Should I just use Wix or Squarespace instead of hiring someone?
You can, and for a hobby it is fine. For a business that needs calls from Google, builders tend to load slower and rank harder, and you still have to write and design the whole thing yourself.
When a builder is the right call
If you enjoy tinkering, have the weekends to spare, and your business does not depend on Google, a builder is a reasonable way to get something online. I would rather you have a Wix site than no site.
Where builders fall short for a service business
The problems show up once you need the site to bring in work:
- Speed. Builder sites carry a lot of code you never use, and slow pages lose people on phones.
- The template look. Customers can tell, and so can you.
- Limited control over the things Google reads: page titles, structure, how fast it loads.
- The monthly fee never stops, and you are still doing all the writing and setup yourself.
What hand-built means here
I write the code. There is no builder underneath, no plugins to update, and nothing you did not ask for. It loads fast on a cheap phone in a bad signal area, which is where a lot of your customers are. And you own it outright.
The honest cost comparison
A builder runs roughly $15 to $50 a month plus your time. A one-page site with me is $299 up front and $99 a month, and the monthly covers hosting, your domain, and me making the edits instead of you. The difference is who does the work and whether the site actually shows up on Google.
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