Trades, local services and small businesses who need a website that attracts enquiries — but want to hire the right person or choose the best alternative.
Hire when your DIY site is costing you leads, you need a conversion-focused design, or you want custom integrations (bookings, payments, membership areas).
Freelancer project: $1,200–$6,000. Small agency: $4,000–$20,000. Ongoing maintenance: $50–$300+/month. Low-cost alternative: managed AI site from $49/month.
Hiring makes sense when your website is actively part of how you get customers — not just an online brochure. Below are concrete signs that it's time to bring in professional help.
High bounce rates, low contact requests, or poor local rankings indicate the site isn't converting. A designer focused on conversions can fix layout, CTAs and trust signals.
Bookings, payments or CRM integrations usually require custom work. If these are critical to operations, hire a web professional with integration experience.
If you’d rather spend time on jobs, clients, or operations than wrestling with uploads and updates, a managed provider or designer saves you hours every week.
Each approach has strengths. Below is a quick comparison to help you pick the right path for your budget and goals.
Best if you need unique functionality, design systems, or an agency-level brand presence.
Good for one-page sites where getting online quickly is the priority and you have time to learn.
Ideal for trades and local services who want a professional site fast, recurring service, and predictable cost without lock-in.
Costs vary with complexity, experience, and region. Use these ranges to budget and compare proposals.
If predictable low-cost maintenance is a priority, managed solutions (e.g. Congero) offer a flat $49/month that includes domain, hosting, unlimited updates and local SEO — useful for service businesses wanting predictable budgeting.
Follow these steps to evaluate candidates, set expectations and protect your business.
Clarify whether your priority is lead generation, online bookings, e-commerce, or brand refresh. Write a short brief — it will save time and miscommunication.
Set a realistic budget range and target launch date. Ask candidates to specify milestones and delivery times in their proposal.
Review live sites, not just screenshots. Check mobile performance, load speeds and whether the site clearly converts visitors into leads.
Use the interview questions below. Ask for examples of similar industries and specific metrics (time-to-live, conversion lifts).
List final deliverables (pages, CMS access, analytics setup, SEO meta tags), revision rounds, and acceptance criteria.
Avoid large upfront payments. A common structure: 30% deposit, 50% on design approval, 20% on launch, plus a maintenance retainer if needed.
Test on multiple devices, run speed and SEO checks, verify forms and integrations before paying final invoice.
Agree on a support window after launch, monitoring, and a plan for future updates. Monthly analytics will show whether the website is delivering results.
These concrete checks reduce risk and ensure the supplier meets your needs.
A simple site can be ready in 2–4 weeks with a focused designer. Complex projects with custom integrations often take 6–12 weeks. If you need a site immediately, managed AI options can provide a live, SEO-ready site in under 60 seconds and handle ongoing updates.
Yes — local SEO requires consistent NAP (name, address, phone), Google Business Profile setup, on-page optimisation and schema. Make sure your designer includes these or choose a managed service that does it automatically.
Retain control of your domain, hosting and admin accounts. If the designer becomes unresponsive, you can move hosting or hire another professional to continue work. Having export rights in the contract helps migration.
Not necessarily. Match the agency’s experience to your goals. Agencies excel at strategy and brand work; freelancers can deliver strong results for straightforward projects. For many trades and local businesses, a professional-managed solution that bundles design, hosting and SEO for a flat fee is the most cost-effective option.
If you need a professional, SEO-optimised site right now and predictable ongoing updates for a flat monthly fee, try a free demo and compare results before committing to a large project.
TRY THE FREE DEMOGet a fully functional, mobile-responsive website live in 60 seconds with Congero's AI-powered process. Learn how it wor...
Read MoreLearn how to select, collaborate with, and maximise ROI from a design agency. This step-by-step guide covers definitions...
Read MoreDiscover affordable small business website design services that deliver professional, mobile-responsive sites with local...
Read MoreLearn how to get an affordable small business website that looks professional, ranks locally and costs just $49/month. S...
Read MoreEnter your name and number and we'll get you started immediately. Get your demo in 60 seconds.
