Your website is often the first impression someone has of your business. Think about it. Before a potential customer walks through your door, picks up the phone, or responds to your email, they've probably already checked you out online. They've scrolled through your homepage, clicked around a bit, maybe even tried to find your contact details or figure out exactly what you do.
So here's the thing that keeps coming up when we talk to founders: your website matters more than you think it does, but it doesn't need to be perfect from the start. What it does need to be is professional, clear, and actually working for you rather than against you. If it is not driving sales or traffic, it clearly isn't right.
Building It Yourself or Hiring Someone Else
Let's start with the big question. Should you build your own website or hire someone to do it for you?
There's no single right answer here because it depends on what you need, what you can afford, and honestly, how comfortable you are with technology. Platforms like Squarespace, Wix, and WordPress have made it genuinely possible for anyone to put together a decent-looking website without knowing a line of code. The templates are often beautiful, the drag-and-drop editors are intuitive, and you can have something live in a weekend.
The upside of going the DIY route is obvious. It's cheaper. You're in control. You can update it whenever you like without having to email someone and wait for them to get back to you. For a lot of early-stage businesses, this makes complete sense. You need something up and running, you're watching every penny, and you're happy to learn as you go.
The downside? It takes time. More time than you think. And while modern website builders are excellent, there's still a learning curve. You might spend hours trying to get a contact form to work properly or wondering why your site looks fine on your laptop but wonky on mobile. Plus, if you're not particularly design-minded, you might end up with something that looks a bit... homemade.
Hiring a professional designer or developer means you're getting expertise. They know what works, what doesn't, and how to make your site look polished and credible. They'll think about things you haven't even considered, like page load speeds, mobile responsiveness, and user journeys. The trade-off is cost and time. Good designers aren't cheap, and the process takes longer than you'd like because there's back-and-forth, revisions, and approvals.
Here's a middle ground that works for a lot of people: start simple with a DIY platform to get something live quickly, then invest in professional help when your business has grown and you're ready for something more sophisticated. It's perfectly fine to evolve your website as your business evolves.
What Makes a Website Actually Work
Regardless of who builds it, your website needs to do a few fundamental things well.
First, it needs to be professional. This doesn't mean flashy animations or cutting-edge design trends. It means clean, uncluttered, and credible. Your site is a reflection of your business, and if it looks amateur, people will assume your business is too. Good photography, clear fonts, and a sensible colour scheme go a long way. Spelling mistakes, broken links, and pixelated images do the opposite.
Second, it needs to be fit for purpose. What do you actually need your website to do? If you're a service-based business, you probably need clear information about what you offer, some evidence that you're good at it, and an easy way for people to get in touch. If you're selling products, you need e-commerce functionality that actually works. Think about the user's journey from the moment they land on your site to the action you want them to take, and make that journey as simple as possible.
Third, it needs to be user-friendly. This is where a lot of websites fall down. Navigation should be obvious. People shouldn't have to hunt for your contact page or try to figure out what you actually do. If someone can't work out how to buy from you or get in touch within about ten seconds, they'll probably give up and go somewhere else. Test your site on different devices and ask someone who doesn't know your business to use it and tell you honestly if anything's confusing.
Fourth, keep it up to date. There's nothing worse than landing on a website that still has a "Welcome to 2019" banner or a news section where the last post was three years ago. It makes you look like you've gone out of business or simply don't care. Even if you're a small operation, regular updates show that you're active and engaged. This doesn't mean you need to blog every week, but it does mean checking your site every few months to make sure everything's current and relevant.
Fifth, it needs to sell your service effectively. Your website isn't just a digital brochure. It's a sales tool. This means being clear about what you offer, why it matters, and what makes you different. People should understand within seconds of landing on your homepage what you do and whether you can help them. Use real language, not jargon. Show outcomes, not just features. If you've got testimonials or case studies, use them. Proof that you've helped other people is one of the most powerful things you can put on your site.
Sixth, make it easy to navigate. This sounds obvious, but it's amazing how many websites make it difficult to find basic information. Your main navigation should be clear and consistent across every page. Important things like contact details, services, and about pages should be easy to find. If your site has lots of content, consider adding a search function. And for the love of all things digital, make sure your contact page actually includes a way to contact you. An email address, a phone number, a contact form. Something.
When It's Time to Refresh
Here's something that doesn't get talked about enough: knowing when your website needs work. Even if you've built a perfectly good site, it's not a set-it-and-forget-it situation. Technology changes. Design trends evolve. Your business grows and your website needs to grow with it.
Take Harriet, for example. She used Squarespace to build her own photography business website at harrietmedia.com. It's functional, it shows her work, and it's professional enough to win her clients. But she's the first to admit it needs updating. It could be more striking. The navigation could work better. The portfolio could showcase her best work more effectively. Knowing this is half the battle. Doing something about it is the other half.
The point is, most businesses outgrow their websites. You launch with something basic because that's what you can afford or manage, and eventually, you realise it's not serving you as well as it could. Maybe your services have changed. Maybe your brand has evolved. Maybe you've just learned more about what works and what doesn't. That's completely normal and actually a sign that your business is progressing.
The Value of a Fresh Pair of Eyes
This is where website auditing comes in, and it's something more businesses should think about. Having someone else look at your site, someone who doesn't know it inside out like you do, can be incredibly revealing.
A good website audit means getting someone to pretend they're a customer and genuinely use your site. Can they find what they're looking for? Is the information clear? Does anything feel broken or clunky? Do the calls to action actually make them want to act? Sometimes you're so close to your own website that you can't see the obvious problems. You know where everything is because you built it, but that doesn't mean your customers do.
This doesn't have to be a formal, expensive process. You can ask a friend, a colleague, or even a customer to spend ten minutes clicking around and give you honest feedback. Write down everything they struggle with or find confusing, then prioritise fixing those things. Or you can hire someone who specialises in this sort of thing and get a proper, detailed report. Either way, the insight you get from someone experiencing your site with fresh eyes is genuinely valuable.
The Bottom Line
Look, your website doesn't have to be the most beautiful thing on the internet. It doesn't have to win design awards or use the latest technology. What it does have to do is represent your business professionally, make it easy for people to understand what you do, and help them take the next step, whether that's getting in touch, buying something, or simply learning more.
If you're just starting out, there's no shame in building something yourself using the tools available. Get it live, get it working, and improve it as you go. If your business is at a stage where you can invest in professional help, that investment will likely pay for itself in credibility and conversions. And wherever you are in your journey, take the time every so often to look at your site with honest, critical eyes or get someone else to do it for you.
Your website is your shopfront. Make sure it's one people want to walk into.
If you are looking to work with someone to build your website we recommend DOT who are included in our Supplier Network:
Richard Harrison
