Hire a website design agency. That’s the answer you expected, right? Surprisingly, some businesses think DIY is the answer. The allure of website builders like Wix and Squarespace makes developing a website seem easy. When, in reality, it’s far from it.
Your website needs to strike a balance between many things, including pleasing the search engine gods (SEO), keeping users happy (UX) and selling your brand, all without being overly promotional. All in a day’s work, right?
While the DIY route has its appeal, there comes a time when professional help makes all the difference. Here are five signs it’s time to hire a web design agency.
5 signs you need to hire a website design agency
1. You want to target your audience better
Your brand exists to meet the needs of your audience. That’s the whole point of business, right? When you know your audience well, you’ll know what they want out of your business, whether it’s online, during a sale or at a trade event.
This needs to translate into your website, too. When you build your own website, you become too influenced by what you want or think your audience should care about.
A web design agency considers your audience’s point of view, examining typical user behaviour and using this insight to improve the user experience (UX). This is known as Conversion Rate Optimisation, or CRO, which focuses on increasing the percentage of users who complete an action (conversion).
At Trio, we run an initial discovery session, along with audience research, to understand what works and what doesn’t. We consider the likes of:
- Messaging – Is your value proposition clear and concise? Our 20 Reasons Why™ exercise allows us to break down why a user would choose you, so that it’s clear on every page.
- End goal – What is the single action you want your user to take? We focus on clear calls to action and eliminate any unnecessary steps in the conversion process. (For example, does your contact form have one too many required fields?)
- Content – Team or product photography, testimonials and blog posts are all key conversion factors. This content is effective for building trust and helping turn prospects into buyers.
- Simplicity – Your landing pages should be simple, have clear headings and copy and follow an expected layout. This means removing any unnecessary animation or design that could distract a user from taking action.
- Reward – When users fill out a contact form or make a purchase, they expect an acknowledgement in return. This can be as simple as a thank-you page or an order confirmation that directs users exactly where they expected to be. Positive reinforcement will increase the likelihood that a user will complete a similar action in the future.
We have a well-defined, systematic approach to design. We know the user journey isn’t linear, so it’s our job to determine why users aren’t converting and create a website that aligns with their intent.
2. You require custom functionality or features
Using a website builder is like being a kid in a sweet shop: you have too much choice and you want it all. At its most basic, a functional website needs to contain:
- Header – This is the top part of your website. It should contain your brand logo, navigation and other optional elements, such as a search bar, announcement bar or login/cart icons.
- Footer – This is the bottom section of your website. You should include contact information, social media links, legal policies, copyright notice and a high-level navigation to useful pages.
- Navigation – Where users find stuff. Your main menu should remain visible and fixed at the top of the page as users scroll, allowing them to easily navigate other areas of your website.
- Call-to-actions (CTAs) and contact forms – Want users to convert? Make sure you add CTA buttons across your pages, along with a contact form for enquiries or quotes.
- Page content – Your web content does a lot of the heavy lifting, so you need to focus on perfecting your headers and body text to keep users engaged. Images, testimonials, and other content, such as blogs and case studies, will also benefit your search performance.
- Security features – Your website needs to look great, function well and remain secure twenty-four-seven. One way to keep safe is through an SSL certificate, which keeps user data secure, prevents attacks and helps you gain trust. (An SSL certificate is like a digital ID for your website that encrypts data and proves that your website is real.)
- E-commerce elements – If you sell products, you need all the typical features to allow users to buy. This includes a shopping cart, a simple checkout process and a trusted payment gateway.
It’s easy to tick all these boxes when you use a template website. What it doesn’t consider is how these features all come together.
A website agency will determine what your website needs to provide a positive UX. They will also test different elements to ensure page speed and performance remain effective.
Without expert help, it’s tough to make a basic website truly stand out or do more than it originally could. For example, if you want to integrate your CRM (E.g., Salesforce), add subscription functionality or have a live user chat, you’ll need a developer to achieve the best outcome. If you do this yourself, something could break or not work correctly, which will eventually impact UX, search performance and page speed.
3. You’ve failed before
If your last DIY website failed, how do you expect the next one to go? You’re probably now wiser when it comes to websites, but your skillset as a designer and developer is far from expert.
Ask yourself: Can you go through this pain (and cost) again?
Most businesses go for DIY due to cost, but redoing a website that has failed (or will eventually fail) costs significantly more money and time. We’ve all heard the saying “Buy cheap, buy twice.”
We constantly talk with brands that wonder why they’re not generating enough business. What they don’t reveal is that their website is far from functioning and has zero appeal to their audience. Our job is to fix that, not by filling in the cracks, but by building them a website that works from day one.
4. You want a bespoke website design
Your website is a focal point for your brand identity. A professionally branded website increases credibility, grows brand awareness and influences users to the next step.
Website builders like Wix and Squarespace allow you to customise templates with your chosen colours, fonts, images and layouts. While these aesthetics matter, you need to consider whether this template is built to convert.
As standard, your website should be designed with SEO, UX and CRO in mind. After that, you can apply your brand identity, allowing you to have the perfect balance of aesthetics and functionality. Hiring a web design agency helps you achieve a website that’s truly your own.
5. You’re worried about security
Even after all these signs, you may still want to build your website yourself. That’s fine for the time being, but what about later down the line when issues arise?
Website builders typically include hosting as part of their service; however, the ongoing maintenance required to keep it secure and up to date is often not included.
By hiring an agency, you can be assured of ongoing website maintenance and hosting. This is especially ideal since they know your website inside and out, meaning downtime is slim.
What to read next:
- 7 ways to improve your website’s UX in 2025
- How do you decide if you need a rebrand or brand refresh?
- 5 common website copy mistakes to avoid
- White space 101: Essential for effective web design
- The battle between aesthetics and functionality in website design
Want a branded website, without all this hassle?
You want a high-performing website, but you don’t want to start from scratch. We’ve designed our own optimised website packages, which offer the best of both worlds: the flexibility of a template with the extensive support of a web design agency.
These optimised website packages have been specifically designed to bridge a gap for companies who would like to work with an agency over DIY, but either can’t afford or don’t need a fully bespoke solution.
Our website templates are built on a well-tested, agency-backed framework which prioritises SEO, UX and CRO. Due to its custom nature, we can easily integrate your brand and choose the best layout for your content.
We’ll work with you throughout to ensure you achieve a website that converts and really showcases your brand.
Need a new website? We’re here to help.
Whether you need a Shopify or WordPress website, we’re skilled in creating mobile and search engine-friendly websites that are fast, functional and secure.
