Done-for-you website vs Wix — which suits a sole trader?
Wix is a tool you use to build a website yourself. A done-for-you service is a company that builds and publishes the website for you. Wix is cheaper on paper; done-for-you is usually faster to live and costs you no evenings. For most UK sole traders with no interest in web design, done-for-you wins — and Sorted Online does it for £15 a month with nothing to pay up front.
The honest comparison
| Wix (or Squarespace, GoDaddy) | Done for you (Sorted Online) | |
|---|---|---|
| Up-front cost | £0 or low | £0 |
| Ongoing cost | roughly £10–£30 a month, plus domain and email | £15 a month, all in |
| Who builds it | You | Us |
| Time to live | Evenings or weekends, for weeks | Minutes |
| Who writes the words | You | Us |
| Who picks the design | You, from templates | Us, from your details |
| Your own domain | Extra, but doable | Included and set up |
| Email on your domain | Usually a separate product | Included as forwarding |
| Changes later | You log in and do them | You tell us; we update it |
The market prices above are typical UK ranges; check the current offers before deciding.
When a DIY builder is the right answer
Wix and its competitors are genuinely good if:
- you enjoy designing and want full control over every pixel;
- you want to build slowly and tweak constantly;
- your business needs unusual features you are happy to configure yourself.
If any of those describe you, a builder can work well, and you will get out of it what you put in.
When done-for-you is the right answer
Done-for-you suits you if:
- you want a professional site this week, not "someday";
- your time is better spent earning than learning a builder;
- you would rather describe your business than design a page;
- you want the domain and email handled at the same time.
For a tradesperson, cleaner, hairdresser, or tutor, the website is a means to more work. The fastest route to more work is the one that is actually live.
The cost of doing it yourself
A builder subscription can be cheaper per month. The hidden cost is your time and the delay. A site that lives in "draft" for two months has earned nothing in those two months, while a simpler site that went live on day one has been taking enquiries the whole time. That gap is usually larger than the difference in the monthly fee.
What you get with Sorted Online
- A website written and published for you, live in minutes.
- Your own domain, registered and connected.
- Forwarding email on that domain.
- £15 a month, UK Direct Debit through GoCardless, nothing at sign-up.
- Changes on request — tell us and we update the site.
See what a small business website costs for the full picture.
Next step
Start your website. If you would rather describe your business than build it, this is the shortcut.
See also a website for a builder and a website for a hairdresser.