BestCompare Web development agency

Website Design Options for Small Businesses

Compare managed website design, a traditional agency, and DIY builders to find the right fit for your Australian small business.

Three honest ways to get a website.

You can hire a traditional agency, build it yourself in a website builder, or have someone look after the site for you on a monthly plan.

None of those is a trick. They suit different owners, budgets, and how much time you want to spend on the website. This page is the comparison - including when you should not choose me.

Who each option suits

Hands pointing at a wristwatch - the time a DIY website takes

Costs you time

You build it

DIY website builder

Wix, Squarespace, Shopify’s site tools, and similar platforms. A good fit if you want to make the site yourself and keep editing it.

A good fit if

  • You enjoy building and have evenings to spend on it
  • You want to change copy and photos in an editor yourself
  • A template is fine, and the budget for a build is small

Look elsewhere if

  • You are already time-poor and do not want another job
  • You dislike software and would rather not log in
  • You need someone else to own speed, SEO, and updates
A money bag and stacked coins - a large agency project fee

Costs you thousands upfront

Project fee

Traditional agency

A studio or agency that designs and builds a site for a large upfront fee. After launch they typically charge a monthly retainer for hosting, care, and changes - so you are not that far ahead of a subscription. A good fit for a large, unusual project.

A good fit if

  • A bigger brand, campaign, or custom product site
  • You have budget for a $15,000+ project, plus $500+/mo for hosting and care and often $999+/mo for SEO
  • You want a specialist team for a defined piece of work

Look elsewhere if

  • You need a straightforward local business site
  • You do not want a large invoice before anything is live, then another bill every month
  • You want hosting and updates in one price from day one
You paying a coin and BestCompare handing over a finished website

One simple monthly fee

Managed monthly

BestCompare

I design, build, host, and update the site. You send changes. A good fit if you want a real website without becoming the webmaster.

A good fit if

  • Cafés, clinics, tradies, and other local operators
  • You want a fast, search-ready site and someone to keep it current
  • A predictable monthly price in AUD beats a large project fee plus a retainer

Look elsewhere if

  • You want to build and maintain the site yourself in a website builder
  • You'd rather manage content changes yourself through a CMS
  • You need ecommerce, complex bookings, or a custom app as the core - I quote that separately
Contact me See pricing

A simple way to choose

  • Choose a DIY builder if you want control of the editor and you will actually use it. Plenty of good local sites started that way.

  • Choose a traditional agency if the project is large or unusual - and you are happy to pay a big build fee, then a monthly fee to keep the site running afterwards.

  • Choose BestCompare if you want the site to just work - built, hosted, and updated - so you can stay on the tools or with customers.

Your website should just work. I make sure it does.

Tell me about your business. I’ll come back with a clear scope, timeline, and fixed quote in Australian dollars.

Get a quote
Get a quote