🛶There's a secret Door #3

I got an inquiry recently from someone who wanted to work with me but thought her only two options were to keep DIYing her site… or book an $9K+ custom project.

She had no idea there were three other ways to tackle it.

Well, yeah - if those were the only two options, no wonder so many solopreneurs & service pros would stay stuck in website purgatory.

But here's what nobody is telling you:

There's a whole spectrum between those two (overwhelming!) extremes 😮‍💨 And there's no right or wrong – just what's right for your season.

Check out 5 options and how to figure out which one is right for you:

1. Total DIY: Start from scratch

You open up Squarespace (or Wix or WordPress or whatever) and build the whole thing yourself. From zero.

✅ Pros

• Total control
• Rock-bottom investment
• Completely unique design

⚠️ Cons

• The learning curve is steep steep
• Will eat your time – likely the longest timeline of all option to actually launch
• Without a pro designer and copywriter, conversions will likely suffer
• The design may not turn out how you're picturing it (there's a reason designers get paid for this)
• SEO is entirely on you
• Yes you can use AI, but that's a whole other can of worms (If you want, check out how I use AI when building)

2. DIY from a template: Buy a pre-made template and customize it yourself

You purchase a website template and customize it yourself – colors, fonts, copy, images, icons, SEO...the works.

✅ Pros

• Solid control
• Professional design base, so no staring at a blank page or wondering about best-practice layouts or page flow
• Still a pretty low investment

⚠️ Cons

• Moderate learning curve – templates don't build themselves
• Still takes a lot of your time, both learning the platform and doing the work
• Sometimes the final product looks nothing like the template (because of actual content)
• Without a copywriter reviewing your content, conversions can suffer – and SEO is still entirely on you.

3. Done-With-You: Build your site alongside an expert

The middle ground most people don't know exists (!)

You're the one building your site, but with professional guidance, structure, and feedback at every step. A pro in your back pocket.

✅ Pros

• Expert guidance without giving up control
• You learn the why behind every decision, so you can manage and evolve your site long after launch
• Moderate investment compared to fully DFY

⚠️ Cons

• You still need to show up and do the work – this isn't a hand-it-off situation
• Timelines depend on the program structure, and you're the one making decisions (with support, but still you)

​My version of this: a 14-week group program where you build on a conversion-tested template with live training, co-working, a guest copywriting expert, and Slack support that continues 8 weeks after launch. Covers brand strategy, copy, SEO, and the finished site.

4. Semi-Custom: A designer customizes a template for you

You choose a pre-made template, and a professional designer takes it from there. Most designers will take your content and fill in the template.

​My approach is a bit different: I starting with one of my internal copy-driven templates made for service providers, coaches, and and consultants; then include SEO basics, mini brand design, custom code, and more. Plus there's the option to add on DFY copywriting, email marketing startup, or a full SEO package.

✅ Pros

• Professional, conversion-focused design that handles things you might not think of (mobile responsiveness, user experience, etc)
• Fast launch period
• Totally done-for-you, so you can hand it off 100%

⚠️ Cons

• The base design isn't 100% custom, so there are limitations in the types of pages, integrations, etc
• You'll need to make quick decisions and trust the process – which means ceding some control
• Moderate investment

5. Fully Custom: A designer builds a more complex site, from scratch

A professional designer creates your entire site from the ground up, based on your brand, your goals, and your vision.

✅ Pros

• Wide-open design and functionality options
• You can go deep on structure, integrations, custom features A pro designer and copywriter build for conversion from the jump
• Largely hands-off for you

⚠️ Cons

• Highest investment of the five
• Less control over the process
• Wait times can be long depending on the designer's availability, and the project itself can be a long timeline – especially for complex builds

One important thing:

Every web designer and developer structures things differently, so I recommend talking to a few before signing on.

Figuring out the best-fit approach for you is one of the things I do on my intro calls.

And if you want to come prepared with the right questions to ask any designer you're considering? I've got blog posts for that. Just reply with "send me the blog posts" and I'll hook you up.

What's your approach these days?

1 – DIY all day

2 – Done-with-you is my speed

3 – OMG just do it for me, please

If I actually believed in the bogus theory of love languages, email replies would be mine 😍

Reply and let me know where your head is at!

Keep on doing you,

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