search for it. You want it to be at the front and centre.
Not only that, 54% of users say lacking a contact page waters down a company’s credibility.
Clearly, contact information is important to website visitors.
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90% of the information Transmitted through the Brain is Visual
The brain processes visual information 60,000 times faster than text.
So, if you want to appeal to your website visitors’ brains, you need to use visuals.
Visuals are a great way to break up the text, highlight important information, and make your website more visually appealing.
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92.6% of people Say That Visuals are the Most Important Factor When Selecting a Product Online
When it comes to online shopping, visuals are everything.
In fact, according to a study by Infusionsoft, 92.6% of people say that visuals are the most important factor when selecting a product online.
This stat calls for eCommerce businesses to keep up their cuffing game and start featuring high-quality product photos on their websites.
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70% of the Websites You See Don’t Have a Call to Action
It’s hard to imagine, but it’s true.
A lot of websites don’t have a call to action.
This is a huge design mistake because you’re literally leaving money on the table.
A call to action is essential for lead generation and conversion optimization.
Your website is meant to serve a purpose, and that purpose is to get people to take action.
If you’re not actively trying to get people to do something, you’re doing it wrong.
You can have the CTA in a button or text form, typically telling your site visitors to do the following:
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- Complete their order
- Add to their cart
- Sign up for your newsletter
- Download your eBook
- Get a free consultation
There are endless possibilities for what you can do with a call to action, but the important thing is that you have one.
Your website is not complete without it.
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A Crowded Website is Overwhelming to Look At
Less is more.
This phrase is especially true when it comes to website design.
A crowded website is overwhelming and makes it difficult for people to focus on what’s important.
When you’re designing your website, be sure to use white space to your advantage.
White or negative space is the space on a page that’s not occupied by text or images.
It’s used to create contrast and make elements on a page pop.
White space helps focus attention on key elements and makes your website easier to navigate.
Here are two articles you want to read to understand how to use white space in web design:
According to GoodFirms, 85% are guilty of overcrowding their websites with elements they don’t need.
This stat is proof that you’re not alone in your website design struggle, but it’s also proof that you need to do better.
Your website should be clean, concise, and to the point.
People don’t have the time or patience to sift through a bunch of fluff to find what they’re looking for.
Make it easy for them, and they’ll be more likely to stick around.
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Only 1% of Website Visitors Use Sliders and Carousel
99% of website users don’t care about sliders and Carousels.
Sliders and carousels are often used to cram a lot of information into a small space, but they’re actually more harmful than helpful.
They’re known to increase bounce rates and decrease conversion rates.
If you’re using a slider or carousel on your website, it’s time to get rid of it. Consider replacing it with a more effective solution, like a standalone photo, video, or text.
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Mobile and Responsive Designs are Not the Same Things
Many people think that mobile and responsive design mean the same thing, but they’re actually two different things.
Mobile design is a specific type of design optimized for mobile devices.
On the other hand, responsive design is a type of design that’s optimized for all devices.
Both mobile and responsive design is important, but they each serve different purposes.
If you want your website to be accessible to everyone, regardless of their device, you need to make sure it’s designed responsively.
You can learn more about the difference between mobile and responsive design here.
Difference And Similarities Between Mobile Website And Responsive Web Design
Google switched to Mobile-first indexing in March 2021. That means search engine spiders will prioritize the mobile version of your website over the desktop version.
If you don’t have a responsive or mobile-friendly website already, the following statistics should be enough to convince you that you need one.
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Smartphones Hold 63% of All Business Website Visits
Are you designing a business website?
63% of all website traffic will come from mobile devices, so you need to make sure the website is designed with them in mind.
Here are some tips for designing a mobile-friendly website:
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- Make sure your site loads quickly on mobile devices.
- Use large, easy-to-read fonts.
- Use smaller images that are optimized for mobile devices.
- Make sure your website is easy to navigate on a mobile device.
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Half of Ecommerce Revenue (50%) Comes from Mobile Traffic
Another statistic that you should consider if you’re running an eCommerce website is that 50% of all eCommerce revenue comes from mobile traffic.
That’s a significant number, and it’s only going to increase as more and more people switch to using their smartphones as their primary device.
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25% of Consumers Say They’ll Stop Engaging with a Website if Its Content Doesn’t Display Well on Their Device
Adobe published a report that showed a quarter of customers would stop engaging with a website if the content didn’t display well on their device.
What does that mean for your business?
If your website isn’t designed with mobile users in mind, you will lose a lot of potential customers.
Make sure your site is designed responsively to be accessed by everyone, no matter what device they’re using.
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40% of Users will Try a Different Site if the one They’re Attempting to Access is Not Mobile Friendly
You’re probably using your smartphone to access this article, so you know first-hand how frustrating it is when a website isn’t designed for mobile devices.
It’s such a common problem that 40% of users will try a different site if the one they’re attempting to access is not mobile-friendly.
That’s a lot of potential customers that you’re losing out on just because your website isn’t designed responsively.
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57% of Website Visitors Won’t Recommend a Poorly Designed Website to Anyone
More than half of internet users say they’re unwilling to recommend a poorly designed website. That’s a lot of potential damage to your business’ reputation.
You know how important recommendations are for business growth. You don’t want to lose out on them simply because you couldn’t bring yourself to hire a professional web developer to design the site for you.
Page Speed Impact on User Experience
Slow website page speed is one of the top reasons people abandon a website.
The average web user expects a website to load in 2 seconds or less.
If your website takes longer than that to load, you will lose customers.
Good website design isn’t about looks but a seamless user experience. Everything has to feel smooth, natural, and straightforward.
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83% of Website Visitors Expect Your Site to Load in Well Under 3 Seconds
Website visitors aren’t the patient lot, especially regarding page speed.
83% of them expect your site to load in under 3 seconds. And yes, they’re likely to abandon it if it doesn’t.
Make sure your website is designed for speed, so you don’t lose out on potential customers.
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- Use a content delivery network (CDN) to improve page speed.
- Optimize images and remove any unnecessary scripts or plugins.
- Minimize HTTP requests.
- Use a caching plugin.
- Make use of browser caching.
- Compress resources with Gzip compression.
- Reduce the number of server requests.
There are many ways to improve website speed, but these are a few common ones.
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44% of Website Visitors Develop a Negative Attitude Towards Companies with Slow Loading Websites
You can have the most beautifully designed website, but if it loads like a snail, you will have a lot of unhappy customers.
44% of website visitors say they can’t help developing a negative image of companies with slow-loading websites.
That’s not the reputation you want for your business.
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39% of Website Visitors Say They’ll Stop Engaging with the Website if the Images Don’t Load Fast Enough
Images are a big part of the user experience, so they must load quickly.
39% of website visitors say they’ll stop engaging with a website if the images don’t load fast enough.
So, while optimizing your website for speed, you want to target images specifically.
Make sure they’re compressed and use the right dimensions.
Don’t include too many on a page, and ensure they’re placed close to the HTML code.
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Increasing Your Site Speed from 8 seconds to 2 seconds Can Increase Your Conversion Rate by 74%
You probably don’t have the time or bandwidth to wait around for a website to load. No one has.
According to one recent research, increasing your site speed from 8 seconds to 2 seconds can increase your conversion rate by 74%.
That translates to more customers and more sales for your business.
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Slow-loading Website Cost eCommerce Businesses $2.6 Billion in Lost Sales Every Year
It’s not just potential customers you’re losing out on, but sales.
Slow-loading websites cost eCommerce businesses $2.6 billion in lost sales every year.
You can take advantage of this situation by optimizing your site for speed.
The Cost of Developing a website
A poorly designed site will cost you money. It’ll cost you a lot in lost sales, customers, and reputation.
It’ll also cost you in terms of development. That’s because a poorly designed website takes longer to build. It will also take developers more time and resources to right the wrongs of a bad design.
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It Can Cost You Up to $100,000 to Build a Professional Website
The cost of building a website varies depending on many factors: the size of your website, the number of pages, the complexity of the design, and more.
But if you’re looking at a professional website, it’s not going to come cheap. It can cost you up to $100,000 to build a professional website.
Now, that’s a lot of money. But it’s actually a bargain if you think about the cost of not having a website or having a poorly designed one.
A well-designed website is an investment that will pay for itself many times over.
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28% of Businesses Spend Less than $500 on their website
More than a quarter of businesses have low-budget websites. They didn’t cost more than $500 to build, whether by hiring a freelancer or using one of the many DIY website builders.
The problem with these low-budget websites is that they’re often poorly designed and don’t offer the features or functionality that users are looking for.
So, while you may save money in the short term, you’ll likely lose more in the long run.
Top Reasons You Should Hire a Web Developer Instead of DIYing Your Website into Existence
After going through stats and a little economics, it should be pretty clear that having a professionally designed website is the way to go.
But if you’re still on the fence, here are some top reasons to convince you:
1. You’ll Save Time
Unless you’re building the most basic site, web development is a lot of work.
And unless you’re a web developer, you’ll be doing something that you’re not familiar with.
So, instead of spending your valuable time learning how to code or designing a website, you can hire someone who already knows how to do it.
2. Build Custom Design
Canned themes and templates might be the fastest way to get your website up and running.
But imagine having a website that looks like everyone else’s.
You want your website to be unique and reflect your brand. You want features and functionality that are specific to your business.
And to tell the truth, there’s no way you’re getting that with a canned theme or template.
3. Professional Web Developers are Experts
A lot of things go into making a website work well. It’s not just coding and design.
Think user experience, accessibility, search engine optimization, and more.
Unless you’re an expert in these things, it will be hard for you to create a website that aptly meets all the required web standards.
4. Make the Most of the Latest Tech Trends
The web is constantly changing. New technologies and trends emerge all the time.
And if you want to stay ahead of the competition, you need to be using the latest and greatest.
But unless you’re a web developer, it’s unlikely that you’re going to know about these things, let alone be able to implement them on your website.
5. Built-in SEO
A well-designed website is search engine friendly.
That means that it’s coded to make it easy for search engines to crawl and index your content.
It also means that you’re using the right keywords and phrases and that your site is set up for optimal performance.
None of this is possible if you have zero technical SEO experience.
7 Things to Consider Before Hiring a Web Developer
After giving it a thought, you’ve decided it’s time to hire a developer. A simple online search will get thousands of hits for “web developer” or “website design company.”
But with all those options, where do you even begin? How can you be sure you’re hiring the right person or company for the job?
Here are seven things to consider before making your decision on who to hire:
- Their Process: Does the developer have a process in place? Do they take the time to understand your business and what you want to achieve with your website before they begin the development process? A good developer will have a process in place that includes understanding your business, your goals, and your target audience. They’ll also conduct competitor research and market analysis. Only then will they start working on the design and functionality of your website.
- Their Experience: How much experience does the developer have? Have they designed and developed websites for businesses in your industry? Do they have a portfolio of websites that you can review? Be sure to work with a developer who has experience in your industry and has designed websites that reflect your company’s brand and meet your business goals.
- Their Communication Skills: Are they easy to communicate with? Do they take the time to explain things in a way that you can understand? Are they responsive to your questions and concerns? If the developer you’re about to hire can’t bring themselves to respond to you on time early on in your interaction, what will happen down the road when you have a problem with your website?
- Their Design Skills: Do their designs reflect good taste and understanding of web design principles? Are they up-to-date on the latest design trends? You don’t want to hire a developer who’s still stuck in the past with outdated design ideas. But at the same time, you don’t want someone too trend-focused or designs websites that look like everyone else’s.
- Their Technical Skills: Do they have the technical skills necessary to build a website that is fast, secure, and easy to use? Are they up-to-date on the latest web development technologies? A good developer will be up-to-date on the latest web development trends and have the technical skills to build a website that meets your business’s needs.
- Their Maintenance and Support: Do they offer maintenance and support after your website is launched? Will they be available to answer your questions and help you with any problems you may have? It’s important to work with a developer who offers maintenance and support after your website is launched. This way, you know you can count on them to be there for you when you need them.
- Their Price: How much do they charge? What is included in their price? Be sure to get a detailed quote from the developer before you decide. This will help you compare apples to apples and ensure you’re getting the best value for your money.
