How to Make a Website for Your Business in 2026 (Complete Guide)

So you need a website for your business. You've probably already Googled it and been hit with a wall of options: Wix, Squarespace, WordPress, Shopify, AI website builders, freelancers, agencies. It's overwhelming. Let me walk you through each option honestly so you can make the right call for your situation. <h2>Option 1: DIY website builders (Wix, Squarespace, GoDaddy)</h2> These are the "drag and drop" tools. You pick a template, swap in your text and images, and publish. Sounds simple, and it can be. Cost: £15 to £35 per month. Plus your domain (about £10 to £15 per year). So roughly £200 to £430 per year. Who it suits: If you need something basic up quickly and you're comfortable learning a new tool, this can work. Side projects, very early stage businesses, or situations where you genuinely can't afford anything else. The honest downsides: <ul> <li>Templates look generic. Thousands of other businesses use the same ones.</li> <li>SEO is limited. These platforms give you basic options but nothing advanced.</li> <li>You're locked in. Try moving your Wix site to another platform. You cannot. You've to start from scratch.</li> <li>Performance is often poor. Builder sites tend to load slowly because of all the extra code running behind the scenes.</li> <li>You spend your time building a website instead of running your business. Most people underestimate how long it takes to get right.</li> </ul> <h2>Option 2: WordPress (self-hosted)</h2> WordPress is the most popular website platform in the world. About 40% of all websites run on it. You install it on your own hosting, pick a theme, add plugins for the features you need, and build from there. Cost: Hosting from £5 to £30 per month. Free themes available, premium themes £40 to £80. Plugins can be free or premium (£20 to £200 each). Total first year: roughly £200 to £500 if you do it yourself. Who it suits: People who want more control than Wix offers, are willing to learn, and don't mind dealing with some technical stuff. The honest downsides: <ul> <li>Security is your problem. WordPress is the most targeted platform for hackers. If you don't keep plugins, themes, and core updated, you're vulnerable. I see hacked WordPress sites regularly.</li> <li>Plugin conflicts. Install the wrong combination of plugins and things break. Debugging plugin conflicts is genuinely painful.</li> <li>Updates can break things. A plugin update that conflicts with your theme can take your site down. If you don't know how to fix it, you're stuck.</li> <li>Cheap themes have cheap code. They load slowly, they're hard to customise, and they often have security holes.</li> </ul> <h2>Option 3: AI website builders (10Web, Durable, Framer AI)</h2> The newest option. Tell an AI what your business does and it generates a website for you in minutes. Sounds brilliant. And to be fair, some of them produce surprisingly decent starting points. Cost: Free to £30 per month depending on the platform. Who it suits: Getting a very rough first draft to see what a website might look like. That's about it. The honest downsides: <ul> <li>The content reads like it was written by AI. Because it was. Your potential customers can tell.</li> <li>Every AI-generated site has the same feel. Generic stock photos, vague marketing copy, predictable layouts.</li> <li>No understanding of your actual business. AI doesn't know your customers, your local market, or what makes you different.</li> <li>Limited customisation. Once the AI generates it, making significant changes usually means fighting against the tool.</li> <li>Same security and update concerns as any other platform. The AI builds it, but who maintains it?</li> </ul> Think of it like this: AI can give medical information, but you would still see a doctor for a diagnosis. AI can explain a legal concept, but you would still hire a solicitor for your contract. An AI can generate a website, but if your business depends on it, you want someone who actually understands what they're doing. <h2>Option 4: Hire a professional</h2> A web designer or agency learns about your business, designs something specifically for you, builds it properly, optimises it for search engines, and supports you after launch. Cost: £850 to £5,000+ depending on complexity. Plus hosting (typically £20 to £35 per month). Who it suits: Any business that takes its online presence seriously and wants a website that actually generates enquiries and revenue. What you get that DIY doesn't give you: <ul> <li>A website designed around your specific customers and how they think</li> <li>Proper SEO so Google can actually find you</li> <li>Someone else dealing with the technical headaches</li> <li>A site that loads fast and works perfectly on every device</li> <li>Ongoing support when you need changes</li> <li>Security handled by someone who knows what they're doing</li> </ul> <h2>So which one should you pick?</h2> Be honest with yourself about two things: how much your time is worth, and how important your website is to getting customers. If your website is "nice to have" and you're comfortable learning new tools, a DIY builder might be fine for now. If your website is how customers find you and decide whether to trust you, invest in having it done properly. The difference in results is night and day. Want to talk through your specific situation? <a href="/contact" style="color: #FF6B35;">We're always happy to give honest advice</a>, even if the answer is "a DIY builder is fine for what you need right now."

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