Should You Hire a Web Design Agency or DIY Your Website?
Looks Good on Paper, But Does It Work in Practice?
You’ve got a great idea, a growing business, and now you need a website. Do you roll up your sleeves and use a DIY builder like Wix or Squarespace? Or do you hire a team to handle it for you?
If you’re like many business owners just starting with digital marketing, the decision isn’t just about price—it’s about time, control, credibility, and what will actually work. You’re not just building a website; you’re building your presence online.
Both DIY websites and professionally built websites come with strengths and limitations. This article explores their core differences to help you decide which option best aligns with your business goals, current resources, and growth plans without pushing one over the other.
Function vs Form: What Actually Works for Your Business?
A beautiful website is great, but only if it helps you reach your goals. In this section, we’ll explore how DIY and agency-built sites differ when it comes to turning design into real business results.
Technicality: How Much Can You Grow From Here?
As your business grows, your website needs to grow with it. We’ll explore how DIY platforms and professionally built sites each handle expansion, and what to consider as you plan ahead.
Cost vs Reward: Framing It as a Strategic Investment
This isn’t just about what you spend, but what you gain. We’ll break down the value behind each option and help you see your website not as an expense, but as a tool for growth.
Function vs Form: What Actually Works for Your Business?
When you're starting a website, it’s easy to get caught up in how it looks. Clean templates, modern fonts, flashy effects—they’re all appealing. And DIY platforms make it easy to build something that looks professional at first glance.
But before you spend hours dragging and dropping, it’s worth asking a more important question: “What do I actually need this site to do for my business?” A nice design is great, but results like leads, sales, or bookings are what really matter.
The problem with pretty (and why good DIY design isn’t enough)
DIY platforms like Wix, Squarespace, and Shopify are popular for a reason. They make it easy to launch something that looks clean and modern, quickly. For business owners who need to get online fast, these tools can be a solid starting point. The templates are well-designed, and you can usually get a site up in a weekend.
But looks aren’t everything. A polished design doesn’t guarantee results. Without clear intent behind your layout (like guiding visitors toward key actions) people may land on your site, scroll a little, and leave without doing much else.
A sleek homepage without direction is like a storefront with no one behind the counter. Good design makes a strong first impression, but strategic design turns visitors into customers.
What agency strategy adds that design alone can’t
This is where a web design agency brings something different to the table. It’s not about choosing a nice colour scheme—it’s about aligning your website with your actual business goals. For example :
- Need more calls? They'll structure pages to drive clicks to your phone number.
- Selling products? They'll streamline the checkout process.
- Want leads? They'll guide users to your contact form with intent.
Agencies start with the end goal in mind—they design websites based on what the business needs to achieve, then build everything around that. You’re not just getting a set of pages; you’re getting a strategy.
What to Consider Before You Choose
So, should you DIY or hire a pro? Start by defining what your website actually needs to do. If it’s simply about having a presence—something basic to show who you are and how to reach you—a DIY setup can be a great fit.
But if your goals include generating leads, improving SEO, or driving sales, it may be worth leaning on people who build with those outcomes in mind.
Technicality: How Much Can You Grow From Here?
It’s one thing to get a website online—it’s another to keep it performing as your business grows. The technical side of websites often gets overlooked early on, but it’s what makes the difference between a site that’s just there and one that’s actively driving results. This section looks at what DIY platforms can realistically handle, what agencies offer behind the scenes, and why going it alone only takes you so far.
What DIY Tools Offer—and Where They Stop
DIY platforms are designed to be user-friendly, and they do a solid job of offering just enough technical control to launch and manage a basic website. You can:
- Set up page structure and menus
- Customize basic SEO tags (titles, descriptions)
- Install apps or plug-ins for things like forms, chat, and booking
- Connect to basic analytics tools
- Launch simple eCommerce stores
But here’s where it gets tricky: as your business grows, your website needs to work harder—and most DIY tools just aren’t built for deep customization. Things like structured data, advanced SEO, lightning-fast page speed, scalable hosting, or custom tracking scripts are either hard to access, cost extra, or simply not available.
Bottom line? DIY platforms can take you to a certain level—but past that, you will be hacking your way around limitations.
What Agencies Bring to the Table Technically
When you work with a web agency, you’re tapping into a much broader technical toolkit. These teams build websites with growth in mind—from the infrastructure to the analytics. Some of the benefits include:
- Clean, custom code optimized for speed and search engines
- Mobile-first, accessible designs
- Scalable hosting and site architecture
- Custom tracking setups for SEO, SEM, and beyond
- Security protocols that actually protect your business
Plus, agency-built sites are designed with adaptability in mind. Want to add a new feature later? Change your sales funnel? Tweak your SEO targeting? No problem—it’s baked into the foundation.
You’re One Person. Agencies Have Teams. That Matters.
Let’s be real—you’re busy running a business. Learning SEO, monitoring Google algorithm updates, testing site performance, writing copy, and optimizing for mobile responsiveness isn’t just hard—it’s a full-time job.
That’s why agencies have teams: designers focus on usability, SEO specialists stay up to date on what search engines want, SEM experts manage your ad strategy, and developers ensure everything works under the hood.
Could you do some of this on your own? Sure. But you’ll hit a ceiling. Not because you’re not capable, but because you’re only one person.
Built to Scale, Built to Last
So if you’re weighing whether to build your website solo or partner with an agency, consider this: DIY is great for getting started. But if you want a website that can grow with you—technically and strategically—it’s worth thinking about the long game. Agencies aren’t just building websites; they’re building the systems behind them, so you don’t have to do it all yourself.
Cost vs Reward: Framing It as a Strategic Investment
Let’s be honest—when you’re building a website, budget is often the first (and sometimes only) factor on the table. And for good reason. Whether you’re bootstrapping a business or allocating a chunk of your marketing budget, you want to know: what am I getting for my money? But cost alone doesn’t tell the full story.
A $0 website that doesn’t bring in leads isn’t free—it’s costing you in lost opportunity. This section breaks down the real cost vs reward of DIY vs agency-built websites so you can make the call that fits your goals.
DIY Websites: Low Cost, High Involvement
Wix, Squarespace, and Shopify are the most well known budget-friendly DIY platforms and will get you online fast. You’ll likely pay:
- $20–$50/month for a website plan
- Additional fees for apps, plug-ins, or premium features
- Your time (which often ends up being the biggest cost)
The rewards?
- Full control over your edits
- Immediate launch
- No upfront development cost
- Great for testing an idea or launching something simple
But the trade-offs show up in performance and growth. Most DIY sites lack built-in SEO tools, fast-loading code, or conversion-focused layouts. You can add some of that yourself—but it takes time to learn, and results are often hit-or-miss.
Agency Websites: Higher Cost, Built for Results
Hiring an agency usually involves a bigger financial commitment—some will ask for upfront payment, while others may offer monthly plans depending on the scope of work. But the value goes beyond just “getting a site.” You’re also getting:
- Custom design aligned with your brand
- On-site SEO (titles, structure, schema, speed)
- Strategic layout built to convert
- Ongoing support and technical maintenance
- A team that stays on top of the algorithm so you can focus on your business
In short: you’re not just buying a website. You’re investing in strategy, expertise, and infrastructure built for growth.
DIY vs Agency: What Do You Really Need?
Here’s a quick way to help you figure out which path fits your situation. If you find yourself saying “yes” to the questions below, you’ll likely benefit more from one option over the other.
Go with DIY if…
- You just need a basic site to show your services and contact info
- You're launching something temporary or testing a business idea
- You’re comfortable learning some marketing and SEO basics on your own
- You have more time than money
Go with an agency if…
- You want your website to generate leads or sales consistently
- You care about ranking well on Google and long-term SEO performance
- You need features like custom forms, secure eCommerce, or CRM integration
- You don’t have the time to manage the site and stay up-to-date on marketing trends
Spending Smart Starts With Knowing What You’re Buying
Whether you go DIY or hire an agency, your website is an investment, not just an expense. The question isn’t just “what’s cheaper?”—it’s “what gets me closer to my goals, with fewer surprises along the way?”
Your Website, Your Call—But You Don’t Have to Do It Alone
Whether you choose a DIY website or work with a professional team, the key is knowing what fits your business today and where you want to take it tomorrow. We’ve walked through how each approach performs, scales, and pays off, and the takeaway is simple: both options can work—but they work differently. What matters most is clarity, intention, and planning ahead.
Digital marketing isn’t just about launching—it’s about learning, evolving, and making smart choices over time. If you prefer to work with a professional rather than doing it yourself, reach out to Ubiweb. We help businesses like yours get online and grow online, with resources, services, and strategies that meet you where you are.
