Written by Eloise Adams

In the beginning, a DIY website is totally fine. You’re starting out, keeping costs low, figuring things out as you go. You need something to get started with and a DIY website does the job…for now.

But when you want to scale up your business? That’s a different story.

Because as your business grows, your website needs to grow with it in order to provide potential clients with the most accurate portrayal of your business (so they know exactly what they’re buying into). Trouble is – the DIY look doesn’t reflect the same standards as your 5-star services, or that DIY builder has become incredibly clunky in the process of keeping up with the functionality you now require. What was once a great starting point has now become a roadblock! 

So if you’re feeling stuck trying to grow your business, but are still wrestling with your DIY website, here are 5 reasons why it might be time to leave it behind:

1. They put off high-calibre clients

Your website is the first real impression potential clients get of your business. You might pique their interest on social media, but your website is where they go to check you’re legit and get a real sense of your vibe. Because your website is the first REAL taste of what it’s like to be in your unique space (no social media profile preset to prop up the presentation of your business) and if it looks DIY, they’ll assume everything else is DIY too, including the quality of your work and services. 

High-calibre clients (those who value expertise and are willing to invest top dollar for it) expect to see the same level of professionalism in your website that you offer in your services. When it doesn’t, feelings of doubt arise around your ability to deliver great service and results. The “I’m not sure this is the right person I want to hire” feels kick in and they click off.

Beyond that, an overly used, pre-made DIY website makes it harder to stand out and position yourself as the go-to expert in your industry. If it looks like every other template-based site out there, why should a client choose you over the next person? 

2. They limit your SEO potential

SEO isn’t just about throwing in a few keywords and calling it a day. There’s a lot happening behind the scenes that determines whether your website shows up in search results or stays buried under pages of competitors. Things like:

• Page speed
• Schema markup
• Metadata
• Site security
• Hosting quality


Whilst DIY website builders have gotten more SEO savvy, they’re still wayyy behind the curve compared to a custom-built site where you have much greater control over the aforementioned ranking factors. That’s because you don’t have a choice to optimise what’s ‘under the hood’ of your DIY website, but with a professionally made one, you have full control of all the SEO opportunities from the inside and out.

3. They’re such a faff to use

DIY website builders often promise ease of use, but in reality, they can be a right nightmare! Making changes can feel clunky and frustrating. Want to add a simple custom feature? Good luck navigating layers of confusing settings. Need to tweak the layout? Hope you enjoy dragging things pixel by pixel, only to disarrange the entire layout of the page you spent the last hour lining up perfectly.

And let’s not forget the biggest time-waster of all: spending hours trying to fix that ONE.SINGLE.THING that should be a quick job. Queue the 5 hour Google session, rummaging through unhelpful techy tutorials that might as well be in French! That doesn’t sit right with me, because every minute spent troubleshooting your site is a minute not spent growing your business.

4. They limit functionality 

DIY website builders come with limitations. Sometimes on purpose, AKA “we’re gonna charge you a much higher subscription cost so you can get access to that 1 feature you need” (whilst paying out for a tonne of features you don’t!) 

Sometimes not, and there’s no way to actually implement the functionality you need so you’re stuck working within the constraints of a template that wasn’t built with your business in mind. That cool new idea you had that you wanted to implement on your website (you know…the one that will help grow your business faster?) Yep, that’s now out the window! 

5. They keep you stuck in ‘DIY’ mindset

If you’re still DIY-ing your site years into business, it can be a sign you’re not fully stepping into the role of CEO. You’re still in ‘doing everything myself’ mode instead of delegating the tasks that allow you to focus solely on your zone of genius. And that mindset is what keeps businesses stuck. 

Because even though you CAN make a website, it doesn’t mean it’s any good for your business. Most DIY websites are just…there. Your site might look nice and get your business found online, but is it designed to convert traffic when they land? Does it actively guide visitors towards taking action? Is it positioned to attract your very best-fit dream clients into your inbox? Hiring a professional isn’t just about having someone take care of the technical tasks. It’s also about having an expert on board who can get you BETTER results than you can get for yourself. 

Many of my clients wish they’d got their website done YEARS ago. And truth be told its because they already knew deep down they wanted a professional website back then. They just didn’t give themselves permission to step into that next level leader who delegates, streamlines, and invests in the right support for their business. As soon as they did though, it wasn’t long after their website relaunch, that the next level of growth they’d been looking for appeared shortly after.

And so much more!

These are just 5 quick reasons why a DIY website will keep your business stuck. I haven’t even covered site longevity, touched on branding or discussed the long-term costs of running a DIY site (hint: it’s expensive). But ultimately, if your website is holding you back from growing your business, it’s high time to stop patching it up and start treating it like the business asset it should be. 

If you’re curious about working together, have a nosey at my website work here, or when you’re ready to bring a professional web designer on board, check out my services to find out how to transform your DIY website into a professional and profitable business growth machine. Come and say hello on Instagram, and Facebook and I’d love to see you in my Facebook Group, the Website Conversion Collective.

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