Wix, Squarespace, and WordPress make it possible to build a website yourself. But should you? The answer isn’t about capability — it’s about what makes sense for your business, your time, and your goals.

This guide gives you an honest comparison to help you decide.

TL;DR: The Quick Answer

DIY makes sense if:

Your needs are simple (5-7 pages, basic information)
You have 20-40 hours to invest upfront
You enjoy learning new tools
You’re comfortable being “good enough” for now
Budget is extremely limited

Hiring a pro makes sense if:

You need the site to generate leads reliably
Your time is better spent running your business
Design and first impressions matter in your industry
You want it done faster and done right
You’ve tried DIY and it didn’t work out

The honest truth: Most business owners who try DIY underestimate the time investment and overestimate the result. But for the right situation, DIY can work.

The Real Costs Compared

People compare the dollar cost but forget about time, opportunity cost, and results.

DIY Costs

Item	Cost
Platform subscription	$150-500/year
Domain name	$10-20/year
Premium template (optional)	$50-200 one-time
Stock photos (optional)	$50-200
Your time (20-40 hours)	???
Total hard costs	$210-920

But what about your time?

If your time is worth $50/hour (conservative for a business owner) and you spend 30 hours building a DIY site:

30 hours × $50 = $1,500 in time invested

Suddenly that “$300 website” is really $1,800.

Professional Costs

Item	Cost
Design and development	$2,500-8,000
Domain (if new)	$10-20/year
Hosting	$100-600/year
Your time (5-10 hours)	~$250-500
Total first year	$2,600-8,600

The gap is smaller than it appears when you account for time. And the professional site is typically more effective at generating business.

The ROI Question

A website isn’t an expense — it’s an investment. The question isn’t “which is cheaper?” but “which generates better returns?”

Scenario 1: DIY site

Looks okay, but visitors don’t convert well
Gets 100 visitors/month, 1% convert = 1 lead/month
12 leads/year

Scenario 2: Professional site

Designed for conversion
Gets 100 visitors/month, 3% convert = 3 leads/month
36 leads/year

If each customer is worth $1,000, the DIY site generates $12,000 in leads. The professional site generates $36,000. The $5,000 difference in website cost returns $24,000 more annually.

This is simplified, but the principle holds: an effective site pays for itself.

Time Investment Reality

The biggest DIY mistake is underestimating time.

DIY Time Requirements

Task	Hours
Learning the platform	3-8
Choosing and customizing template	4-8
Writing content (all pages)	8-15
Finding and optimizing images	3-6
Setting up forms, analytics, etc.	2-4
Testing and fixing issues	3-6
Ongoing updates and maintenance	2-5/month
Total initial build	23-47 hours

That’s roughly a full work week, spread over several weeks. For most business owners, finding 30+ hours to learn a new skill while running a business is unrealistic.

Professional Time Requirements (From You)

Task	Hours
Initial consultation	1
Providing content and materials	2-5
Review and feedback rounds	1-3
Launch approval and training	1
Total	5-10 hours

Still significant — but your time goes to meaningful decisions about your business, not learning software or troubleshooting technical problems. And that 5-10 hours delivers a professional result, while 30+ hours of DIY often doesn’t.

Quality Differences

Let’s be honest about what you’re likely to get from each approach.

Typical DIY Results

What you’ll probably get:

Clean template that looks “fine”
Basic pages with your information
Functional contact form
Mobile-responsive (if platform is modern)

What you’ll likely miss:

Strategic page structure for conversion
Professional copywriting that sells
Proper SEO setup
Fast loading speed (templates are often bloated)
Unique design that stands out
Trust signals in the right places
Clear calls-to-action

The gap: DIY sites typically look like DIY sites. Customers can tell.

Typical Professional Results

What you should get:

Custom design matching your brand
Strategic layout designed for conversion
Professional copy (or guidance on yours)
Proper SEO foundation
Fast, optimized performance
Mobile-first experience
Training on how to update it

The gap: Professional sites are built with strategy, not just aesthetics.

When DIY Makes Sense

DIY isn’t always wrong. Here’s when it works:

1. You’re Testing an Idea

If you’re launching a new business and need to validate the concept before investing heavily, a quick DIY site is reasonable.

Example: Starting a side hustle and want to see if there’s demand before committing.

2. Your Needs Are Genuinely Simple

Some businesses really just need a digital business card — address, hours, phone number, maybe a menu or service list.

Example: A food truck that gets most business through social media and just needs somewhere to post the schedule.

3. You Enjoy Building Things

Some people genuinely like learning new tools and have the time to invest. If this describes you, DIY can be satisfying.

Example: A semi-retired professional starting a consulting practice who enjoys the project.

4. Budget Is a Hard Constraint

If you truly cannot afford professional help right now, something is better than nothing. DIY while you build the business, then upgrade when you can.

Example: Just opened a new business and every dollar is spoken for.

5. You’re Building a Personal Portfolio

For artists, photographers, writers, and similar creatives, platforms like Squarespace are designed for portfolio sites and work well for DIY.

Example: A photographer showcasing their work.

When to Hire a Professional

1. Your Website Needs to Generate Business

If you’re depending on your website to bring in leads and customers, this isn’t the place to cut corners.

The math: If professional help increases your conversion rate even slightly, it pays for itself quickly.

2. First Impressions Matter in Your Industry

In competitive industries, a mediocre website puts you at a disadvantage. If customers compare you to competitors online, you need to look as good or better.

Industries where this matters most:

Professional services (legal, accounting, consulting)
Healthcare
Home services (where trust is crucial)
Luxury or high-end offerings

3. You’ve Tried DIY and It Didn’t Work

Many business owners have a half-finished Wix site or a WordPress site they can’t update. If DIY didn’t work the first time, it probably won’t work the second time.

Signs DIY isn’t for you:

You started but never finished
You finished but aren’t happy with the result
You can’t figure out how to update it
You’ve been “meaning to fix it” for months/years

4. Your Time Is More Valuable Elsewhere

Every hour you spend learning web design is an hour you’re not spending on:

Serving customers
Sales and business development
Whatever you’re actually good at

The calculation: If you can generate more than $100-200/hour doing your actual work, paying someone else to handle the website is smart economics.

5. You Need It Done Fast

DIY takes weeks or months of scattered effort. A professional using modern tools can deliver in 1-3 weeks with focused work.

If you have a deadline: Grand opening, busy season coming up, investor meeting — hire help.

The Hybrid Approach

You don’t have to choose all-or-nothing.

Option A: DIY Build + Professional Polish

Build the basics yourself, then hire a designer for a few hours to:

Improve the visual design
Optimize for conversions
Fix obvious issues
Set up proper SEO

Cost: $500-1,500 on top of DIY
Good for: Getting more value from DIY effort

Option B: Professional Build + DIY Maintenance

Hire a professional for the initial site, then manage updates yourself.

Good for: Getting quality upfront while keeping ongoing costs low

Option C: Start DIY, Upgrade Later

Build a simple DIY site now, plan to invest in a professional site when the business grows.

Good for: Early-stage businesses with tight budgets

Questions to Ask Yourself

About Your Skills and Interest

Have you successfully learned similar tools before?
Do you enjoy this kind of work?
Are you patient with technical troubleshooting?
Can you be objective about your own design?

About Your Time

Do you have 20-40 hours to invest over the next month?
Can you commit to ongoing maintenance (2-5 hours/month)?
What else could you accomplish with that time?

About Your Business

How important is your website to generating revenue?
How does your website compare to competitors?
What do customers think of your current site (if you have one)?
Are you losing business because of your online presence?

About Your Budget

What can you realistically invest?
What’s the cost of a poor website (lost customers)?
Is this a one-time expense or can you plan for upgrades?

Platform Comparison (If You Choose DIY)

Not all DIY platforms are equal.

Platform	Best For	Pros	Cons
Squarespace	Visual businesses, portfolios	Beautiful templates, easy	Limited customization, monthly fee
Wix	Small, simple sites	Very easy, drag-and-drop	Can get cluttered, less professional
WordPress.com	Blogging	Familiar, flexible	Learning curve, plugin management
Shopify	E-commerce	Built for selling	Overkill if you’re not selling products
Carrd	Single-page sites	Simple, cheap	Very limited

My Recommendations

Easiest: Squarespace — Most polished templates, hardest to mess up
Most flexible: WordPress.com (or self-hosted) — Steeper learning curve, more options
For selling products: Shopify — Purpose-built for e-commerce

What to Expect From a Professional

If you hire someone, here’s what reasonable:

What Good Designers Provide

Clear process from start to finish
Discovery phase to understand your business
Custom design (not just a template)
Mobile-responsive, fast-loading site
Basic SEO setup
Training on how to update content
Post-launch support period
You own everything when done

What to Watch Out For

Vague quotes without itemization
Proprietary platforms you can’t leave
No clear timeline or milestones
Can’t show relevant examples
Cheap prices that seem too good

How to Find Good Help

Ask for referrals from business peers
Review portfolio for relevant work
Check their own website (does it practice what they preach?)
Have a conversation — trust your instincts on communication
Read their reviews and testimonials

See our Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Web Designer for a complete evaluation framework.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is WordPress free?

WordPress.org (the software) is free. But you’ll pay for hosting ($5-30/month), a domain ($10-20/year), and likely premium themes or plugins. WordPress.com offers hosted plans starting around $15/month.

Can I start DIY and switch to professional later?

Yes, but the DIY work is usually discarded. Think of it as validating your concept, not building a foundation. A professional will likely rebuild rather than fix.

How do I know if my DIY site is good enough?

Ask for honest feedback from customers, not friends and family. Check your analytics — is the site getting traffic, and are visitors contacting you? If not, something’s wrong.

What if I hire someone and don’t like the result?

This is why contracts and processes matter. Good designers show you mockups before building, include revision rounds, and communicate throughout. Ask about their process before hiring.

Is AI-generated websites an option?

AI tools can help, but they don’t replace strategy and experience. AI can generate content and even basic layouts, but it can’t understand your business or optimize for your specific customers. Treat AI as a starting point, not a finished product.

What This Means for Your Business

The DIY vs professional decision isn’t about pride or capability. It’s about what makes sense for your situation right now.

If DIY fits your timeline, budget, and skills, it can work. If your website is a key business asset and you need it to perform, professional help is usually worth it.

Whatever you choose, make a deliberate decision based on honest assessment — not wishful thinking about how easy DIY will be or fear about professional costs.

Whether you’re a florist in Fresno, a trainer in Tampa, or a contractor here in Springfield, Oregon — the same principles apply. Match your approach to your reality.

Next Steps

If you’re leaning DIY:

Budget realistic time (30+ hours)
Pick a platform and commit
Use our Website Checklist to guide what to include
Be honest with yourself if it’s not working

If you’re leaning professional:

Set a realistic budget ($2,500-8,000 for most small business sites)
Use our Hiring Questions guide to evaluate options
Get 2-3 quotes to compare

If you’re not sure: Let’s talk through it. I’m happy to look at your situation and give you an honest recommendation — even if that recommendation is “do it yourself.”

Let’s discuss what makes sense for you →

DIY Website vs Hiring a Pro: An Honest Comparison