Web designers are good at what they do. If you're building a brand from scratch, launching a major product, or running a business where design is part of your identity, a designer is worth the money. But most NZ small businesses aren't in that situation.
Most small businesses need a clean website that tells people what they do, where they operate, and how to get in touch. That's a simpler problem than what web designers are typically hired to solve.
What a web designer actually does
A web designer's job covers a lot of ground. At the high end, that includes:
- Brand strategy — defining your visual identity, colour palette, typography system
- User research — interviewing customers, running usability tests
- Custom illustration and icon design
- Design systems — consistent components for ongoing product development
- Interaction design — micro-animations, transitions, complex UI states
That work matters for software companies, large e-commerce businesses, and brands where the design itself is a selling point. For a landscaper's website or a physiotherapy practice, none of that is on the list.
What you actually need
When most NZ small businesses say they want a website, they mean:
- A homepage that explains what the business does and where it's based
- A services or product page
- Photos of actual work or the business
- A contact form and phone number
- Something that loads fast on a phone
- A real domain, not a free subdomain on a builder platform
That's achievable without a designer. The question is how you get there without spending hundreds of hours doing it yourself.
Option 1: DIY with Wix or Squarespace
Wix, Squarespace, and similar platforms let you build a site by dragging elements around and editing text. They work. You can produce a decent-looking site if you put the time in.
The time investment is the problem. Most first-time DIY builds take 20 to 40 hours. Choosing a template, customising it to not look generic, writing copy, sourcing or shooting photos, setting up a domain, testing on mobile — each step takes longer than expected.
The ongoing cost is $300 to $800 per year, every year, for the platform subscription. You own nothing. If you stop paying, your site disappears.
The hidden cost most people miss: your time. If you bill at $80 per hour and spend 30 hours on a website, that's $2,400 in time you didn't spend on work that actually pays. A $20/month platform subscription looks cheap until you add up what you gave up to build on it.
Option 2: SiteSorted — $299 one-time, 5 minutes of your time
SiteSorted builds your website for you. You don't need to pick a template, drag anything around, or write HTML. You tell us what your business does, find a website design you like anywhere on the internet, and the AI builds your site in that style with your content.
Your actual time input: about 5 minutes to fill in your business details and paste a reference URL.
What you get: a custom-designed website — not a template with your name in it — hosted on your own domain, with mobile-friendly layout, proper page speed, and SEO basics in place. One payment of $299. No monthly fees after that.
The time cost comparison
Here's what the two options look like when you count everything:
- DIY (Wix/Squarespace): 20–40 hours to build, $300–800/year ongoing, you own nothing
- SiteSorted: 5 minutes to set up, $299 once, you own the site
If you bill at $80/hour, the DIY path costs you $1,600 to $3,200 in time plus the annual subscription. SiteSorted costs you $299 and half a lunch break.
When you should hire a designer
There are situations where hiring a web designer is the right call:
- You're building a visual brand from zero and design is core to your identity
- You need a large site with 20+ pages, custom integrations, or e-commerce logic
- Your business depends on standing out visually from competitors in a design-conscious market
- You have a budget above $3,000 and the time to go through the agency process
For anything else — a service business, a local shop, a new practice, a tradie — a designer isn't the bottleneck. Getting online fast is.
Getting started without a designer
The first step is finding a website design you like. It doesn't have to be in your industry. Find something clean and professional that feels right for your business. Copy the URL.
Then put together the basics: your business name, what you do, your service area or location, a phone number or email, and a short description of your services. If you have any photos — of your work, your shop, or even just your logo — have those ready.
That's everything you need to get started.
Read more about how to get your site live today, or see how to get a great website even without professional photos.
Build your free preview and see what your site looks like before you pay anything.
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