Why Wedding Professionals Shouldn't DIY Their Website (And Hire a Designer Instead)

Look, I get it. You're running a business, money's tight, and those website builder ads make it look SO easy. "Build your dream website in minutes!" they promise.

You think: how hard can it be? I'll just knock this out over the weekend and save a few thousand bucks. Fast forward three months, and you're still tinkering with your half-finished site at 3am, stress-crying because you can't figure out why the mobile version looks like it got hit by a truck.

Sound familiar? Yeah, thought so. Because I've been there as a new business owner, trying to save my very limited cash, and thinking "I got this". I didn't.

Here's the truth nobody tells you (but I will): DIY website builders aren't actually easy at all unless you already know what you're doing on the specific platform you're using. And even if you figure out the platform, that's only about 20% of what makes a website actually do what it's supposed to do for your business (as in, get you paid).

Let me break down exactly why DIY websites usually end up costing you way more than hiring a professional in the first place.

The Biggest Issue with DIY Websites

When most business owners go the DIY route, they usually focus on making their site 'look pretty.'

They pick colors they like, choose trendy fonts, arrange things in a way that seems nice to them. But here's the thing: what looks 'pretty' in your eyes doesn't necessarily look professional or polished to your potential clients, unless you happen to be a designer yourself.

Design matters, but it matters less than clarity.

Does your website make it easy for potential clients to understand what you do, who you help, and the problems you solve (why they should choose you)?

Most DIY sites fail at this spectacularly. And it's not because you're incompetent, it's because you're too close to your own business to see it clearly.

"But I'm using a pretty template. So my website will look perfect and get me lots of clients."

"Um, no. Not necessarily.

Most templates aren't designed to convert. Most are actually created by graphic designers, and often even non-designers who are just good at making things look aesthetically pleasing. There's a very good chance that the template designer is not an actual web designer (or worse, has never even built a real working website), and has no idea how to structure a website that will actually sell your services.

Because they don't understand conversion-focused design, copywriting, or how to guide visitors toward taking action. So you end up with a site that looks nice on the surface, but isn't strategically built to turn visitors into clients. Pretty doesn't equal profitable.

"But Website Builders Are So Easy Now!"

Are they though? Seems like they're just really good at making people think they are.

Sure, the marketing says you can "build a website in an hour with no coding required" and you can "do it entirely with AI". Sounds impressive.

Okay, so technically you CAN drag and drop some boxes around and publish something. But is it any good? Does it convert visitors into clients? Does it make you look credible and professional?

Nope. I mean it could, but it's not very likely.

Website building platforms absolutely have a learning curve. What takes an experienced designer a couple of minutes to execute will take you hours (or days) to figure out. And that's just the technical side, the actual building part.

You also need to know:

• How to write compelling copy that speaks to your ideal client

• How to structure information so it flows logically

• How to design layouts that guide visitors toward taking action

• How to do on-page SEO so people can actually find you

• How to optimize for mobile devices

• How to create a cohesive visual brand

• How to make your site fast and functional

Unless you do this stuff for a living, you're going to miss most of these things. And when you miss them, your website doesn't just look amateur, it actively hurts your business.

The Common Problems With DIY Websites

Your site looks amateur and careless

When someone lands on a website with wonky alignment, mismatched fonts, and a color scheme that looks like a toddler attacked it with crayons, they make an instant judgment about the quality of your work.

Is it fair? Maybe not. Is it the reality? Absolutely. If your website looks unprofessional, people assume your services are too. We all judge. I do it too. I'd never hire someone with a sloppy website (and I didn't even before I was an actual web designer).

Your messaging is confusing or vague

You know what you do inside and out, so you assume everyone else does too. But visitors don't have context. They're scanning your site thinking: "Okay, but what's in it for ME?" When your homepage is full of industry jargon, feature lists, or vague statements about "providing solutions," you've lost them.

People don't care about your process or your fancy credentials. They care about what you can do for them. If you can't immediately convince your visitors that you can solve their problems, you've lost them.

You're making people work too hard

No pricing information displayed. They need to 'contact' you for a quote. Contact form is buried four clicks deep. You'll 'get back to them in 48 hours'. No FAQ section. Weird package descriptions that don't make sense...

Every hoop you make someone jump through to get basic information is another chance for them to bounce to a competitor who makes things easier. Make it EASY.

You're talking about yourself, not their problems

Your About page reads like a resume. Your Services page lists what's included in each package. Cool. But what problem are you solving? What results do clients get? Why should they care? Benefits beat features every time, but most business owners get this backwards.

Your mobile site is a disaster

Over 60% of web traffic comes from mobile devices, but most DIY sites only get optimized for desktop. You think your site looks great on your laptop, but on a phone? Have you even checked?

Text is microscopic. Buttons don't work. Images overlap text. Necessary elements are missing. Huge empty spaces everywhere. It's a mess. And Google knows it, which is part of the reason why you're not ranking and less people are visiting your site than you'd like. Or worse, no one at all.

You don't know SEO (and it shows)

You might think SEO is just about stuffing keywords into your content, but it's way more complex than that. There's on-page optimization, meta descriptions, alt text, header tags, title tags, internal linking, site speed, schema markup... the list goes on.

Most business owners don't even know what half of these things are, let alone how to implement them correctly. So your site sits there, invisible to search engines and AI tools like ChatGPT and other LLMs that people are increasingly using to find services. You're not getting traffic because Google has no idea what your site is about or why it should rank you, and AI can't find or recommend you either.

Meanwhile, your competitors who hired professionals are showing up on page one of Google AND getting recommended by AI assistants. It hurts to hear but it's true.

You're sabotaging your own conversions with social media links

I know this is a controversial topic. Everyone does this. Template designers love to do this too. But I'm telling you – listen to what I'm saying (unless the purpose of your website is to grow your socials, which it's most likely not).

DO NOT PUT SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS ON YOUR WEBSITE.

People put social links and Instagram feeds on their websites because they think it looks professional and complete. They think it's expected. They think they look more 'legit'.

But here's what actually happens: people click those links, head over to look at your pretty pictures, start scrolling through their feed, and completely forget about you.

Congrats, you just lost a potential booking. They were ready to book, but then they found someone else on Instagram who looks even more 'legit', and booked with them. It's a double-edged sword.

Social feeds might look nice, but they're conversion killers. If you want to book your services, try not to send people away from your site.

What A DIY Website Actually Costs You

Let's talk about the real cost of DIY. Because it's not just about the monthly subscription to Wix or Squarespace.

Lost clients

When someone lands on your site and it looks terrible, has confusing messaging, or doesn't address their needs clearly, they leave. They don't email you. They don't give you a second chance. They just quietly click away and hire someone else.

How many potential clients have you lost because your website didn't make a good first impression? (Hint: it's probably more than you realize).

Wasted time

Time spent trying to figure out how to do every single tiny little thing on your website builder is time NOT spent on revenue-generating activities. Every hour you spend asking ChatGPT why your button won't align properly, or how to change the color of the background, is an hour you could've spent working with actual clients.

And let's be real. You're most definitely going to spend way more than just 'a few hours' on this. I know this for certain because I've been a new small business owner DIYing my own website more than just a couple times back in 2010, 2011, 2012...

Damage to your brand

Your website is often the first impression people have of your business. If it looks like you don't care about the details, or worse, like you don't know what you're doing, that perception sticks. People make snap judgments in seconds, and a sloppy website makes you look like a sloppy business owner. Maybe you are, but don't make people assume it.

Handing business to competitors

While you're DIYing your way through mediocrity, your competitors with professional websites are booking the clients who should be working with you. Every day you choose to continue using your unprofessional DIY site, is another day of missed opportunities that you're willingly giving up.

When You Hire a Professional Designer, Here's What Actually Happens

You're not just paying for someone to make things "look pretty" (though that's a big part of it). You're paying for expertise in areas you probably don't even know exist.

We know how to structure information

We understand user flow, information hierarchy, and how to guide visitors toward taking action. We know what questions potential clients have and how to answer them in a way that builds trust.

We write copy that converts

Or at least, many good designers do. We help you clarify your messaging so it actually speaks to the problems your ideal clients are facing. We focus on benefits over features. We make it crystal clear who you help and how.

We understand design principles

Color theory, typography, whitespace, visual hierarchy—these aren't just aesthetic choices. They're strategic decisions that affect how people perceive and interact with your site. We know how to create designs that look professional and intentional.

We handle the technical stuff. SEO setup, mobile optimization, site speed, responsive design—all the behind-the-scenes work that makes your site actually function well. You don't have to learn it. You don't have to worry about it. It just gets done.

We're much faster than you. What would take most people weeks or months to fumble through, we can execute in hours or days. Because we do this all the time. We know the platforms inside and out. We've solved these problems a hundred times before.

We ask the right questions. We dig into your business, your ideal clients, and your goals so we can create something strategic, not just decorative. We bring an outside perspective that helps you see your business more clearly.

The Bottom Line

Yes, you COULD build your own website. Just like you COULD cut your own hair, fix your own car, or do your own taxes. By the way, I 100% do not recommend doing any of those things. After doing my own taxes last year, I got audited and ended up owing thousands more than I was expecting to get refunded. Lesson learned. Don't even get me started on my past DIY haircuts.

If You're Thinking About DIYing Your Website (Why You Shouldn't)

Unless you have a lot of extra time, enjoy learning website design and copywriting and SEO from scratch, and don't mind the excruciating trial-and-error process, the answer is probably no, you shouldn't DIY your website.

Your time is valuable. Your service business deserves a website that works as hard as you do. One that makes a strong first impression, clearly communicates your value, and makes it easy for clients to say yes.

DIY might save you money upfront, but it'll cost you in lost clients, wasted time, and missed opportunities in the long run. And the honest truth is, by the time you factor in all the hours you've spent trying to figure it out, and realize how much money you haven't made as a result, you'll probably end up wishing you just hired a professional from the start. I know I certainly did.

Have I Convinced You That Maybe DIY Isn’t The Right Option For You?

There’s no shame in that at all! We all have our skills. Web design is not a skill that everyone has. And that’s okay. Obviously there are a lot of people who can successfully DIY their site and it works out great for them. It's just really not that common. I suck at marketing. I'm not perfect either.

If you're tired of your DIY site that's been "almost done" for months, or if you're finally ready to have a website you're proud to share instead of making excuses why it's still 'being updated', let's chat.

I specialize in Wix redesigns and semi-custom websites for wedding professionals and service providers who want to look as credible and make it easy for people to work with them (without the months-long wait or the stress and headaches).

My process is simple, efficient, and designed to get you online and ready to book clients as quickly as possible.

Because the sooner your website is done, the sooner you can focus on what you actually do best: running your business.

Check out my web design services here → If you already DIY'd your site but you just want it to look better, here's a blog post with 14 things that you can do to improve it.

Or if you need to improve your site copy, grab my CopyCraft Website Content System to help you plan, organize and write ALL your website content.

Every website page, section and component that requires copy, including processes, frequently asked questions, intake forms, opt-ins, branding, ideal client profile is included. And so much more.