People ask me this a lot. Wix and Squarespace are cheap.
GoDaddy has a site builder. Somebody's nephew knows WordPress.
So why pay me?
Fair question. Here's the straight answer, including when you
shouldn't hire me.
GoDaddy
The price in the ad is for the first term. Renewals cost more,
sometimes about double. Their site builder is do-it-yourself,
like Wix. Their hosting gets you a server or a WordPress
install. Either way, you're the one building the site and
maintaining it.
Wix and Squarespace
These are good tools if you want to build it yourself. The
catch is the word yourself. You pick the template, fix
how it looks on phones, and keep it current. You're also
renting.
Wix says it outright: a Wix site can't move to another host. Squarespace lets you
export some of your content, not the design. If you ever leave,
you rebuild.
WordPress
WordPress isn't the problem. Most small-business WordPress
sites are a theme plus a stack of plugins, each from a
different company, each one needing updates. That's where the
trouble is. Plugins are where the security holes usually are,
not WordPress itself. Skip the updates and you're exposed. Run
them and something can break. Getting people off sites like
that is most of my consulting.
What I do instead
I code your site by hand. No plugins, no page builder, nothing
to update every week. It runs on my own server. I build in
technical SEO, and I handle security and backups. Need a
change? Email me. On the Managed plan, edits are included. You
own your domain, your content, and the code, so you're never
locked in. Here's
what it costs and
how I work.
When you don't need me
If you like building things and want to do it yourself, use Wix
or Squarespace. If all you need is your hours and phone number
on Google, a free Google Business Profile might cover it. I'll
tell you which one fits before you spend anything with me.
Most web hosting is a bait and switch. Cheap sticker price,
then the renewal doubles, and you still do all the work
yourself. I don't run it that way. Here's exactly what I
charge.
The build
Most sites I build are $2,000. Hand-coded, no plugins, no page
builder. Hosted on my own server. Technical SEO and security
handled. Your first year of hosting and updates is included.
That's the Managed plan below. Bigger scope (a lot of pages, a
store, custom functionality) runs more, and I'll give you the
number before we start.
After year one
Pick the plan that fits. Pay yearly and get two months free.
That's every year, not a first-year promo. Cancel anytime with
30 days' notice. Leave a yearly plan early and you pay the
monthly price for the months you used, never more than you
paid. I refund the rest.
Hosted $25/mo or $250/yr
A reliable home for your site. Hosting, SSL, daily
backups, uptime monitoring, security patching. Content
changes are quoted per request. For people who just need
it online and handled.
Managed $50/mo or $500/yr
Most people pick this.
Everything in Hosted, plus content edits and ongoing
tuning based on traffic and performance. New text,
swapped photos, updated hours, a new staff headshot. You
email me, I make the change. New pages and features get
quoted separately.
Hardened $100/mo or $1,000/yr
Everything in Managed, plus a backup server that takes
over on its own, so your site stays up even if the main
one goes down. Priority response and a monthly report.
Built for sites that take orders or book jobs.
The difference
Hosting companies rent you a server and walk away. You're the
one logging in at midnight trying to fix it. I'm the guy who
does the work. That's the whole product.
Want a site, or want to move one you can't control?
Send me a message.
No contracts full of fine print. Here's how a project runs.
Paying
Half up front, half before it goes live. The deposit locks
your spot on my schedule and I start building. The balance is
due before the site goes public. No surprise invoices, no
hourly meter running in the background.
What a build is
A custom site, coded by hand, hosted on my server, with
technical SEO and security done. First year of hosting and
updates included. I build from the content you give me, so the
faster you get me your copy and photos, the faster you launch.
Revisions
One round of real changes is part of the build. We'll get it
right. Endless redesigns and brand-new directions after
sign-off are out of scope, and I'll quote those at my hourly
before I touch anything.
Your stuff is yours
You own your domain. Register it in your own name and I'll
walk you through it, so you're never locked in. You own your
content and the code. If you ever leave, I hand you the files.
After launch
Your first year of care is included with the build. That's the
Managed plan. After that you
pick a plan, monthly
or yearly. Cancel with 30 days' notice. Edits and ongoing
tuning are included on Managed. New pages and features are a
separate quote.
If you don't need me
I'll tell you. If a cheaper tool actually fits what you're
doing, I'll point you at it. I'd rather lose the job than sell
you something you don't need.
Got something in mind?
Send me a message. We'll do a quick call, then I'll send you a fixed quote.
