Your Options
DIY Website Builder (Squarespace, Wix)
Cost: $16 to $50/month + your time. Fast to launch, no technical knowledge required. Tradeoffs: limited customization, recurring platform fees forever, slower performance, and a ceiling you will eventually hit. Many businesses outgrow these tools within 2 years.
WordPress
Cost: $10 to $30/month hosting + optional theme and plugins. Powers 40% of the web. Downsides: security vulnerabilities require constant updates, poor performance out of the box, and a poorly configured WordPress site can be extremely slow.
Custom Build with a Developer
Cost: $1,500 to $25,000+ depending on scope. Complete control, better performance, stronger SEO, no platform dependency. The upfront cost is higher but there are no recurring platform fees and the site is an asset you own.
What Every Business Website Needs
- Mobile-first design. More than 60% of web traffic is on mobile.
- Fast load time. Under 3 seconds on mobile. Test with Google PageSpeed Insights.
- Clear call to action. Every page should have one obvious next step.
- Contact information visible. Phone number or contact link in the header on every page.
- SSL certificate (HTTPS). Your host should provide this for free.
- Google Analytics. You need to know how many people visit and what they do.
Common Mistakes
- Choosing a website builder and outgrowing it within a year
- Paying for beautiful design with no consideration for SEO or load speed
- Not putting a phone number where people can find it
- Never updating the site after launch
- Using only stock photos instead of real photos of the business
47 Industries builds custom websites on Next.js - faster, cleaner, and better for SEO than WordPress or website builders. Small business websites starting at $1,500.
