You can build a professional website without knowing how to code using tools such as Wix, WordPress or Webflow. The real question is not "can I code?" but "do I want to invest 20 to 60 hours in building my site, or would I rather delegate it and focus on my trade?"
This comparison is based on what we have seen at ConvertiLab over the past 3 years: the business owners who build their own site often come back 6 to 12 months later with a site they are not proud to show anyone. This guide helps you avoid that outcome.
Wix, WordPress, Webflow or an agency: which option should you pick?
Here is an honest comparison of the 4 options:
| Option | Difficulty | Cost | Time | SEO result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wix | Easy | 17-35€/month | 20-40h | Average |
| WordPress | Medium | 5-20€/month + theme | 30-60h | Good with effort |
| Webflow | Hard | 23-39€/month | 40-80h | Very good |
| Web agency | None | 500-3 000€ (one off) | 0h | Excellent |
Is Wix really good enough for a professional site?
Wix is good enough for a basic presence online. It lets you build a site with no technical skills at all, using ready made templates and a drag and drop editor. It is the fastest route if you want something live within the week.
What Wix does well:
The real limits of Wix:
Who Wix suits: associations, people who just want an online business card, temporary projects, or business owners who do not need SEO traffic because all their customers come through referral.
WordPress: the choice for bloggers and small firms who want full control
WordPress (WordPress.org, not .com) is the CMS behind 43% of the world's websites. It is free, open source, and offers almost unlimited flexibility.
What WordPress does well:
The real drawbacks:
What many people do not realise: a WordPress site with 20 active plugins can score 40/100 on mobile PageSpeed, which drags your rankings down. The fix: use a lightweight theme (GeneratePress, Kadence) and keep plugins to the essentials.
Who WordPress suits: business owners who want full control, have the time and some appetite for tech, or who want a content heavy blog.
Webflow: the best result without code, but who is it for?
Webflow is a visually powerful site building tool used by professional designers. It produces clean code and very fast sites.
The problem with Webflow for a business owner: it is built for people who know what a flexbox, a grid and a breakpoint are. Without that design background, you will produce something average after 40 to 80 hours of learning, for the same result as a good Wix template.
The cost is high too: 23€ to 39€ a month for a professional site.
Who Webflow suits: freelance designers, web agencies, and business owners with a strong visual background who want to do without a developer.
Bonus option, Squarespace: similar to Wix but with more polished templates. Price: 16€ to 49€/month. SEO limits comparable to Wix. Suited to creative fields (photographers, artists, architects) but not recommended for competitive local SEO.
Is a web agency worth the cost compared with DIY?
The question is not "is the agency expensive?" but "what is the real total cost of each option?"
The real cost of Wix over 3 years:
The real cost of a web agency over 3 years:
Over 3 years, the price difference is often nil. The difference in results is real: an agency site is better optimised for SEO, faster on mobile, and it leaves you time for your actual job.
One calculation people often forget: if your time is worth 50€ an hour in your trade, 40 hours spent building your Wix site is 2 000€ of work you did not do, 4× the price of a ConvertiLab brochure site.
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How do you build your own site on Wix in 7 steps?
If you have decided to go it alone on Wix, here are the 7 steps to a professional result:
1. Pick a template that fits your sector (not the prettiest, the one best suited to your trade)
2. Write your copy before you design: this is mistake number 1. Without final copy, you will redesign five times.
3. Buy your own domain name from OVH or Namecheap (never stay on yourbusiness.wix.com, it looks amateur)
4. Add professional photos: Unsplash (free), Pexels (free) or your own photos. Ban the generic stock handshake shots.
5. Set up the basics of SEO: title, meta description, short URLs, one H1 per page with your main keyword. On Wix, use the SEO tab on every page, plenty of people ignore it and keep the titles Wix generates automatically.
6. Test on mobile: switch every page to mobile view in Wix and fix the text and images that overflow. 70% of visitors to a tradesperson or a local shop view the site on a phone.
7. Install Google Analytics and Google Search Console: essential if you want to know whether anyone visits your site. Without those tools you are building in the dark and will never know whether your site brings traffic or not.
Analyse your site's SEO for free once it is live
When should you move from a DIY site to a web agency?
Move to a web agency when:
In all those cases, the cost of an agency is lower than the business you are missing out on.
A typical story at ConvertiLab: Emilie, a wellbeing coach in Lyon, had built her site on Wix. After 8 months, zero enquiries from Google. After her site was rebuilt with ConvertiLab (700€, delivered in 2 weeks), she was getting 3 to 5 enquiries a month from the second month onwards thanks to local SEO on "wellbeing coach Lyon".
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Frequently asked questions
Can you build a professional website yourself without knowing how to code?
Yes, you can build a professional website without knowing how to code using tools such as Wix, Squarespace or WordPress. The result is good enough for a basic presence. For a site with optimised local SEO, high performance and a design that stands out, however, a web agency consistently delivers better results.
What is the difference between Wix, WordPress and Webflow?
Wix is the simplest: everything is drag and drop, no technical skills needed, but the scope for customisation is limited. WordPress is more flexible and leads on SEO, but it comes with a learning curve. Webflow gives the best design control without code but is complex and expensive. For most small business owners, Wix or a web agency are the two most pragmatic options.
How much does a Wix site cost compared with a web agency?
Wix costs between 17€ and 35€ a month depending on the plan, so 204€ to 420€ a year, not counting your time (20 to 40 hours to build a decent site). A web agency such as ConvertiLab offers sites from 490€, delivered in 2 weeks, SEO optimised and owned by the client. Over 3 years the total cost is often similar, but the result is very different.
How long does it take to build your own website?
Building a professional website yourself with Wix or WordPress takes a beginner 20 to 60 hours on average: design, copy, photos, basic SEO setup, forms, mobile and so on. Most business owners badly underestimate that time and give up with a half finished site.
