1. You won’t have to do anything
Untrue. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but ultimately this is your website and your vision. Your designer has the skills and expertise to present you in the best light, help you fine tune your content, and recommend features and services but still… this is your site. As such you will be responsible to planning and writing your content, giving feedback, and proofing your content. If this is completely outside your interest there are copywriting services that may be useful to you.
2. You won’t have to learn anything
Untrue. Now, to be fair, you won’t have to learn nearly as much as you would if you were doing this on your own, but there will still be a learning curve. Learning appropriate terms to discuss your website, learning how to edit and maintain your website is your job as the website owner. If you are adverse to these tasks most designers offer maintenance packages to help you.
3. If your website takes a long time its your designer’s fault
Maybe. Delays in projects can happen for a variety of reasons. Some of these can be attributed to the designer and their ability to plan. I confess I went through a time where I over-committed and ended up letting people down. However, delays also happen as a result of sending unfinalized content, changing or adding to the scope of the project, or delays in finalizing content, all of which I have also experienced.
4. Designers are expensive
Maybe. Some are, some aren’t. I’ve found most are simply trying to make a living by providing quality service and skills. They are not out to sell snake oil or oversell their services. If they have that attitude they wouldn’t be in this business, trust me. The best designers value their expertise and charge accordingly.
5. It would be cheaper to do this myself
Yes and no. If you are tech savvy, have an artistic eye, are eager to learn, and have the time then yes, go for it! However, if technology is not your friend, you don’t spend much time on the internet, you’re not artisically inclined, or your time is already being spent on paid endeavors then designing your website yourself may actually cost you more money or business than if you had hired someone else in the first place.
Starting a website is a fun, challenging, and ultimately rewarding experience! I encourage you to take a close look at what your expectations and concerns are and express these to your designer. They may be able to put your mind at ease – or if not, point you in a direction that is more feasible for you.