Should I Use Website Builders or Hire a Web Designer? (What’s Best for Your Website in 2026)

If you’re starting a business or thinking about creating a website, one of the first questions you’ll probably ask yourself is:

Should I build my website myself using a website builder, or hire a web designer?

As someone who works in web design professionally, my answer might surprise you: There genuinely isn’t one “correct” answer.

In some situations, a DIY website builder can work perfectly well. In others, hiring a designer can save you huge amounts of time, frustration, and limitations later down the line.

The right choice really depends on:

• your goals

• your budget

• your confidence with tech

• how custom you want your site to be

• and whether your website needs to grow with your business in future.

Are Website Builders Good Enough? What You Can (and Can’t) Do with DIY Website Builders

Website builders like Wix, Squarespace and Shopify have come a long way.

You absolutely can create something decent yourself — especially if:

• you only need 1–2 pages

• your site is fairly simple

• you’re happy using a template

• you have time and patience to learn

• and you don’t need advanced functionality.

In fact, I’ve even helped people build their own websites in the past by advising them on which platform might suit their needs best and giving them guidance along the way.

There’s genuinely no harm in giving it a go.

Building something yourself can actually be really rewarding, and if you do manage to create your own website, it’s a huge achievement.

But one thing I think people underestimate is this:

DIY website builders are not quite as “drag-and-drop easy” as social media makes them look.

What People Underestimate About DIY Website Builders (Time, SEO & Responsiveness)

Most people think the hard part is making a website look good.

In reality, there are two completely different skills involved:

1. Designing a website

2. Actually building and structuring it properly

Even as a professional website designer, there are aspects of building websites that can still be time-consuming and frustrating — particularly responsiveness.

Why Website Responsiveness Is Harder Than It Looks (Mobile Design Challenges)

One of the biggest struggles with DIY websites is making them work properly across:

• desktop

• tablet

• and mobile.

A design that looks perfect on your laptop can suddenly become messy, broken or difficult to use on smaller screens.

This is one of the main reasons people often become frustrated when trying to customise templates beyond their original design.

Templates can work well if you stay fairly close to how they were intended to look. But once you start heavily adapting layouts, adding custom sections, changing structure, or introducing more advanced features, things can become limiting surprisingly quickly.

Why SEO Is a Hidden Challenge in Website Builders (And Why It Matters for Rankings)

Another thing many people don’t realise is that simply publishing a website does not automatically mean people will find it.

There are technical SEO foundations that need to be set up properly just for your site to have a chance of ranking at all, including:

• page structure

• heading hierarchy

• image optimisation

• mobile performance

• metadata

• site speed

• internal linking

• and overall user experience.

This is where working with a professional can make a big difference.

A good designer is not just thinking about visuals — they’re also thinking strategically about how your website functions, performs and grows long-term.

When You Should Hire a Web Designer Instead of Using a Website Builder

In my opinion, hiring a designer becomes much more worthwhile if:

• you’re an established business

• you want something tailored to your brand

• you need bookings or ecommerce

• you plan to expand in future

• you need automations or advanced functionality

• or you want a more strategic approach.

  
  

A professional website designer should also ask about your future plans before deciding how your site should be built.

For example:

• Will you eventually want memberships?

• Online bookings?

• Ecommerce?

• Blogs?

• SEO growth?

• Custom functionality?

• Integrations?

  
  

These decisions affect which platform, structure and setup will actually support your business properly long-term.

This is where bespoke website design becomes valuable, because the website is being created around your business goals, rather than forcing your business into the limitations of a template.

Read my other blog with tips on 'What To Expect When Hiring a Website Designer'.

Are AI Website Builders Worth It? Limitations of AI-Generated Websites

Recently, I spoke with someone who had generated their website using AI.

At first, they were impressed by how quickly it created something.

But once they tried adapting it to better suit their business, they became frustrated because the template structure was too restrictive and difficult to manipulate properly.

This is something I think we’ll see more and more.

AI can help generate a starting point — but generating a website is not the same thing as creating a strategic, scalable, custom website that works properly for your business.

Website Builder vs Web Designer: Which One Is Right for Your Business?

Honestly, both options can work.

If you’re a new business, only need something simple, enjoy being creative, and are happy learning as you go, then trying a DIY website builder could be a great option.

But if your website is an important part of your business growth, credibility, marketing, SEO or customer experience, hiring a professional can save you a huge amount of time and limitations later.

The best websites are not just attractive — they’re strategic.

And that’s often the difference between:

• a website that simply exists

  and

• a website that actually works for your business.

Affordable Web Design Services for Small Businesses (Bespoke Website Design That Grows With You)

If you’re somewhere in the middle — not wanting a completely basic template, but not needing a huge agency either — working with a smaller custom web design agency can often be the perfect balance.

I specialise in affordable web design for small businesses and personal brands, creating custom websites that are designed to grow with your business rather than limit it.

I’m also a certified Wix Studio designer, which means I’ve been recognised for my skills and experience using the platform I specialise in to create high-quality, custom websites.

Book in a FREE discovery call with me