Should I build my own website or hire someone?
Build your own website if you have time to put it together and keep it up to date. Hire someone if you need help making the pages work or want someone else to handle changes.
Picture a customer using the finished site. At a repair shop, they might look for a service and send a request. That gives you a job to think through: can you build that page, check it on your phone and look after it once the shop gets busy?
What work would I be taking on myself?
Try making one service page yourself. You need wording that explains the work, photos you want to use and a clear way for someone to contact you. Then you need to see how it all looks on your phone.
You might enjoy putting that together. You might get stuck deciding where the contact button belongs. Either reaction tells you something about how much of the website work you want to do yourself.
There is also the work after launch. If you add a service, its description needs updating even during a busy week. Think about when you would make those changes and who would notice that something is out of date.
The Small Business Administration compares hired development with website builders by looking at business needs and the owner's ability to do the work. For prices, check the current offer from whoever you are considering.
What am I paying a designer to do?
The quote should explain which pages you are getting and what they will do. For example, if a customer sends a contact form, you should know where that message goes. You should also know how you will try the site before approving it.
Your part of the job may already be clear. Perhaps you have service notes but need help turning them into readable pages. Or your salon already has a booking page, and you need a clearer way to reach it from the website. Describe the part you want help with.
At ThinkCodec, our web design service covers the page design and the working website. Mobile layouts and accessibility are part of the build. We also consider how page topics, descriptions and links explain your site to search engines. We share working versions early and test what people need to do, including what happens when something goes wrong.
How should I compare the ongoing cost?
Think about a change you expect to make, such as updating your hours or replacing a photo. For each option, find out who makes that change and what you pay for it.
Our Essential monthly plan is $99 per month with nothing up front and up to five pages. The monthly price includes the domain, hosting, unlimited text and photo edits, and ongoing updates and fixes. You can read those details in our website plan terms.
Our Essential buy-outright option is $599, then $29 per month for hosting and the domain. Edits are quoted separately. Which arrangement fits depends partly on the changes you expect to ask us to make.
If you use a website builder yourself, check its current price and any separate services you need. Leave room in the decision for your time, too. Updating the hours is still a job someone has to do. If you are hiring that person, the quote should explain which changes they handle and how you request them.
Who will control the website accounts?
You should understand which account holds your domain and which runs your website. Imagine wanting a different person to make a change later. Could you give them access, and would they have the information they need?
With us, you own your domain and site, including the code we build. Your site runs on your own hosting account, under access you control and can revoke. We provide documentation to run what we build.
Ask that question whichever way you go. If you build it yourself, keep a record of the accounts your business uses. If you hire someone, ask what they will hand over and what you keep if you leave. The next person should be able to understand what they are taking on.
What should I bring to a quote conversation?
Your current website address is a useful starting point if you have one. Explain what customers should be able to do and which part feels difficult to build or maintain yourself. For a salon, that might be getting from the service description to the booking page.
Then check the designer's quote against that job and see whether it covers the help you asked for.
We agree the work and price before starting your website build.