+1-888-447-7009
    Contact Us

    Should You Manage Launching a Website Yourself or Hire an Agency?

    Photo of Michael
    Written ByMichael
    53 Views
    5 Min Read
    Updated: April 23, 2026 Published: August 25, 2022
    Should You Manage Launching a Website Yourself or Hire an Agency?
    7:11

    TL;DR

    Should You Manage Launching a Website Yourself or Hire an Agency?

    The right website development strategy requires balancing your budget constraints with your internal capacity for maintenance and risk management.

    • Internal Resource Allocation: DIY platforms offer maximum control and cost savings, but demand significant time investment and expose your brand to unmanaged security vulnerabilities.
    • Hybrid Approach Bottlenecks: Utilizing a professional designer for the initial build while handling your own maintenance elevates visual appeal but often leads to costly technical hurdles post-launch.
    • Fully Managed Outsourcing: Partnering with an agency secures your digital assets and frees up internal bandwidth for revenue-generating activities, despite a higher financial investment and reduced backend control.
    The Aspiration Marketing Perspective: Michael’s TakeAudit your team's technical capabilities and time availability to determine whether a self-managed, hybrid, or full-service agency model best aligns with your long-term growth objectives.

    Are you in the process of developing a website for your brand or are you thinking of redesigning the current layout and design of your site? If so, you might be wondering whether or not you should go forward with a website redesign on your own or if you should hire an agency to help.

    Should You Manage Launching a Website Yourself or Hire an Agency?Once you are comfortable with the most popular methods of building and maintaining websites, you can choose a path that works for you and the type of website or online presence you intend to create. Understanding your options when building a website can guide you in finding a solution that is most fitting for your project needs and budget.

    1. Choosing to Build and Maintain a Website on Your Own

    Building and maintaining your website may seem intimidating if you are unsure where to begin and have no programming experience. Still, it is possible with many different DIY website builder platforms today. Some of the most popular website builders for those with little to no experience building websites include HubSpot Starter, Wix, Squarespace, and Weebly.

    Using these DIY website builders can help you quickly build a simple website using drag-and-drop functions and the ability to easily upload and import graphics, logos, product photos, and even video media. 

    Advantages of Building and Maintaining Your Website

    • Cost: The biggest advantage of building and maintaining a website on your own is the ability to do so significantly cheaper than when working with a professional web designer or agency.

    • Complete control: When you build and maintain a website from scratch using your web servers, you can remain free from design restrictions or third-party control.  

    • Easily update your website: The more familiar you become with updating your website, the easier it will be to maintain your website and make changes on a whim without a hassle. 

    Cons of Building and Maintaining Your Website

    • Time-consuming: Building and maintaining a website requires more than a few minutes and, in most cases, more than a few hours. Maintaining your website requires commitment and dedication each day, week, or month. 

    • You are responsible: Is your content displayed improperly? Have you noticed a rude comment you want to remove from your site? Do you need to update your logo? Is a link outdated on your homepage? Any issues are yours when you build and maintain your website. 

    • Security vulnerabilities: Any time you build and launch a new website, it is important to consider potential security vulnerabilities. When you build a website on your own and without the assistance of a DIY website builder or a managed agency, you risk exposing your website visitors to potential vulnerabilities. 

    2. Hiring a Web Designer to Assist With Building Your Website While Allowing You to Maintain It

    Another option to keep in mind when building a new website is to do so with the help of a website designer while opting to maintain the website on your own. When you work directly with a web designer while also maintaining control of your website's updates, there are plenty of benefits and a few drawbacks to remember.

    Advantages of Hiring a Web Designer

    • Professional and experienced: Professional web designers are well-versed in today's web design and coding standards. They also understand the importance of designing around content in a manner that is most appealing to a target audience.  

    • Modern design: Professional web designers are also well-versed in using and applying modern design, even when building websites.

    Drawbacks of Hiring a Professional Web Designer

    As with any option, there are also a few drawbacks of hiring a professional web designer while opting to update and maintain your website yourself, such as:

    • Requiring ongoing updates: If you choose to work with a website developer to build your website, you may require updates over time, which will cost more without your development skills. 

    • Cost: Hiring a web designer will still cost you more than working with DIY website builders, although DIY website builders are not the right choice for everyone and all websites. 

    • Post-launch problems: Any issues you experience after your website has been developed and launched will require the assistance of an additional website developer for more time and money.

    3. Hiring an Agency to Build and Maintain Your Website

    Hiring an agency is one solution to consider if you are searching for a more hands-off approach to building and maintaining a website that can provide Pay Per Click or PPC solutions. Hiring an agency to build and maintain your website can help streamline your website management efforts while providing peace of mind knowing that your online presence is always active and updated.

    Advantages of Hiring an Agency to Build and Maintain Your Website

    Hiring an agency to build and maintain your website has many advantages, such as:

    • Spend time focusing on other facets of your business: When you have an agency by your side to build and maintain your website, you can spend more time focusing on other areas of your business that might require your attention. Focus on sales, inventory, marketing, and customer service instead of building your website while working with an agency.

    • Peace of mind: If peace of mind is essential to you, working alongside an experienced agency can go a long way. With an agency, you can rest easy knowing that your website is managed by an entire team of professionals.    

    • Consistent updates: Always update your website when working with a web agency.

    • Security: Web development agencies understand the importance of web security and protecting against vulnerabilities online today. When you work with an agency, you can do so knowing that your website is updated, as protected, secured, and as encrypted as possible, regardless of the type of data or information being shared or sent on your website.

    Cons of Hiring an Agency to Build and Maintain Your Website

    Choosing to hire an agency to build and maintain your website may have a few drawbacks, including:

    • Cost: Depending on your budget, working with an agency to build and maintain your website may not be possible. However, you may not receive the same level of service otherwise.

    • Lack of control: If you are looking for a way to maintain control of the backend of your website or if you prefer to make updates to your website independently, a managed solution from an agency may not be the right choice for your business or brand.

    • More testing: In some cases, an agency may require more testing before it is willing to launch updates to a website live to the public. For some, this can be frustrating--especially if you need instantaneous updates to your website. 

    Familiarizing yourself with the different methods available and establishing the metrics to track for building and maintaining a website is extremely useful whenever you launch an online project, whether creating a website for the first time or being interested in a complete website redesign.

    Grade My Website Now!

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What are my options for building and maintaining a new website?

    When developing or redesigning a website, you generally have three main options to choose from:

    • DIY: Building and maintaining the website completely on your own.
    • Hybrid: Hiring a professional web designer to build the site, while you take over the ongoing maintenance.
    • Full Service: Hiring an agency to handle both the initial build and all ongoing maintenance.
    What are the best DIY website builders for beginners?

    If you have no programming experience, you can still build a website using modern DIY website builder platforms. Some of the most popular options include:

    • HubSpot Starter
    • Wix
    • Squarespace
    • Weebly

    These platforms feature intuitive drag-and-drop functions, making it easy to upload graphics, product photos, and videos.

    What are the advantages of building and maintaining a website on my own?

    Choosing the DIY route for your website comes with several distinct benefits:

    • Cost: It is significantly cheaper than hiring a professional designer or an agency.
    • Complete Control: You remain free from third-party restrictions and have total control over your web servers.
    • Easy Updates: Once you are familiar with your platform, you can make changes on a whim without any hassle.
    What are the risks or drawbacks of building my own website?

    While cost-effective, building your own website does have some cons to consider:

    • Time-consuming: It requires dedication and hours of work each day, week, or month.
    • Full Responsibility: You are solely responsible for fixing outdated links, improper content displays, and removing spam comments.
    • Security Vulnerabilities: Without professional management, you risk exposing your site and visitors to potential security threats.
    Why should I hire a web designer if I plan to maintain the site myself?

    Working with a professional web designer ensures your site is built correctly from the start. Key advantages include:

    • Experience: They are well-versed in today's coding standards and modern design practices.
    • Audience Appeal: Professionals know how to design around your content in a way that is most appealing to your target audience.
    What are the downsides of hiring a professional web designer for the build only?

    If you hire a designer to build the site but maintain it yourself, you may face a few challenges:

    • Post-launch Problems: Any technical issues after launch will require you to hire a developer again, costing more time and money.
    • Ongoing Updates: Without development skills, complex updates over time will require paid professional help.
    • Higher Initial Cost: It is naturally more expensive than using a simple DIY website builder.
    What are the benefits of hiring an agency to build and maintain my website?

    Hiring an agency provides a completely hands-off approach. The main benefits are:

    • Time Savings: You can focus on sales, marketing, and customer service while the agency handles the website.
    • Peace of Mind: An entire team of professionals manages your online presence.
    • Consistent Updates & Security: Agencies ensure your site is constantly updated, protected, and encrypted against modern online vulnerabilities.
    Are there any cons to hiring a web agency?

    Yes, depending on your business needs, working with an agency might have a few drawbacks:

    • High Cost: It requires a larger budget than DIY methods or hiring a freelance designer.
    • Lack of Control: You may not have direct access to the backend to make independent updates.
    • Slower Updates: Agencies often require rigorous testing before pushing changes live, which can be frustrating if you need an instantaneous update.
    How does a web agency handle website security?

    Web development agencies deeply understand the importance of web security. When you work with an agency, they ensure your website is:

    • Consistently updated to patch vulnerabilities.
    • Highly protected and secured.
    • Fully encrypted to protect any data or information shared by your visitors.
    How do I choose the best website building method for my brand?

    To choose the best path, you should evaluate your project needs and budget. Consider the following:

    • Your current programming and technical experience.
    • How much time you can dedicate to daily or weekly maintenance.
    • Your budget for initial development and ongoing updates.

    Familiarizing yourself with these factors will help you decide between a DIY builder, a freelance designer, or a full-service agency.

    This content is also available in:

    Photo of Michael
    Written By Michael
    Michael is a Designer/Front-End Developer with a focus in Growth Driven Design (GDD). With 7 years of experience in the industry, he works in the HubSpot, WordPress, and Shopify CMS environments crafting beautiful, functional, and responsive websites with a focus on user experience and user journey. When not applying his passion for GDD, you can find him playing with his kids or kayaking the rivers of Texas and beyond.

    More on Web Design

    Trending Posts

    You Might Also Like

    Published on April 23, 2026 by Nicole

    How to Measure ABM Success with HubSpot

    Curious how to measure ABM success? Use HubSpot! With this platform, you can track key metrics and use robust reporting tools for data-driven insights.