At some point most business owners ask whether they should build the website themselves or pay someone. It is a fair question, and the honest answer is that either can be right. The trick is knowing what each really costs, because the sticker price tells only part of the story.
The cost of DIY is mostly time
The cash cost of a DIY site is low. A builder subscription and a domain can cover the lot, and prices are on each platform’s own website. What people underestimate is the hours.
Think about the whole job, not just dragging boxes around a page.
- Choosing a platform and learning the editor.
- Deciding what pages you need and what to say on each.
- Writing the words, which many people find the hardest part.
- Taking or sorting out photos.
- Setting up the domain, email and contact form.
- Checking everything on a phone and fixing what looks wrong.
- Setting up Google Business Profile and Search Console.
Put a value on those hours. If an hour of your time is worth more on the tools or with customers than it is on a website, that is part of the real price. If you have quiet weeks and enjoy learning, the maths looks different.
Skills you will need
You do not need to code with a modern builder. You do need some of the following.
- Writing. Clear, honest copy that tells people what you do and how to contact you.
- Basic design sense. Spacing, readable text and restraint. Builders help but cannot do this for you.
- Patience with technology. Domains, DNS, email and plugins all have fiddly moments.
- Some search knowledge. Page titles, headings and local details matter. See our local SEO checklist.
The ongoing job
A site is not finished when it goes live. Hours change, services change, a price goes up, a photo gets out of date. Someone has to make those edits and notice when something breaks. On a builder, the platform handles hosting and security. You handle the content. On WordPress, you or someone you pay also handles updates and backups.
A neglected site is a common outcome of DIY. It starts well and then sits untouched for two years, listing an old phone number. If you know you will forget, factor that in.
The cost of paying someone
Paying someone costs more in cash and less in time. Quotes range widely, from low-cost, tightly scoped offers to large agency projects. A higher price does not automatically mean better work, and a low price does not automatically mean poor work. Our cheap website red flags article covers what to watch for, and builder vs freelancer vs agency compares the routes.
Things that can go wrong when you pay someone:
- The domain or site ends up in their name, and you cannot leave easily.
- The scope is vague, and extras get added to the bill.
- You are locked into a long contract for hosting.
- They disappear, and nobody can make changes.
- You are asked to write all the copy yourself after all.
Ask direct questions before you pay. What is included? Who owns the domain and the site? What are the ongoing costs? Can I cancel and take it with me?
When DIY is the right choice
- You enjoy this sort of work and have genuine free time.
- You are testing a business idea that may change shape in a few months.
- Your budget is very tight and you cannot spare any cash.
- You want an online shop and are happy to manage products yourself.
- You like writing and plan to update the site regularly.
- You want to learn the tools for the long run.
If that is you, go ahead. A site you made is better than none, and you can always improve it or hand it to someone later. See our builder roundup for options.
When paying someone is the right choice
- Your time is better spent running the business.
- You find writing about yourself difficult.
- You want it done in days or weeks, not months.
- You want local search set up properly from the start.
- You want one person to call when something needs changing.
- You want a predictable monthly bill.
A middle path
You do not have to choose one or the other. Some people draft their own text and photos, then pay someone to build and set it up. Others have a professional build the site and then make small edits themselves. Whatever mix you pick, hold on to your own login details, your photos and your domain.
How we fit
We sit on the paying-someone side, with the price and scope kept tight. A website is $500 + GST, up to 5 pages, with the words written for you. It is live in about a week, with one round of changes, and there are no add-ons. You own the site and the domain, and the first three months of Care hosting are included. After that, Care is $49 + GST a month, covering hosting, SSL, security, backups and 30 minutes of edits, month to month with 30 days’ notice and no lock-in.
If you want more, our Grow and Dominate plans add local SEO, Google Business Profile work and free Google Ads management up to a cap. Details are on the pricing page.
We are not the right fit for everything. Online shops, custom systems and logo design are outside the $500 offer, and those larger jobs go to our sister studio ClickTheory. We also work fully remotely, so if you want to sit across a table from your web person, we are not it.
A simple way to decide
- Estimate the hours a DIY site would take you, and be generous.
- Put an honest value on an hour of your time.
- Compare that with the cost of a done-for-you option, including ongoing fees.
- Ask yourself whether you will keep the site up to date.
- If you are still unsure, build one page yourself. You will learn quickly whether you like it.
If you decide to hand it over, start at the get started form.