Your Website Options & How To Decide
When you're ready to fix your website, you have five main paths. I've tried to compile the most popular ones based on working with B2B service firms and seeing what they actually consider.
This isn't perfect or comprehensive, but it's as thorough as I could make it without overwhelming you.
Each option has trade-offs. What works depends on where you are and what you actually need right now. My hope is to lay out your options as transparently as possible so you can make the right call.
You can do this. You just need to know which path matches your situation.
The Five Paths
1. DIY (Squarespace, Webflow, Framer templates)
What you're actually buying: A visual structure. You still have to figure out the words.
This tends to work when:
- Your message is already clear
- You have time and some technical comfort
- Your business is straightforward
- You're early stage (pre-$200K revenue, roughly)
The revenue range matters because early on, you're usually still learning who you serve and how. A template gives you something presentable while you figure that out. You can change it easily.
This tends not to work when:
• You need help with messaging
• Your services are complex or nuanced
• You're moving upmarket and need to look the part
• You want someone to challenge your thinking
2. Freelancer (Upwork, Fiverr, Dribbble)
What you're actually buying: Execution of your vision. Not the vision itself.
What happens if you choose wrong: You get something that looks how you asked, but doesn't work. Then you're stuck - do you redo it? Pay someone else? You've spent the money and still don't have clarity.
3. Specialist, like me (Someone who focuses on B2B services)
What you're actually buying: Strategy + execution. Someone who helps you think through the message, then builds it.
What happens if you choose wrong: Honestly? Less risk than other options. Worst case, you overpaid for something you could have DIY'd. Best case, they help you clarify things you've been confused about for years.
4. Agency (Full team with PMs, strategists, designers, developers)
What you're actually buying: Capacity and process. Multiple people, formal structure, ongoing relationship potential.
Revenue matters less than complexity. A $1M business with stakeholder dynamics and technical needs might benefit from an agency. A $3M business with a simple site probably doesn't.
The real value is in the team capacity and formal process. That's great when you need it. It's expensive overhead when you don't.
This tends not to work when:
You want fast iteration over formal process. Agencies tend to have structured workflows with approval layers and change orders. If you value speed and flexibility, this feels slow.
You want one person who knows your business deeply. With agencies, you talk to a PM who coordinates with designers and developers. No single person owns the full context.
You prefer collaborative back-and-forth over managed delivery. Agencies work in formal phases with checkpoints. If you want to jump on calls and work through ideas together, it feels rigid.
Your needs are straightforward (even if your business isn't small). You're paying for full team capacity whether you need it or not.
What happens if you choose wrong: You get lots of meetings, decks, and process. The site looks professional but might feel generic. You spend $25-40K and wonder if you needed all those people involved.
5. In-House Team (Marketing person or dedicated hire)
What you're actually buying: Someone on your payroll who handles it. Could be your marketing person using a template/builder, or a dedicated designer/developer.
Two versions of this path:
Version A: Your marketer does it
- They use Squarespace, Webflow, or a similar builder
- Works well if they're comfortable with the platform and have bandwidth
- The real question: Do they have the strategic chops to figure out messaging, or just the execution skills?
Version B: You hire a designer/developer
- Full-time or dedicated contractor on retainer
- $70-120K/year for full-time, or $3-8K/month for part-time
- Makes sense when your marketer can direct them but can't execute
This tends not to work when:
Your marketer is already stretched thin (adding website work breaks them)
You need strategic clarity first, not just execution capacity
You don't have ongoing work to justify the time investment
Your marketer knows what to say but not how to build it technically
What happens if you choose wrong: If you give it to your marketer: They spend weeks struggling with technical details instead of doing marketing. Or they build something quickly that doesn't quite work, and now you're stuck with it because they built it.
If you hire someone: You spend 3-6 months and $35-60K only to realize you didn't actually have enough website work to keep them busy, or they need more direction than you can provide.
How to decide
Do you need ongoing updates or one-time rebuild?
- Multiple stakeholders to manage → Agency
- Need formal process/documentation → Agency
- Just you or small team making decisions → Specialist or Freelancer
What Now
You probably know which path makes sense now. If you don't, that usually means the fundamentals need work first.
Either way, better to know before you spend money.
