Can I build my own business website?

Pick the right tool for the job

• Squarespace for visual businesses that want polished templates.
• Wix for flexible layouts and lots of built-in apps.
• Shopify if selling products is the main point.
• WordPress.com if you plan to publish a lot of articles.

Choose based on what the site needs to do, not which ad you saw last. Our platform guide goes into this.

Most offer free trials, so build a draft homepage in two of them before committing. How the editor feels after an hour tells you a lot about whether you’ll keep the site up to date.

Where DIY sites usually fall short

Most DIY sites I see have the same gaps. The headline says something vague like “Welcome”. All services sit on one page. Photos are huge and slow to load. There’s no clear next step, or five competing ones. Page titles still say “Home”. None of this is the tool’s fault. These are writing and structure problems, and they matter more than the template.

The good news is that all of these are fixable without changing platforms. A few hours spent on headlines, page structure and photos often makes a bigger difference than any template switch.

A short DIY checklist

• Write a headline that says who you help and how.
• Give each main service its own page.
• Set a unique title and description for every page. The SERP preview tool shows how they’ll look on Google.
• Resize photos before uploading.
• Add your address or service area, phone and hours.
• Connect Search Console and a Google Business Profile.
• Check the site on your phone before you publish.

Then ask a friend to find your phone number and your main service on their phone. Watch where they hesitate.

If you’re going to build it yourself, I’d spend most of your time on words, not design. Write the homepage headline and one paragraph per service before you open the builder. Then pick a simple template and resist adding effects. I’d also check every page on your phone, because that’s where most of your visitors will be. And when the site starts to matter more to the business, or takes more of your evenings than it should, that’s the time to bring someone in.