Web Designer vs. DIY Website Builder. Which Is Right for Your Small Business?
Wix, Squarespace, Shopify, WordPress.com — it's never been easier to build your own website without any technical knowledge. So why would you pay a professional web designer when you could do it yourself for a few pounds a month?
It's a fair question, and I want to give you an honest answer rather than a self-serving one.
The truth is: for some businesses, a DIY website builder is absolutely the right choice. For others, it isn't. Here's how to work out which camp you're in.
When a website builder makes sense
If you're just starting out, testing a business idea, or genuinely have very simple needs — a page or two explaining what you do, a contact form, maybe a basic online presence to point people towards — a tool like Squarespace or Wix can get you there quickly and cheaply.
They're also worth considering if you're comfortable with technology, have time to learn the platform properly, and are happy to manage things yourself going forward. Some small business owners genuinely enjoy this side of things and do it well.
The monthly cost of a website builder (typically £15–£40) is lower than the upfront investment in a professionally built website — though it's worth calculating what five years of subscription fees adds up to versus a one-off build cost.
Where website builders start to show their limitations
Design flexibility. Most website builders give you templates and drag-and-drop editors. Within those templates you can make a lot of changes, but you'll always be working within constraints. Two businesses using the same Wix template will end up with websites that look somewhat similar, however much you customise them. A custom-designed website is built around your brand, not the other way around.
Speed and performance. This is where I see the biggest difference in practice. Website builders often produce sites that are slower than custom-built ones, because they're loading code for features you're not even using. Website speed affects both user experience and SEO, and it matters more than most people realise.
SEO. The major website builders have improved their SEO tools significantly over the years, but they still have limitations — particularly around technical SEO, site structure, and page speed. If appearing prominently in search results is important to your business, a professionally built and optimised website tends to perform better.
Ecommerce at scale. Shopify is genuinely excellent for ecommerce and I use it for several clients. But if you're selling hundreds of products, need complex integrations with other systems, or want bespoke functionality, you'll quickly hit the ceiling of what a template-based approach can do.
Ongoing support. When something breaks on a website builder, you're dealing with a support ticket system. When something breaks on a website I've built, you call or email me directly.
The honest verdict
A DIY website builder is a reasonable choice if:
- You're early-stage or testing an idea
- Your needs are genuinely simple and unlikely to grow much
- You're comfortable maintaining it yourself
- You have the time to do it properly
A professionally built website is likely the better investment if:
- Your website is central to how your business generates revenue
- You need ecommerce, booking systems, or custom functionality
- SEO and search visibility matter to you
- You'd rather spend your time running your business than managing your website
- You want one person to call when something needs attention
I've worked with clients who started on Wix and outgrew it. I've also recommended to clients that a website builder is perfectly adequate for what they need right now, and that they should come back to me when their requirements grow. That kind of honest conversation is how I like to work.
If you're unsure which approach is right for you, feel free to get in touch — I'm happy to give you an honest steer, even if the answer isn't "hire me."