Why DIY Websites Aren’t as Free as You Think

“I built my website myself; it didn’t cost me anything!”
Oh really? Not to be harsh, but… is your time not valuable at all?
Because time is precisely what you’re spending, and a lot of it.

I’ve seen so many business owners pour weekends, nights, and spare hours into cobbling together their own websites. And while there’s something empowering about being able to say “I did it myself,” the real cost starts to show up later, when things don’t load, don’t rank, or just don’t work.

A slow website isn’t just annoying. It drives people away.

A broken checkout process? That’s lost income.

SEO that never got set up properly? That’s traffic you’re never going to see.

And the thing is, you often don’t realise it’s happening. Your website isn’t just sitting there. It’s silently shaping how people view your business. It can build trust, or quietly chip away at it. One broken layout, one missing image, one unresponsive mobile experience at a time.

I’ve worked with many clients who initially tried to go it alone and later asked me to step in. Sometimes the rescue mission takes longer than starting from scratch. DIY sites don’t usually follow any structure or best practices; it’s more like a spaghetti tangle of “this kinda worked” and “I saw someone do this on YouTube.”

That’s not a judgment, it’s just the reality of building something without experience or a clear plan. It takes time and effort to untangle it all, figure out what the intention was, and rebuild it in a way that’s stable, scalable, and clear.

Now, I’m not saying every new business should spend thousands right out of the gate. But if you’re in that early stage, the smartest thing you can do is this: Build only what you actually need.

A simple, clean, strategic site doesn’t have to be a huge expense. But it does need to be done properly. And when you really add it up, the weekends lost, the frustration, the second-guessing, the inevitable fixes down the track, DIY often turns out to be more expensive than hiring a professional.

Be smart. Value your time.

And if you still want to build something yourself, at least get some guidance first. There’s a middle ground, and it doesn’t have to cost you your sanity.

If your DIY site is starting to feel like a time trap, or you’re ready to build something smarter from the beginning, I can help. We’ll start with what you actually need, skip the overwhelm, and create something that grows with your business. Get in touch here.