Build your website yourself or have it built? An honest trade-off for business owners

Let us be honest: building a website yourself is possible. The tools are better than ever and with a template you can put something online fairly quickly. The real question is not whether it can be done, but whether it is wise for your situation.

The answer depends on how much time you have, how important the website is for your revenue and how demanding your wishes are. For one person doing it yourself is fine, for another it ultimately costs more than it delivers.

In this article we lay both sides out honestly, without pushing you in a certain direction.

What speaks for doing it yourself?

Building your website yourself has real advantages, especially if you are just starting out or have a small budget:

• the direct costs are low (often just a monthly subscription)
• you can start straight away, without waiting for an agency
• you get to know your own website well
• you can quickly adjust small things yourself

For a simple site, a temporary landing page or a hobby project, doing it yourself is often fine. You do not need an agency to put a few pages online.

Where doing it yourself often runs into trouble

The pitfall is not in starting, but in the result. Many business owners run into the same things:

• it takes much more time than expected
• the website does not quite look professional
• the visibility in Google lags behind
• the site is slow or does not work well on mobile
• you are stuck with a template that does not quite fit
• technology and updates take unexpectedly much energy

That lost time is a hidden cost. The hours you put into your website you cannot spend on your customers or your trade.

The real cost of doing it yourself: time

The biggest misconception is that doing it yourself is free. The direct costs are low, but the time costs are often underestimated.

Work out what an hour of your time is worth. Add the hours you lose to learning, building, adjusting and frustration. Often it turns out that doing it yourself is not nearly as economical as it seems.

A small calculation example makes it concrete. Suppose you spend thirty to fifty hours on a simple website, and an hour of your time is just as valuable as a paid hour in your trade. Then the hidden price of doing it yourself quickly adds up to an amount for which you could have had a professional website built, with more result and without your own hours.

Want to know what outsourcing costs? In our overview of what it costs to have a website built we explain the price factors. Put those costs next to the value of your own time and the trade-off becomes more concrete.

What speaks for having it built?

Having a website built costs more money up front, but also delivers more. The main advantages:

• you save a lot of your own time
• the result is professional and suits your business
• the website is aimed at visibility and at enquiries or sales
• technology, speed and security are handled properly
• you have a point of contact if something comes up
• your website can grow with your business

For a website that really matters for your revenue, that often weighs more heavily than the higher initial investment. You are not only paying for a website, but for the result and the time you get back.

The difference is not only in the design

Making a nice website is achievable with the right tools. The difference with a professional approach is often in the things you do not see straight away:

• a well-thought-out structure that leads visitors to contact or a sale
• texts that convince and are findable
• a technical basis that is fast and secure
• the right choices under the hood

This is exactly where self-building often falls short. The website looks good at first glance, but delivers too little because the underlying choices are missing. Whether you choose a template or a custom website, that underlying quality makes the difference.

A middle ground: working together

It is not an all-or-nothing choice. There are in-between forms that combine the best of both worlds:

• have the basis built professionally and then manage the content yourself
• start with a solid website and expand step by step
• get advice on the setup, even if you build it yourself

Many business owners choose to have the foundation laid properly and then keep the texts and blogs up to date themselves. This way you benefit from a strong basis without handing over control completely.

Common mistakes when building it yourself

Do you still choose to do it yourself? Then it helps to know the common pitfalls. Business owners who build it themselves often run into the same things:

• spending too much time on the look and too little on the text
• no clear structure, which makes visitors drop off
• forgetting the mobile version, while most visitors look on their phone
• using heavy photos that make the site slow
• no attention to visibility in Google
• no clear button or form to get in touch

These are exactly the points a professional pays attention to as standard. Did you not know this? Then that is no shame, but it does show why the result of self-building often lags behind. If you build it yourself, take this list along as a checklist.

What if you get stuck halfway?

A risk of doing it yourself that is often forgotten: you start enthusiastically, but get stuck halfway. The technology turns out to be harder than expected, the website does not look the way you wanted, or you simply run out of time.

What often happens then:

• the website stays half-finished online for months
• you still pay a professional to fix it
• you start all over again and lose the first work

The half website that stays up too long can cost you more than it delivers: in missed customers and in a messy impression. It is no shame to decide halfway that outsourcing is wiser after all. But it is smart to weigh that chance in advance, before you invest time and energy.

How long are you busy yourself?

Time is the biggest factor when doing it yourself. Where a professional delivers a website in a few weeks, you as a business owner are often busy much longer, simply because you do it alongside your work and figure everything out for the first time.

Curious how a professional project runs in terms of time? In our article on how long it takes to have a website built you can read the planning per phase. Compare that timeline with the evenings and weekends you would put in yourself.

When is which choice logical?

To make it concrete, a rule of thumb.

Doing it yourself can be logical if:

• you are just starting out and have a small budget
• the website plays a simple role for now
• you enjoy it and have time for it
• it is not a core factor for your revenue

Having it built is often wiser if:

• your website is important for customers and revenue
• you would rather spend your time on your trade
• you want to be found well in Google
• you need a professional look
• you want to be able to grow without starting over each time

There is no universally right answer. It is about what fits your business, your time and your goals.

A useful extra question to ask yourself: if this website were to bring in three new customers tomorrow, what would that be worth? For many business owners the answer is so high that the choice naturally leans towards a professional approach. If the website hardly plays a role in your revenue, then starting yourself is perfectly defensible. This way you make the trade-off not on gut feeling, but on what it delivers.

Conclusion: choose based on value, not only on price

Building your website yourself or having it built is ultimately a trade-off between time, money and result. Doing it yourself is cheaper in money, but more expensive in time and often less strong in result. Having it built costs more up front, but delivers time, quality and visibility.

Ask yourself: how important is my website for my business? If it is a business card, you can often start yourself just fine. If it is an important sales or enquiry channel, outsourcing usually pays for itself.

Not sure? Tell us your situation and we will think along honestly, even if doing it yourself is the best choice for you.

Not sure whether to do it yourself or outsource? We are happy to think along honestly about what fits your business, your time and your goals. See how we make websites and request a no-obligation conversation.

Frequently asked questions

Is building a website yourself cheaper?

In direct costs yes, but you pay with your time. The hours you lose to learning, building and adjusting are often underestimated. Count that time and doing it yourself is far from always more economical.

Can I make a professional website with Wix or Squarespace?

You can make a tidy website with it, but the difference with a professional approach is often in the underlying choices: structure, visibility, speed and convincing texts. Those make the difference in result.

When is it better to build my website myself?

Doing it yourself can be logical if you are just starting out, have a small budget, enjoy it and the website plays a simple role for now. For a simple business card an agency is often not needed.

When is it better to have my website built?

Having it built is often wiser if your website is important for customers and revenue, you want to be found well in Google and you would rather spend your time on your trade than on figuring out technology.

Is there a middle ground between doing it yourself and outsourcing?

Yes. You can have the basis built professionally and then manage the content yourself, or expand step by step. This way you benefit from a strong basis without handing over control completely.

Do I save time by having my website built?

Usually yes. A professional delivers a website in a few weeks, while you yourself, alongside your work, are often busy much longer. That time you can spend on your customers and your trade.