DIY Websites
Thinking about building your own website?
Not everyone wants to hire a firm. We respect that.
The DIY Checklist
Is your site operating at full capacity?
Use this checklist to evaluate whether your site is doing everything it should. These are the same questions we ask when we audit a client site.
- Is your site mobile-responsive and fast on every device?
- Has it been tested across major browsers — Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge?
- Do you have an SSL certificate and is your site serving over HTTPS?
- Have you researched the keywords your actual customers use to find businesses like yours?
- Does your site pass Core Web Vitals — loading speed, interactivity, and visual stability?
- How would a complete stranger who doesn't know your business name find you through search?
- Is your WordPress core, theme, and every plugin up to date?
- Do you have automated daily backups stored off-server?
- Who is responsible for your site security? What have they done this year?
- Are you publishing new content regularly? Does your site give Google a reason to come back?
- Do your pages have proper meta titles, descriptions, and image alt tags?
- Is your site accessible — usable by people with visual or motor impairments?
- What does your site's analytics tell you about where visitors come from and what they do?
- Does your site integrate with your social media presence and email marketing?
- Is your contact information correct, visible, and easy to find on every page?
The Real Cost
DIY websites cost more than you think when you consider how valuable your time is
The internet is not a broadcast medium. It's user-driven, which means the rules for getting attention are different from print or TV. There are entire disciplines — performance optimization, technical SEO, accessibility, security hardening — that most people building their own site don't know exist until something goes wrong.
That doesn't mean you shouldn't try. But if you've been at it for a while and something isn't working, a professional set of eyes is worth the investment. Here's a strategy worth considering: hire us to audit what you already have. We'll tell you exactly what's working, what isn't, and give you a capped quote to fix it. No obligation to have us do the work.
Our site analysis starts at a two-hour minimum. We'll show you what a stranger sees when they find your site, what Google sees, and what your competitors are doing that you aren't.