How Long Will it Take to DIY your Squarespace or Showit Website?
Please note that this post contains affiliate links and any sales made through such links will reward me a small commission – at no extra cost for you :)
If you are a business owner in the market for a new website or even a major website revamp, there’s a great chance that you’ve considered the DIY route. Though you may have heard how important it is to hire a designer, you’ve probably also considered the costs of doing so - and wondered if it would be best for your business in the long run to pay for it or just handle it all yourself.
Today, I decided to write a post about exactly how long it will likely take to DIY your website from scratch (i.e. not using a purchased template) - directly from a Squarespace and Showit website designer and SEO expert.
This can help you decide whether you’d like to take the DIY route or jump in and hire a designer.
1 Hour: Define the emotions and aesthetics that will align with your ideal client
This decision has to be made BEFORE the website building starts, because everything about your website (fonts, colors, possible animation, photos, etc…) should all work together to evoke this aesthetic.
Therefore, before you start, you will need to sit down and figure out exactly which emotions and aesthetics will appeal to your ideal client and your brand overall.
1 Hour: Learn how to put together visual information with a Pinterest board and compiling images
Once you’ve determined your target aesthetic, you’ll need to put together some sort of vision board to keep you on the right track. (Going off of a mental vision and memory doesn’t always work out very well!)
One of my favorite methods of doing so is using a Pinterest board where I can search and save any graphics or images that I want to serve as my inspiration while designing my website.
(Tip: Do NOT use these exact images on your website unless you have the rights to them!)
This is a project I have each of my clients do before the project begins.
15 Hours: Learn what copy goes where and how to write it
I say fifteen hours here, but this part of the process could truthfully be even longer, depending on your experience level, writing ability, and size of your website.
Copy is an extremely important part of your website’s creation and will greatly influence its eventual effectiveness, meaning it’s no place to cut corners or rush.
In order to do this part effectively, you’ll need to do plenty of research or a course on where to put copy on your website, as well as how to write copy that will achieve your website’s goals - whether it’s bookings, purchases, or sign-ups.
This is the most intensive process for my clients as well.
2 Hours: Learn website strategy and best design practices
If you’re DIYing your website, you’ll need to take the time to learn the best design practices for your website type, whether it’s a portfolio, business website, coaching sales page, or something else entirely.
Every type of website will require a different approach and design, so doing plenty of research on other websites in your niche is essential for creating a website that is effective and professional.
You need to make sure that your website is visually cohesive between the images, fonts and colors. But a website is much more than just the “pretty.” It’s important to be aware of your website’s overall goal and incorporate that strategy into the design and layout.
Here, I again recommend a course on this topic, as it’s not something you can easily guess at and achieve the best results.
10 Hours: Learn how to use the specific website platform
Whether you’re using Squarespace, Showit (affiliate link), Shopify, Wordpress, or another building platform, you will need to invest a decent amount of time in learning how to use it before even getting started.
After all, you can’t perfect copy and image placement, colors, and design if you don’t know how to work the backend of the website builder!
This will be an extremely time consuming part of the process for a newbie because it requires learning new vocabulary, basic coding, and learning where all the customizations of your website will happen.
A course is the best route to take with this if you are planning on DIYing because piecing free blog posts and Squarespace support articles together is extremely time consuming.
I can tell you firsthand I wasted soooo much time in the beginning stages of my business relying on these free pieces of information, and it was a complete game changer when I purchased a website design course.
Read more: Paige Brunton’s Square Secrets Course Review
15 Hours: Learn SEO, do keyword research, and optimize all images
This part of the process is similar to the copywriting part in that it will take at least several (15+) hours of time in order to understand and execute, but can take much, much longer (think YEARS) to become an expert.
Learning SEO encompasses learning about keywords, where to place them, how to optimize images, write meta descriptions, and more - and there is much to be discovered on the topic!
Even resizing images alone is a 3 step process to make sure your website loads fast.
Long story short, you should care about SEO even if you’re not blogging and actively trying to rank on Google.
Take it from a Squarespace SEO expert - this part of the process is serious stuff. And trying to “wing it” can turn into implementing spammy SEO that can cause you to become penalized by Google.
20-40 Hours: Trying to build the website for the first time
This is the part of the website building process where most DIYers become frustrated (or simply aren’t happy with their own work) and decide to outsource to a website designer.
I am a Squarespace and Showit website designer for a living, and I will tell you first-hand that this part of the process is where experience and a high level of skill in each of the aforementioned areas really comes in handy.
As you build your website, you might start to realize that…
a) this is going to be a lot more time consuming than you thought,
b) it’s not going to look like the websites you saw on Pinterest, and
c) this DIY website may not be what portrays your brand in the best light
(Or, maybe you are totally cool with your own work and are happy you went the DIY route!)
The best part? No matter how you feel, there are resources and options that can help you from here.
If you decide that the DIY route isn’t for you after all, don’t feel like you’ve wasted your time. Investing in the various topics that come with website building will prove invaluable as you continue running your own business - even if you didn’t end up using those skills on your website itself.
If you’re looking for a Squarespace and Showit website designer who can (and has, many many times before) created an amazing website that looks Pinterest-worthy and is ready to WORK for your brand, I encourage you to check out my services below.
I can’t wait to hear from you!
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