Should you build your own website or hire a professional?

Every small business needs a website, but when it comes to creating one, you might wonder: should you build your own website or hire a professional? It’s a common dilemma, especially if you’re watching your budget. Your website is often the first impression customers get of your business.

Building your own website (DIY)

In this post, we’ll break down the pros, cons, costs and long-term factors of DIY vs professional web design to help you decide what’s best for you.

Using a do-it-yourself website builder can be a quick and budget-friendly way to get online. Platforms like Wix, Squarespace or WordPress offer templates that let you create a site without needing to code. The DIY route puts you in direct control, but it comes with its own set of advantages and limitations.

Pros:

• Lower upfront cost: DIY builders are often cheap or even free to start. You might only need to pay for a domain name and a monthly subscription (many basic plans are under £20 a month).
• Quick to launch: With ready-made templates, you can get a simple website up and running in a day or two. There’s no waiting for a developer’s schedule – you set your own pace.
• Full control and flexibility: You can log in and make updates or changes anytime. Want to tweak some text or add a new photo? You don’t have to ask anyone – you’re in charge.

Cons:

• Time investment: Building a website yourself can take a lot of your time. Every hour spent figuring out design or troubleshooting issues is time away from running your business.
• Learning curve: Even with easy tools, there’s still a learning curve to make a site look professional. It can be frustrating to get things exactly how you want, especially if you’re not design-savvy.
• Limited design & features: You’re typically limited to the templates and functions provided by the builder. Your site might end up looking similar to others, and you may not get certain advanced features you need as your business grows.
• Quality and credibility: Without expert input, a DIY site might not have the polish of a professionally designed site. A less refined design could give visitors a weaker first impression of your business.

Hiring a professional web designer

Working with a professional web designer (like our team at Swindon Web Creations) means you have an expert building your site for you. Instead of doing everything yourself, you collaborate with someone who designs websites for a living. They bring expertise to create a site tailored to your business needs.

Pros:

• Custom, polished design: A professional will create a website that’s unique to your brand and looks high-quality. A well-designed site gives a great first impression and builds trust with visitors. In fact, about 75% of people say they judge a company’s credibility based on its website design.
• Expert know-how: Web designers understand best practices for user experience, SEO, and mobile-friendly design. They’ll build your site with clean code, proper structure and SEO basics in place. This means your website will be optimised to perform well and rank better on search engines.
• Time savings: You can focus on your business while the designer handles the website. You won’t need to spend evenings learning how to fix layout issues or format pages – the professional takes care of it, likely getting the job done faster and with fewer headaches.
• Ongoing support: After launch, you have someone to turn to for help. If you need updates or run into a problem, a web designer can assist. It’s like having a “website partner” – you’re not left alone to figure everything out.

Cons:

• Higher upfront cost: Hiring a professional requires a bigger investment at the start. You’re paying for the designer’s time and expertise, so it will cost more than a do-it-yourself solution.
• Longer turnaround: A custom website isn’t instant. The process of design and development can take a few weeks or more. This means you won’t have a website overnight, whereas a DIY site could go live very quickly (albeit with compromises).

Long-term considerations: SEO, speed and support

SEO and online visibility

In the long run, being easily found on search engines is vital. DIY site builders can make it harder to fully optimise your site for SEO – you might miss out on proper keywords, meta tags or other technical tweaks. A professional web designer will build your site with SEO best practices in mind, like clean code, relevant content structure, and mobile-friendly design. As a result, your site has a better chance of ranking higher on Google and attracting more visitors (especially if you want local customers to find your business).

Website speed and performance

Users are quick to leave a slow website. DIY sites can sometimes be sluggish – for example, if you use large, unoptimised images or if the builder’s code is bloated. Slow load times hurt the user experience. A professional designer will optimise your site for speed by using clean code and compressed images, among other techniques. The result is a fast-loading site that keeps visitors engaged and less likely to quit (which can translate into more enquiries or sales).

Ongoing support and maintenance

After your website is live, it will need occasional updates or fixes. With a DIY site, all that responsibility falls on you – which can be daunting if you’re not tech-savvy (and neglecting updates can cause problems later). By contrast, when a professional builds your site, you often have the option of ongoing support or maintenance services. That means if something needs updating or a glitch appears, you have an expert to turn to. This peace of mind is a big plus of working with a pro.

Cost breakdown: upfront vs long-term costs

DIY approach: The immediate expense of a DIY website can be very low. Often you’ll just pay a small monthly fee (or nothing at all) for the builder, plus your domain name. This is great for keeping upfront costs down. However, over time those monthly fees can accumulate, and remember you’re also investing your own hours into building and maintaining the site.

Professional approach: Hiring a web designer requires a larger upfront investment. You’re paying for a custom solution and expert skill, which can range from a few hundred to a few thousand pounds depending on your needs. In return, you get a polished site without spending your own time. Ongoing costs like hosting and your domain are usually modest, and you may choose to budget for occasional updates or a maintenance plan. Many businesses find that a well-made website pays off in the long run by attracting more customers and lasting for years without major overhauls.

Our web design process (how we support you)

At Swindon Web Creations, we aim to make the process of getting a professional website straightforward and stress-free. (You can explore our website design services to see the types of sites we create.) Here’s how our process works:

1. Discovery & planning: We start with a friendly chat about your business and website goals, asking questions and listening to your ideas.
2. Design & feedback: We create a custom layout for your site and share it with you for feedback, refining the design until you’re completely happy.
3. Development & testing: Once you approve the design, we build the site with clean code, making sure it’s mobile-friendly, fast, and SEO-ready, and test everything before launch to ensure it works smoothly on all devices.
4. Launch & support: Even after your site is live, we’re here to support you. If you need updates or have questions later, you can count on us.

Choosing professional design means you have a team behind you at every step. Contact us if you’d like to chat about how we can bring your website idea to life. We’re always happy to help and offer guidance, no strings attached.

Should you build your own website or hire a professional?

Ultimately, the right choice depends on your needs and resources. DIY can be a good option if you have more time than money and only need a simple site. It offers a low-cost way to get online. However, if having a professional, effective website is crucial for your business and you can budget for it, hiring a professional is usually a wise investment. A custom site often delivers better results in terms of credibility, functionality and long-term value.

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer. If you’re still unsure what’s best for you, feel free to get in touch with us at Swindon Web Creations. We’re happy to chat about your website plans and help you figure out the best way forward.