There isn't one right way to get a small business website. There are four common paths, and the best one depends on your time, your budget and how much the website matters to your revenue. Below is a straightforward comparison, including where each path tends to go wrong.
Option 1: Do it yourself with a website builder
Website builders give you templates and a drag-and-drop editor for a monthly or yearly fee. The appeal is control and low upfront cost.
- Good for: simple sites, businesses with someone who enjoys the work, and owners who want to change text and photos themselves in minutes.
- Watch out for: the time cost. Writing, photographing, designing and testing on mobile takes hours, and updates never stop. Templates also look alike, and the finishing details (page titles, speed, structured data, accessibility) are easy to skip.
Option 2: Hire a freelancer
A freelancer can build a custom or semi-custom site for a one-time fee, sometimes with a monthly care plan.
- Good for: owners who want something tailored and have a project with clear requirements and a budget.
- Watch out for: availability and handoff. Ask what happens if the freelancer is unavailable six months from now, who holds the logins and whether you'll get editing access.
Option 3: Hire an agency
Agencies bring teams for design, development and marketing, and typically charge more.
- Good for: larger businesses, complex sites or multi-location brands with a budget and a need for custom work.
- Watch out for: scope creep and long contracts. Get a written scope, a timeline and a list of what's included in ongoing fees.
Option 4: A managed website
With a managed plan, a provider builds the site and keeps it running for a monthly fee: hosting, updates and, depending on the plan, Google Business Profile, review replies, social posts and local SEO work.
- Good for: busy owners who would rather approve changes than make them, and businesses that want steady upkeep without hiring staff.
- Watch out for: ownership and exit terms. Ask whether you keep your domain, what happens to the site if you cancel and whether prices can change.
Our own plans fall into this last group, so weigh our view accordingly. We explain how our options work on the managed plans, one-time website and compare pages, and there is a 30-day website trial if you want to see a site before deciding.
Questions to ask before you choose
- Who owns the domain and the content? It should be you.
- What's the total cost over two years, including hosting, renewals, updates and any add-ons?
- Who makes changes, and how fast? If you need a price changed on a Friday, what's the process?
- What happens if I cancel? Can I take the site with me, or does it go offline?
- How is performance handled? Ask about mobile speed, security updates and backups.
- What will you actually report? Honest providers show calls, form submissions and Search Console data, and avoid promising rankings.
A simple way to decide
- Count your hours. If you wouldn't spend 20 to 40 hours building a site and a few hours each month maintaining it, lean toward hiring.
- Judge the stakes. If the site brings in most of your leads, quality and upkeep matter more than saving money.
- List your must-have features. Online ordering, bookings, multiple locations or a blog may narrow your choices quickly.
- Start small. A good first site is a few clear pages, and you can add to it as you learn what customers need.
Realistic expectations
No option guarantees traffic or top rankings. A new site takes time to be discovered, and results depend on your market, your competition and the work you put into reviews, your Google profile and content. Whatever you choose, use our website checklist to confirm the basics are done, and check typical price ranges in our cost guide. If you'd like a no-card preview of your own site, build a free demo.
The hidden costs people forget
- Your time. If your time is worth a certain amount per hour, a DIY site isn't free.
- Renewals. Domains, hosting, templates and add-ons often renew yearly at different prices than the first year.
- Add-ons. Booking, ordering, email and forms can each carry their own fees.
- Fixes. When something breaks, someone has to find and repair it. Make sure you know who that is.
- Moving later. Exporting content and rebuilding on another platform takes effort, so choose with the long term in mind.
A middle path: start simple, then add help
You don't have to decide forever. Many owners start with a clean, simple site and add help when it becomes worth it, for example, once the site brings in regular inquiries and you'd rather spend your time serving customers. Keep your domain in your own name, save your photos and text in a folder you control and write down your logins in a secure place. With those basics, you can switch approaches without starting over.
General information, not legal advice. Platform policies change; check the platform's current rules before acting. We don't guarantee rankings, reviews or revenue.