A done for you website is exactly what it sounds like: a team designs it, builds it, hosts it and keeps it current, and your part is to tell them what you need. Website builders have made it easy to make a site yourself, but easy to start is not the same as easy to keep up. Many owners who chose to do it themselves are now paying for it in time, missed enquiries and a site they are quietly embarrassed by.
These eight signs say a hands-off website would suit your business better. For each one we say why it is a problem, what it is costing you and what to do about it. At the end we are just as clear about when it doesn't fit.
Why ignoring the signs costs more
The cost of a neglected website rarely shows up on an invoice. It shows up as the customer who saw an old price and went elsewhere, the enquiry form that stopped sending months ago, or the quote you lost to a competitor whose site simply looked more trustworthy. You never see those losses, so they are easy to ignore.
Signs about your time
1. You keep meaning to update the site
What it is. There is a list of changes in your head: new prices, a new service, a team member who left. They never get done.
Why it is a problem. Customers judge your business by what they see, and out-of-date information makes them doubt the rest.
What it is costing you. Enquiries from people who decided you looked out of date, or who called about a service you no longer offer.
What to do. Hand changes to someone who makes them as part of a plan. On Hosted for You you send a message in your WhatsApp group and the change is live within 48 hours.
2. Every change takes an evening
What it is. A simple edit turns into an hour of fighting a template, followed by checking it on your phone.
Why it is a problem. Your time is worth more spent on paying work than on layout fixes.
What it is costing you. Hours each month, and the changes you avoid because they are a hassle.
What to do. Count the hours you spend on your site in a month and put a price on them. Compare that with a plan that does it for you.
Signs about how the site looks and works
3. You are embarrassed to send people to it
What it is. You hesitate before giving out your web address, or you add "it's a bit out of date" when you do.
Why it is a problem. If you don't trust your site, customers won't either.
What it is costing you. The confidence of every visitor who judges you by your website before they ever speak to you.
What to do. Get a site designed around what your customers need to know, rather than around a template.
4. It doesn't work well on a phone
What it is. Text is tiny, buttons are hard to tap, or pages take an age to load on a mobile connection.
Why it is a problem. Many customers look you up on their phone, often while comparing you with someone else.
What it is costing you. Visitors who give up before they reach your phone number or contact form.
What to do. Open your site on your own phone and try to get in touch with yourself. If it is a struggle, it needs fixing.
Signs about the technical side
5. You don't know who looks after the technical side
What it is. Hosting, the domain, the security certificate and the software all exist somewhere, but nobody is really in charge of them.
Why it is a problem. Domains lapse, certificates expire and forms break after updates, usually at the worst moment.
What it is costing you. The risk of the site going down or showing a security warning, with nobody to call.
What to do. Make sure one person or company is responsible for all of it. Trusted certificates themselves can be free, through services such as Let's Encrypt, so what you are paying for is someone keeping everything working.
6. You are paying several bills for one website
What it is. A builder plan, a domain renewal, an app or plugin here and there, and occasional invoices from a freelancer.
Why it is a problem. It is hard to know what the site really costs, and harder to know whether you are getting value.
What it is costing you. Money spread across bills nobody adds up, plus the admin of keeping track.
What to do. Add up a year of website costs, including your own time. Then compare it with one price that covers everything.
Signs about growth
7. Nobody finds you on Google
What it is. Customers who search for what you do in your area find your competitors instead.
Why it is a problem. People searching for a service right now are often ready to buy.
What it is costing you. The steadiest source of new enquiries a small business can have.
What to do. Start with the basics on every page, then add pages around what customers search for. Be wary of anyone promising quick rankings; Google's guidance on hiring an SEO says "No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google." Our Growth plan adds two new pages a month and Pro adds ten.
8. Your business has outgrown your site
What it is. You have added services, staff or locations, but the site still describes the business you were three years ago.
Why it is a problem. Customers can't buy what they don't know you offer.
What it is costing you. Work you are equipped to do that goes to someone else.
What to do. Rebuild the site around the business you are now, and make sure it keeps up as you grow.
What happens if you wait
Websites rarely fail all at once. They drift: a price here, a broken form there, a design that slowly starts to look dated. Each month of waiting adds a little more drift, and a little more distance between the business you are and the one your website describes.
What the fix looks like
With a hands-off plan, your part is small. On Hosted for You it is one fifteen-minute call, a short onboarding form with your logo, photos, services and contact details, a review of the first version, and a message whenever you need a change. We plan every page, design and build it, set up SEO and schema, host it, secure it, connect your domain and make every change you send. The site is live in days, not months.
Plans are $197, $497 or $1,497 a month billed yearly, with two months free and no setup fee, and after a full paid year you own the whole site. Paid monthly, they are $237, $597 and $1,797 a month, plus a setup fee quoted on a call.
When a done for you site isn't the right fit
If you enjoy editing your site and want to change everything yourself, you are better off with a custom site you own on a website builder. If you need something highly specialised, a one-off project scoped around it is the better route. Our guide to renting vs owning a website covers those trade-offs.
The short version
If you keep meaning to update your site, dread every edit, hesitate to share it, can't use it on a phone, don't know who looks after it, pay several bills for it, can't be found on Google or have outgrown it, a website someone else builds and runs is likely to suit you better. Your part shrinks to a message when something changes.
FAQ
What is a done for you website?
A website that a team designs, builds, hosts and keeps current for you. Your part is to tell them about your business and send changes when something needs updating.
How is a done for you service different from a website builder?
With a builder you get the tools and do the work yourself. With a done for you service, a team does the design, the build and every change, so there is no account to manage and no template to fight with.
How much does a website built and run for you cost?
It varies by provider and what is included. Our Hosted for You plans are $197, $497 or $1,497 a month billed yearly, with no setup fee, or $237, $597 and $1,797 a month billed monthly plus a setup fee quoted on a call.
How long does it take to get a hosted website live?
With us it takes days, not months. Your part is a fifteen-minute call and a short onboarding form. The main thing that affects timing is how quickly you review the first version.
Do I own a website that someone else runs?
It depends on the provider. On our yearly plans you own the whole site after a full paid year. On monthly plans the domain and content are yours, while we keep the design and code.
Who is a hands-off website not right for?
Owners who enjoy editing their own site and want to change everything themselves, and businesses that need highly specialised functionality, which is better handled as a one-off project.
