03 / wix, squarespace & shopify
cheaper website builders
A website builder like Squarespace, Wix or Shopify is the cheapest sensible way to get a small business online — and we will build you a genuinely good one, then hand you the keys so you can edit it yourself.
Not every business should pay for bespoke engineering, and we would rather say so than sell it. What we do differently is treat a builder as a serious platform instead of dropping in a template and leaving.
typical timeline: Usually live in 1 to 3 weeks once copy and images exist.
who this is for
pick this if any of these are true.
not this? Structured content with filters and relationships, member areas, or anything where logic decides what a visitor sees.
- New businesses that need to be live and credible quickly
- Owners who want to edit their own copy and images
- Budgets where every pound has to be visible on the page
- Small shops that Shopify already solves
- Testing a proposition before investing in a platform
what you actually get
the right platform
Squarespace for design-led simplicity, Wix for flexibility, Shopify for selling. We pick based on who maintains it.
structure that ranks
A page per topic, clean URLs, real titles and descriptions, internal links and structured data — the parts templates never do for you.
custom code injection
Hand-written CSS and JavaScript where the template resists, so it stops looking like everyone else's site.
speed discipline
Compressed and correctly sized imagery, fewer apps, no gratuitous animation. Builders are slow when they are used carelessly.
conversion basics
Forms that reach you, calls to action that make sense, and analytics wired to events that matter commercially.
training
A short session and a written guide so you can run it yourself, plus us on call if you would rather not.
how we do it
sanity check
We confirm a builder is genuinely right for you. Sometimes it is not, and we say so.
structure & copy
Sitemap, page structure and messaging before any design happens.
design & build
Built in the platform, pushed past the template with custom styling.
search setup
Metadata, schema, sitemap, Search Console, analytics and local listings.
handover
Training, documentation and the accounts in your name — always in your name.
the honest comparison
| squarespace | wix | shopify | |
|---|---|---|---|
| strongest at | design-led content | flexible layouts | selling products |
| editing yourself | easiest | easy | easy for products |
| ecommerce | light | moderate | excellent |
| custom code | some | more | themes & liquid |
| monthly cost | low | low | low to medium |
the tools we use
Named, not implied. If a tool is on this list we have shipped production work with it.
platforms
- Squarespace
- Wix Studio
- Shopify
- Webflow
extending them
- custom CSS
- custom JavaScript
- code injection
- embedded tools
search
- Search Console
- Google Business Profile
- schema markup
- Semrush
measurement
- GA4
- event tracking
- form analytics
- heatmaps
questions people ask
Is a website builder bad for SEO?
No — careless use is. Builders can rank perfectly well for local and small-business terms when the structure, metadata, internal linking and image weight are handled properly. What they cannot do is compete on large, structured content at scale.
Can we move to a custom site later?
Yes, and we plan for it. We keep the URL structure sane from day one so a future migration can map redirects cleanly and keep the authority you built.
How much does this actually cost?
A builder site is our least expensive engagement — a fraction of a custom build, plus the platform's own monthly fee. Book a meeting and we will quote against your actual page count.
proof, not promises
read deeper
Written from the work, not from a keyword list.
start somewhere
what are you trying to make better?
Answer a few quick questions and we will come back with a price bracket, a timeline and a scope you can hold us to.