We grabbed your attention with that title, didn't we?

We receive calls every day from potential customers looking into their options for web design. Which is good, because that is exactly what we do. However, sooooo many times people ask if we design WordPress websites. We have to admit, hearing people ask that ranks right up there with watching commercials for prescription meds on repeat. Our answer?  No. We do not design template based websites...we are a custom design house...we build everything from scratch according to what you would like your website to do.

We advise people of the same thing each time...Save your money and do NOT hire a professional "web designer" to "design" your WordPress site. If you do, you will be paying someone to perform a professional service that is a step above what you can do on your own. Or maybe not a step above at all. To explain our thoughts - we came up with a few helpful analogies to help get our point across...

1. Hiring a web designer to design your WordPress site would be like...Hiring an accountant to use Turbo Tax.

Sure everyone hates doing their taxes. Of course you would rather pay someone to do them for you. Buuuuuut what if you paid that someone a generous chunk of change to use the same service that you could easily use on your own? Accountants are not cheap. But Turbo Tax is.

2. Hiring a web designer to design your WordPress site would be like...Hiring a personal chef to microwave Lean Cuisine.

Yes Lean Cuisine can be quite delicious (get the Alfredo with chicken). Yes they are low in calories and fat. And yes they're ready to eat in a few short minutes. But would you pay a culinary master to slice an opening in a cellophane wrapper and cook on high for 3 minutes and 45 seconds?? Odds are if you're bothering to eat Lean Cuisine - then walking to the microwave to cook some dietary goodness all by yourself might be beneficial to your goal.

3. Hiring a web designer to design your WordPress site would be like...Hiring a plumber to use Liquid Plumber.

It smells, it's disgusting, and it's downright embarrassing when a plumber pulls 4 years of hair from your drain. Most think a plumber is worth every penny when they unclog a sink. But what if all the plumber did was buy a $2.99 bottle of Liquid Plumber at 7-11 and pour? Something you could do in 30 seconds. Do you think they'd be worth every penny then? By the way, professional plumbers cost A LOT of pennies. Start saving now.

4. Hiring a web designer to design your WordPress site would be like...Hiring a lawyer to use Legal Zoom.

Need a Living Will in 15 minutes? Need to trademark a logo by lunch? Need to have a prenup signed before your wedding tomorrow? No worries - Legal Zoom can handle all that. So can a lawyer, most definitely. But would you pay someone who passed the bar $300 an hour to use Legal Zoom's services? If you would, we're going to need you to fill out a Last Will and Testament form. FYI: you can find one in 3 seconds on Legal Zoom.

5. Hiring a web designer to design your WordPress site would be like...Hiring a personal trainer to put on a workout video for you.

With their motivating "no pain no gain" attitude, personal trainers are awesome for dragging us slackers off of the couch and into the wonderful world of spandex and dri-FIT clothing. People pay big for these workout maniacs to whip them into shape. But what if the personal trainer you hired streamed a Jillian Michaels workout video and went on break instead of counting your reps and making you sweat like a gym sock? We're guessing you'd rather go back to the couch. 

6. Hiring a web designer to design your WordPress site would be like...Hiring a travel agent to use Expedia.

Despite what you may think...travel agents DO still exist. Even though we all can research flights and such on Orbitz and Priceline, it doesn't mean we'll find the best deal or the best option for our trips. But would you pay a travel agent just to scope out plane tickets on Expedia for a few minutes during their lunch break. We'll let you think that over while we sip on delicious Mojito's from our beach chairs in Aruba (plane tickets courtesy of seatguru.com btw). 

Author: Scriptable Solutions, LLC