Build your own website or hire a pro: which suits your business?

Almost every business owner faces this question at some point: do I get stuck in with a website builder, or do I hire someone? There is no right or wrong answer. It depends on what your site needs to achieve and how much time you have.

DIY or hire a pro: the comparison

	DIY with a website builder	Hire a professional
Upfront cost	No build cost	Roughly €500 to €5,000 for a business site
Running costs	Roughly €15 to €40 a month, plus paid add-ons	Hosting and possibly maintenance
Your time	Typically 20 to 60 hours, plus upkeep	A briefing and a few feedback moments
Design	Template, you look like other sites	Tailored to your business and customers
Visibility in Google	Entirely up to you	Part of the setup with a good builder
Copy	You write it	Often included or can be arranged
Ownership and switching	You are tied to the platform	Depends on the agreement, always ask
Making changes	Whenever you like, if you know how	Through the builder, fast or slow depending on who you pick

For what hiring a pro actually costs, read what does a website cost.

When building it yourself is the better choice

We build websites for a living, but we will be honest: sometimes DIY is the smarter move.

• You have just started and want to test an idea. See whether there is demand first, then invest. That is sensible.
• Your budget is genuinely tight. A simple site of your own beats no site at all.
• You only need an online business card. Your name, what you do, your phone number. No plans to win customers through Google.
• You enjoy it. If building is relaxing for you rather than a chore, that is worth something too.

In those cases, Wix or Squarespace is fine. If you go the DIY route, keep these points in mind:

• Pick a clean template that works well on a phone. That is where most visitors arrive.
• Use your own photos of your work and your team. They say more than stock images.
• Put your phone number at the top, visible on every page.
• Write the way your customers talk. Not “we offer total solutions”, but “we replace your boiler in Almere”.
• Use your own domain name, not an address with the platform’s name in it.
• Keep it short. Three good pages beat ten half-finished ones.

When hiring a pro is the better choice

• You want enquiries from your area. An installer, painter or garage needs to be found for searches like service plus town. That takes a proper structure with pages per service and per area. Read more about how to get found.
• Your time is money. If you could have done four jobs in the 40 hours spent building, DIY is the most expensive option.
• You want to look professional. Customers compare. A site that looks like a template feels like a smaller business.
• You already have a site with Google rankings. A messy switch costs you visitors. You want someone who handles that carefully.

The hidden costs of DIY

A website builder looks cheap, but also count:

• Paid add-ons. Your own domain, forms, online booking, removing the platform’s ads: these often sit in a more expensive plan or in separate apps.
• Your own hours. Figuring things out, building, writing, editing photos, keeping it up to date.
• Missed customers. A site that does not get found or does not convince costs you enquiries. You never see that on an invoice.
• Lock-in. A site from a website builder usually cannot simply be moved to someone else.

A middle way: hire a pro, without the hassle

Many business owners go DIY because they assume hiring someone is expensive, slow and complicated. It does not have to be.

At Qlickr, a website starts from €499, one-off and excluding VAT. A fixed price, which you hear upfront. You get a free design of your homepage within 48 hours and you only pay once the design is right. After you approve, your site goes live within 5 working days. See how that works in practice in how long does a website take.

That is possible because we use our own AI systems for the repetitive work an agency would normally bill in hours. Everything is then checked by hand. AI is the how, not the what. On top of that:

• Hosting is included for the first year.
• You send changes via WhatsApp.
• You talk to the people who build your site.
• Your domain, your site and your copy belong to you.

Qlickr is based in Almere and works with business owners across the Netherlands, in English or Dutch. Wondering whether a freelancer would suit you better? Read freelancer or agency. Or browse the cases of other local businesses first.

See first, then decide

Before you spend your evenings in a website builder, request a free design of your homepage. Within 48 hours you see what a professional site could look like for you. If you do not like it, you have paid nothing and can still build it yourself.