A DIY builder like Squarespace or Wix makes sense for a solo freelancer testing an idea. For a Kelowna business that needs local search traffic, the math flips: $276+ a year in fees plus 40 to 80 hours of your time buys a template that struggles to rank, while a custom build from $1,500 with real photos, local SEO, and clean structure typically pays for itself in the first year of leads.
Squarespace, Wix, and WordPress.com make it look easy. Drag a template around for a weekend and you have a website. For some businesses, that's fine. For most Kelowna small businesses trying to rank on Google and generate leads, it's a trap that costs far more than it saves.
What DIY website builders actually cost you
The monthly fees are the obvious cost: Squarespace starts at $23/month, which is $276/year, and you still need to buy a domain separately. But the bigger cost is what you don't get: local SEO structure, fast load times, properly configured Google Business Profile, schema markup, and, most of all, your time. Most business owners who build their own websites spend 40 to 80 hours on the initial build, and then continue spending hours every month on updates they're not sure how to make.
Why Squarespace and Wix sites don't rank well in Kelowna
Template-based builders create sites that look similar to thousands of others. Google can't differentiate them easily, and they often have poor technical SEO out of the box: slow load times, thin content, no structured data, and no local keyword strategy. A site built specifically for 'web designer Kelowna' or 'electrician Lake Country' by someone who knows local SEO will outrank a Squarespace site almost every time.
When DIY makes sense
If you're a solo freelancer just starting out, need a simple portfolio or landing page, and don't rely on Google for customers, a DIY builder is fine. It gets something up quickly. But if you're a trades company, restaurant, retailer, or service business that needs local search traffic to survive, a professionally built website with proper SEO is one of the best investments you can make.
What a professional Kelowna web design costs vs. what you get
A custom website from Elliot Digital runs $1,500 to $4,900, a one-time fee, from a single landing page up to a full site. That includes mobile-first design, local SEO setup, Google Business Profile configuration, and a site that's yours outright, with care plans from $79 to $249 a month covering hosting, backups, security, and the edits you text me. Photos are decided per project. Most clients send me their own, I can shoot them on my iPhone, and a professional photo or film shoot is available when the job needs it, quoted separately. Kelowna agencies quote $2,500 to $8,000 for the same website brief, usually on a template.
If you're deciding between a DIY builder and a professional build for your Kelowna business, the complete web design guide for Kelowna small businesses covers the full picture. Or book a free consultation with me at bryceelliot.com/contact and I'll give you an honest assessment, including whether a DIY builder might be the right call for your situation.
Common questions
Is Squarespace or Wix cheaper than hiring a designer?
On the invoice. Squarespace starts around $276 a year plus a domain, but the true cost is 40 to 80 hours of your time on the build, ongoing hours on updates, and the leads a non-ranking template quietly loses.
Why don't Squarespace and Wix sites rank well locally?
Template sites look similar to thousands of others and ship with poor technical SEO: slow loads, thin content, no structured data, and no local keyword strategy. A site built specifically for 'web designer Kelowna' or 'electrician Lake Country' outranks them almost every time.
When is a DIY website the right call?
Solo freelancer, simple portfolio or landing page, and customers that do not come from Google. Then a builder gets something up fast and cheap, and that is fine.
Based in Lake Country. Serving Kelowna, West Kelowna, Vernon, and Penticton.