DIY vs. Managed Websites: Which Is Right for Your Business?
Every small business owner faces this question eventually: Should I build my own website, or should I hire someone to handle it?
The answer isn't as simple as "one is better than the other." It depends on your skills, time, budget, and what you actually need your website to do. Let's break down both approaches honestly.
The DIY Approach
What It Looks Like
DIY website builders (Wix, Squarespace, WordPress.com) let you create a website yourself using templates and drag-and-drop tools. You choose a design, add your content, and publish—often within a few hours.
The Real Costs
Upfront:
- Platform subscription: $15-50/month
- Domain name: $15-20/year
- Premium templates (optional): $50-200 one-time
- Stock photos: $0-200
Hidden costs:
- Your time learning the platform: 10-40 hours initially
- Ongoing time maintaining and updating: 2-5 hours/month
- Premium plugins for advanced features: $5-30/month each
- Troubleshooting when things break: unpredictable
Total first-year estimate: $500-1,500 + 50-100 hours of your time
When DIY Makes Sense
- You enjoy learning new tech tools
- You have flexible time in your schedule
- Your needs are simple (basic info, contact form)
- Budget is extremely tight
- You want complete control over every detail
When DIY Becomes a Problem
- The site needs to actually generate leads or sales
- You don't have 5+ hours/month for maintenance
- You need custom functionality
- Security and performance matter (and they always do)
- Your time is better spent on billable work
The Managed Approach
What It Looks Like
A managed website service handles everything: design, development, hosting, security, and ongoing maintenance. You provide content and feedback; they handle the technical work.
The Real Costs
Upfront:
- Design and development: $2,500-5,500
- Content creation (if needed): $500-2,000
Ongoing:
- Monthly maintenance and hosting: $99-250/month
Total first-year estimate: $3,700-8,500
When Managed Makes Sense
- Your website needs to generate business
- Your time is more valuable doing what you're paid for
- You want professional design and performance
- Security, speed, and reliability matter
- You don't want to be your own IT department
When Managed May Not Fit
- You truly enjoy website work
- Budget doesn't allow for professional services
- You need to make constant daily changes yourself
- You're building something highly experimental
The Hidden Factor: Opportunity Cost
Here's what most comparisons miss: your time has value.
If you bill $75/hour and spend 60 hours building and maintaining a DIY site, that's $4,500 in opportunity cost—time you could have spent on paying work or business development.
Compare that to a managed service where you spend maybe 5 hours total providing content and feedback. The math often favors professional help even when it looks more expensive on paper.
What About the Middle Ground?
Some business owners try a hybrid approach:
- Build DIY initially
- Upgrade to managed later when business grows
This works, but know that migration has costs too. Designs don't transfer between platforms, content needs reformatting, and you'll essentially start over.
If you expect your business to grow, starting with a scalable solution often costs less than upgrading later.
Questions to Ask Yourself
Before deciding, honestly answer these:
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How many hours per month can I realistically dedicate to website work? If less than 5, DIY will likely become neglected.
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What would I be doing if I wasn't working on my website? If it's billable work, calculate that opportunity cost.
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Does my website need to convert visitors into customers? If yes, design and performance matter more than you think.
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How comfortable am I troubleshooting technical problems? Sites break. Hosting issues, security problems, plugin conflicts—someone has to fix them.
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Do I actually enjoy this kind of work? Be honest. "I should do it myself" and "I want to do it myself" are different things.
The Maintenance Question
One factor people underestimate: ongoing maintenance.
A website isn't a one-time project. It needs:
- Security updates (constantly)
- Backups (regularly)
- Performance monitoring (ongoing)
- Content updates (as your business evolves)
- Technical troubleshooting (when things break)
With DIY, all of this falls on you. With managed services, it's handled for you.
Our Honest Take
We're obviously biased—we run a managed website service. But here's our genuine perspective:
DIY works well for hobbies, personal projects, and businesses where the website is informational only and you genuinely enjoy the tech work.
Managed works well for businesses where the website needs to perform—generate leads, build credibility, and work reliably without your constant attention.
Most of our clients come to us after trying DIY first. They got frustrated with the time sink, worried about security, or realized their site wasn't converting. Starting managed from the beginning often proves more cost-effective than the DIY-to-managed migration path.
Making Your Decision
Neither approach is universally right or wrong. The best choice depends on your specific situation.
If you're still unsure, we're happy to talk through your options—even if managed isn't the right fit for you. Start a conversation and we'll give you an honest assessment.