Free Website Builders vs a Custom-Built Site
Both approaches work for some businesses. The trick is being honest about which trade-offs you're making. We've taken over more than one builder site from a business that outgrew it, and the pattern is usually the same.
What builders genuinely offer
Speed, low upfront cost, and full control if you're comfortable doing the work yourself. For a very simple presence, a single page with contact details, that can be entirely sufficient, and plenty of small businesses start exactly there before they need more.
Where they typically fall short for local trades
DIY builder vs. custom build
DIY builder
- Templated structure, harder to fully optimise for specific local SEO
- Ongoing monthly fee regardless of whether you're using it
- Limited or no structured data (schema.org) without workarounds
- Can blur together against competitors using the same templates
Custom build
- Full control over technical SEO and page structure
- Faster load times, without a bloated builder framework
- Proper structured data built in from the start
- Looks distinctly like the business, not a recognisable template
What a custom build buys you
Full control over technical SEO, faster load times (no bloated builder framework), and a site that looks distinctly like your business rather than a recognisable template. Whether that's worth the higher cost depends on how much the website is expected to work for the business, versus just exist.
Related reading how much a website should cost, questions to ask before hiring anyone and our pricing.
Thinking about your own website or getting more from the one you've got?
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