It’s Sunday morning, mid-January. The Queensland wet season is in full swing — heavy air, grey sky, that particular stillness that comes before the next downpour. And the mosquitoes…
As with most mornings, I’ve had my coffee and walked the dog. This is usually when my head clears. It’s thinking time. Thoughts like, ‘What feature would genuinely help this client?’ or ‘How can I make this part of the site behave more cleanly?’ tend to drift in and out.
But this morning felt different. Quieter. More reflective.
Two thoughts stuck with me.
Why do so many designers and developers use Wix, Weebly, or one of the many website builders now available?
And just as interestingly — why do so many business owners choose to build their own websites?
Neither question carries judgement. I’ve been around this industry long enough to know that most decisions are made with good intentions, even when the outcomes are mixed.
Convenience Has a Strong Pull
Website builders are appealing for the same reason flat-pack furniture is appealing. Everything comes in one box. The instructions are clear enough. You can see the finished result on the packaging.
Platforms like Wix promise speed, simplicity, and control. Hosting is included. Updates are handled. Security is “taken care of”. Drag a few boxes around, add some text, upload a logo, and — in theory — you’re open for business.
From the outside, it looks sensible. Even empowering.
For designers and developers, these platforms remove a lot of friction. They reduce setup time, narrow the range of things that can go wrong, and make pricing predictable. When a client wants something fast, tidy, and inexpensive, builders feel like a safe answer.
And sometimes, they are.
The DIY Temptation
For business owners, the appeal is even more understandable.
Website builders speak directly to a very human thought: “How hard can it be?”
And to be fair, many sites don’t look complicated. A homepage. A services page. A contact form. A few photos. Why pay someone when you can do it yourself over a weekend?
There’s also a cost element. Professional web work feels expensive when compared to a monthly subscription and a few hours of tinkering, especially when a website is seen as a necessary checkbox rather than a critical business tool.
This is where I think things quietly go off track.
The False Economy Question
What often gets missed is that the cost of a website isn’t just what you pay upfront.
It’s what the site does — or doesn’t do — over time.
A site that loads slowly, struggles on mobile, confuses visitors, or quietly fails to convert interest into enquiries can cost far more than it saves. Not dramatically. Not all at once. Just steadily, in the background.
Missed calls. Missed trust. Missed momentum.
From that angle, the “cheaper” option can become a false economy. Not because the tool is bad, but because it’s being asked to carry more weight than it was ever designed to handle.
We Often Underestimate the Role of a Website
I also think many people don’t fully realise how important their website really is.
If a website didn’t matter, businesses wouldn’t bother having one at all.
It’s often the first real interaction someone has with your business. Before a phone call. Before an email. Before trust has been established. It answers quiet questions long before they’re spoken out loud.
Is this business legitimate?
Do they offer what I want?
Are they professional?
Do they care about detail?
Can I trust them?
Those judgements happen quickly — and largely without words.
When a site is treated as an item to check off a list, built quickly and forgotten, it tends to communicate that same philosophy to visitors. Again, not intentionally. Just by implication.
Why I Build the Way I Do
I build WordPress sites from scratch, not because other approaches are wrong, but because I value understanding and control. I’ve always built with WordPress. It’s flexible and predictive. Even boringly so.
I like knowing why something works.
I like being able to fix or improve it without workarounds.
I like building something that can evolve rather than be replaced.
This approach isn’t for everyone. It’s slower. It costs more upfront. And it asks clients to think about their website as a long-term part of their business rather than a quick task to tick off.
But for those who do, the relationship with their site tends to change. It becomes less of a frustration and more of an asset. They understand that their site is every bit as important as, say, customer service or cost control.
Different Choices, Different Outcomes
People choose website builders — and DIY approaches — for understandable reasons: cost, speed, simplicity, and a desire to feel in control.
Developers choose them because they reduce risk and streamline delivery.
None of that is foolish.
But there’s a difference between building something that exists and building something that works quietly, consistently, and well over time.
I’ve chosen the slower path because it suits how I think — and how I want my clients’ sites to behave when no one is watching.
On a quiet Sunday morning, with the rain hovering and the coffee going cold, that feels like a good trade-off.
Anyway, it’s just a thought.