A website builder is a tool like Wix, Squarespace or GoDaddy that lets you make a website yourself. You pick a template, drag in your text and photos, and pay a monthly subscription. A done-for-you website is the other path. You tell someone what your business needs, and they design, build, launch and look after the site.
Builders are good products. They also hand the hardest part of the job back to you: deciding what goes on the site, writing it, laying it out and keeping it up to date.
This guide compares the two on five things that matter to a business owner: your time, the result, being found on Google and AI search, the cost over time, and what happens when you want to change or leave.
1. Your time: who actually does the work
On a builder, you do. The AI tools in Wix and Squarespace can produce a first draft from a prompt. After that, every page, photo, price, form and menu is yours to set up, check on a phone and fix. Most owners do it at night, after a full day running the business.
Done for you, you answer questions. You describe your business, your customers and what you want people to do on the site, such as call, book or ask for a quote. The designer turns that into a site and sends it back for you to check.
2. The result: template or built around your customers
Builders start from a template. Thousands of businesses start from the same ones, so sites often look alike, and the layout decides what goes where rather than your customers.
A designer starts from what your customers need to see. For a tradie, that is the services, the service area, finished jobs and a phone number that is easy to tap. For a clinic, it is the treatments, the prices and a booking button. The page is planned around that.
3. Being found on Google and AI search
A builder gives you the settings. Using them well is up to you: page titles, descriptions, headings, image text, structured data, page speed and a Google Business Profile that matches the site.
Google says there are no special requirements to appear in its AI answers. A page needs to be indexed and eligible to show in Search, with helpful content written for people. That sounds simple, but it is the part most DIY sites skip. A done-for-you site should have it set up from the start.
4. The cost over time
Builder subscriptions look cheap. Wix plans run from US$17 a month (Light) to US$159 a month (Business Elite), billed annually. The free plan shows Wix ads and a wixsite.com address, so it doesn't suit a business. Squarespace runs from about US$19 to about US$99 a month after its July 2026 price rise.
The subscription never ends, and it doesn't include your time or the cost of paying someone when you get stuck.
A done-for-you site has a build price and a monthly plan. As an example, Lumeen currently builds a new website for $299 on a limited-time offer, and its Essentials hosting plan is $24.99 a month, all AUD inc. GST. That covers hosting, security, backups, updates and 5 website edits a month.
5. Changes, and what happens if you leave
On a builder, changes are yours to make. That suits some owners. Others find the site slowly drifts out of date because nobody has time to update it.
Leaving is the bigger catch. Wix says its sites can't be exported to another host. The hosting only works for sites built in that builder, so moving away means rebuilding the site and redirecting the old addresses.
With a done-for-you site, you send the change and it gets made. Ask any provider two questions before you start: who owns the site, and what happens to it if you cancel.
Which one should you choose?
- Choose a builder if: you enjoy design, have spare time, want to change the site yourself every week and are happy to stay on that platform.
- Choose done for you if: you would rather spend your time on the business, want a site planned around your customers, and want hosting, security and edits handled.
Lumeen works the done-for-you way. You tell us what you want, through a short discovery questionnaire or a conversation. We design and build the site, move everything across while your current site stays live, and look after it each month. You don't need to touch a template.
Key takeaways
- (01)
Website builders like Wix and Squarespace are good tools, but you do the planning, writing, layout and updates yourself.
- (02)
A done-for-you website means you describe what you need and someone else designs, builds and looks after it.
- (03)
Builder subscriptions never end and don't include your time. Compare the build price, the monthly cost and the cost of leaving.
- (04)
Wix sites can't be exported to another host, so leaving a builder usually means rebuilding the site.
Frequently asked questions
Is Wix good for a small business?
It can be, if you have the time and enjoy building the site yourself. Use a paid plan, since the free plan shows Wix ads and a wixsite.com address.
Is a done-for-you website more expensive than Wix?
Not always. Builder plans are monthly and never end, and they don't count your time. Some done-for-you services, like Lumeen's $299 offer, charge a small one-off build fee and then a monthly plan that includes hosting and edits.
Can I move my Wix site to a designer later?
Yes, but Wix says its sites can't be exported, so the designer rebuilds the pages. Keep your domain and redirect the old addresses so you don't lose your Google rankings.
What do I need to give a designer for a done-for-you website?
What your business does, who your customers are, what you want them to do on the site, and any photos, prices and reviews you already have. A good designer asks the right questions and does the rest.
More answers on price, hosting and timing in our FAQ.