Build it yourself or have it built for you?
Both work. Building it yourself gives you control and costs you time. Having it built saves the time and costs you some control, some money, or both. Which suits you depends on what you’re shorter of.
Side by side
| What matters | Build it yourself | Have it built |
|---|---|---|
| Your time | The design, the words, the setting up and the learning are all yours to do. | You answer questions and check the result. |
| Control | Change anything, any time, without asking anyone. | Changes go through whoever built it, on their terms. |
| Upkeep | Yours. | Theirs or yours. Ask before you start. |
| Cost | Often a subscription to the builder, for as long as the website is up. | A fee, a monthly plan, or sometimes free with conditions. |
| If you leave | Check what you can export. A website made in one builder may not move to another. | Ask who owns the design, and what you can take with you. |
Build it yourself if
- you enjoy this sort of thing, or want to learn it;
- you’ll be changing the website often, and want to do it the minute you think of it;
- you have more time than money right now;
- you already know what you want it to say.
Have it built if
- “sort out the website” has been on your list for a year;
- you’re not sure what to write, or how it should look;
- you’d rather spend the weekend on the business itself;
- you want someone to email when something breaks.
Ask these either way
- What will I have paid by the end of year one? And year two?
- Whose name is the web address in?
- If I leave, what comes with me?
- When something breaks, who fixes it?
What this guide can’t tell you
We haven’t named or tested any website builder here, and we’ve left out their prices, because they change. Check the builder’s own pricing page for your country. And remember who’s writing: Kiteleo builds websites for people, so weigh our view accordingly.
Where Kiteleo fits
We’re the “have it built” kind: we design and build a one-page website for free, with conditions. What a free website costs spells them out. If you’d enjoy building it yourself, do. You’ll know your website inside out.
Next: what to prepare before someone builds your website, or all guides.
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