Website builder vs. done for you
Updated October 26, 2026
If you're weighing Wix, Squarespace, or GoDaddy for your business, the real choice isn't which builder. It's whether you build and maintain the site yourself and pay every month, or someone builds it for you once. Here's the honest trade-off.
| Website builder (Wix, Squarespace) | Done for you | |
|---|---|---|
| Who builds it | You do, from a template | We build it for you, from your public information |
| Your time | Hours to set up, then ongoing upkeep | None; you review it and approve |
| Cost | Monthly, for as long as the site is up | One-time $995, no monthly bill for the site |
| If you stop paying | The site comes down | It stays yours; you own the domain |
| Built for Google and AI | Up to you to figure out | Done for you, so search engines and assistants can find you |
What a website builder actually asks of you
Builders like Wix and Squarespace are real tools, and if you enjoy designing and like to tinker, they can work. But the job is yours: you pick the template, write the copy, add the photos, wire up the pages, and keep it updated, and you pay $15 to $40 a month for as long as the site is up. For a busy owner, that often means a half-finished site that never quite goes live.
What done-for-you means
Done-for-you is the opposite. We build a real, multi-page site from your actual business information, launch it on your own domain, and handle the hosting, security, and everything technical. You do nothing but look it over and tell us any changes in plain words. It goes live in days, not whenever you find a free weekend.
The monthly-bill math
A builder at $25 a month is $300 a year, every year, forever. Over three years that's $900 and climbing, and you still did all the work. Frankford & Marsh is a flat one-time $995, your domain and first year of hosting included, and no monthly bill for the site. After the first year, keeping it online is $199 a year, not per month.
When a builder is the right call
We'll be straight with you: if you genuinely enjoy building your own site, want to change it constantly yourself, and don't mind the monthly fee, a builder is a fine choice. No need to pay someone for what you'd rather do yourself.
When done-for-you is the right call
If you're busy running the business, you want it handled right the first time, you'd rather not learn software, and you're tired of subscriptions that never end, done-for-you fits. You get a professional site without the project becoming your second job.
Already on Wix or Squarespace and want out?
Switching off a builder is easier and safer than most owners expect, and you do not lose anything in the move. You keep your own web address: we build your new site, point your domain at it only once you have seen it and like it, and your old site stays up the whole time, so there is no gap and no downtime. Once the new one is live, you cancel the builder and the monthly bill stops for good. We handle the one technical step, the domain change, or walk you through it in a couple of minutes on the phone. You end up on a faster site you own outright, on the same web address your customers already know.
See yours first, free
You don't have to decide in the abstract. We build a free preview of your own site from your public information, before you pay anything. Look it over, change whatever you want, and make it live only if you love it.