Should you use a website builder or hire someone?

• You enjoy design and writing, and you have time to spend on them.
• You want to change the website yourself, often.
• You need a feature that comes built into the builder, like an online store.
• Your budget is very tight, and your time is not.

• You’d rather spend your time running the business.
• You’ve started a builder site and never finished it.
• Your site is live, but it’s out of date because updating it is a chore.
• You want it to look professional without learning design.

A builder’s monthly fee buys software, not a website. You still choose the template, write every page, prepare the photos, and remember to update the hours when they change.

Many small business sites fall behind because of that last part: the website was fine at launch, and nobody had time to keep it current.

A monthly plan sits between the two. Someone else designs, builds, and hosts the website, and you send changes by email instead of logging in.

Mine is $0 setup and $50 a month, with hosting and up to three small changes each month. Online stores, booking systems, and accounts are outside it, so if you need those, a builder or a specialist may suit you better.

• Pricing A business website, hosting, and up to three small changes a month for $50, with no setup fee. Month-to-month, from Chris in Frederick County, Maryland.

You can replace it. I’ll design a free homepage preview from your current site, so you can compare the two before deciding anything.

• Website redesign Replace a dated or hard-to-update business website. See a free redesigned homepage built from your current content, then $0 setup and $50 a month.
• Free website preview Send your website, or a short description and a few photos. I’ll design one homepage direction for free, so you can judge the design before deciding.