When you go looking for a website, you run into a wall of job titles: website builders, website makers, web designers, web developers, agencies. They are not the same thing, and picking the wrong one wastes money. Here is who actually does what.
Website builders (DIY tools)
Wix, Squarespace, GoDaddy and the like are tools, not people. You drag blocks around and publish it yourself. They are cheap and quick, and fine if you have time and a good eye. The catch: you are the designer, the copywriter and the tech support. Plenty of people get most of the way and stall.
Website makers / template shops
These are freelancers or small outfits who take a ready-made template and slot your details in. Faster and cheaper than fully custom work, and a solid step up from doing it yourself. The limits: your site will share its bones with hundreds of others, and you can only bend a template so far before it breaks.
Web designers
A web designer plans and designs the site around your business — layout, brand, the path from "visitor" to "enquiry". Good ones think about what wins you work, not just what looks nice. This is where a site starts to feel like yours rather than a form you filled in.
Web developers
Developers build the functional stuff — booking systems, payments, logins, anything interactive. For a simple brochure site you may not need one. The moment you want customers to do something (book, pay, apply), you do.
The best small-studio setup is one person or team who can design and build — so nothing gets lost in the handover.
So which do you need?
- Tiny budget, plenty of time, simple needs: a DIY builder.
- Want it done for you, cheaply, and simple is fine: a website maker with a good template.
- Want a site built around your business that pulls in work: a web designer.
- Need booking, payments or logins: a designer who also develops (or a designer-plus-developer).
The trap is paying agency prices for template work, or wrestling a DIY builder when your time is worth more elsewhere. Match the job to the right hands.
Luxsite is a design-and-build studio — one team from first chat to launch. You get custom design and the ability to add real features, without the agency mark-up or the DIY headache.
Whoever you pick, ask them how long it will take before you sign — a realistic website timeline tells you what to expect.
Common questions
What is the difference between a website maker and a web designer?
A website maker or template shop drops your details into a ready-made theme, which is fast and cheap but limits how far the site can be tailored. A web designer plans and designs the site around your business, your services and the path from visitor to enquiry.
What is the difference between a web designer and a web developer?
A designer decides how the site looks and how visitors move through it. A developer builds functionality — booking systems, payments, logins, anything interactive. A brochure site may need only a designer; anything customers do something on needs a developer too.
Should I use a website builder or hire someone?
Use a builder if your needs are simple, your budget is tiny and you have time to do the design, copywriting and support yourself. Hire someone if your time is worth more than the saving, or if you want the site built around your business rather than around a template.
Do I need an agency to build my website?
Usually not. For a small local business, an agency mostly adds meetings, account managers and mark-up. A small design-and-build studio or an experienced freelancer delivers the same result for less and with fewer handovers.