Website builder vs a custom website — which wins?

Right. You've decided you need a website (smart — if you're not sure, read this first). Now you're staring at a wall of options and everyone's got a strong opinion. Let's cut through it.

The DIY builders (Wix, Squarespace)

Cheap to start, drag-and-drop, no code needed. Brilliant for a one-page starter site or someone who genuinely enjoys tinkering. The catch: they're slow, they all look vaguely the same, you're locked into their platform, and the moment you want something custom (bookings, real ecommerce, integrations) you hit a wall.

WordPress — the middle ground that isn't

WordPress is powerful and 'free' (it is not free — hosting, plugins, themes, and your sanity all cost money). It's flexible but high-maintenance: updates break things, plugins conflict, security is on you. It's great in the right hands and a part-time job in the wrong ones.

A custom-built site

Built for you, by people who do this for a living. Faster, cleaner, actually optimised for Google, and it does exactly what your business needs — bookings, payments, whatever. Costs more up front, costs you far less in time and headaches over the next three years.

So which wins?

If you're testing an idea and have more time than money: DIY builder, accept the limits.

If you're a real business that needs to look real and get found: custom, done once, done right.

Price is obviously part of the decision — we broke that down here.

And whatever you pick, make sure it works on a phone — that's non-negotiable now.

If you'd rather skip the spreadsheet of comparisons and just get a site that works, that's our entire job. Say the word.