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Is there anything wrong with creating a DIY website?

DIY Websites:

Sometimes They are a Costly Mistake Your Business Cant Afford

15 seconds is all you have to capture your audience’s attention when they look at your website. Depending on the quality of your site, this could mean that every 15 seconds, you’re hemorrhaging sales. Slow load times, a confusing layout, and an outdated design are not just minor issues—they’re open invitations to pour revenue straight down the drain. The clock is ticking, and every second counts.

In today’s cutthroat digital arena, every pixel can mean the difference between success and obscurity. Your website isn’t just a flashy online business card—it’s the heartbeat of your brand. It’s tempting to be drawn into the idea of building your own website- it seems like a cost-effective, hands-on way to establish an online presence. But DIY websites are ticking time bombs, riddled with security vulnerabilities, sluggish performance, and uninspired designs that fail to capture the essence of your brand, let alone your audience’s attention. When every second counts and user experience is paramount, endangering your brand’s credibility is simply not worth the risk.To truly thrive and command high traffic in this fierce digital battleground, investing in professional expertise isn’t just a smart choice—it’s absolutely essential for success.

The Pitfalls of Going DIY

Going the DIY route might seem like a great way to maintain creative control, but it also invites a wave of problems that can crash your business faster than you can say “404 error.”

  • Security Risks – DIY websites are often built on generic templates that don’t prioritize security. Without an expert to implement firewalls, SSL certificates, and regular security patches, your site becomes a digital playground for hackers. Imagine your customer data being compromised or your site taken down during a critical sales period—these aren’t just minor inconveniences; they’re potential business-ending disasters.
  • Ineffective SEO – Crafting a site that Google loves requires more than just pretty pictures. SEO demands meticulous keyword research, properly formatted metadata, and clean, optimized code. A DIY approach often means relying on default settings or outdated plugins, leaving your site buried in search results and costing you valuable traffic.
  • You Won’t Own It – DIY platforms keep you locked into their ecosystem. While the initial cost might seem attractive, there’s usually a reason behind it, and it tends to start with the way these platform restrict control over content and design. This can leave you stuck in a template with little room for customization— and even worse? The potential of losing access to your site altogether.
  • Not Mobile Friendly – With mobile devices accounting for over half of web traffic, a site that isn’t optimized for mobile is a non-starter. DIY websites frequently neglect responsive design, resulting in distorted layouts, hard-to-read text, and a clunky experience on smaller screens.
  • Hard to Navigate – In the digital world, user experience isn’t just important—it’s everything. A DIY website with cluttered menus, poor structure, and confusing navigation creates instant frustration, driving visitors away before they even engage with your content. If finding information feels like a scavenger hunt with no prize at the end, users won’t hesitate to leave and choose a competitor with a smoother, more intuitive experience.
  • Slow Performance – Speed matters. A sluggish website—bogged down by bloated code, oversized images, or clunky plugins—tests visitors’ patience, and most won’t stick around to wait. In a world where every second counts, even a brief delay can send potential customers straight to your competition. If your site isn’t lightning-fast, you’re not just losing visitors—you’re handing them over to someone else.
  • Scalability – With most DIY websites, expansion isn’t an option. These platforms aren’t designed to handle surging traffic, new features, or evolving business demands, which leaves your site vulnerable to crashes, slowdowns, and costly limitations. When your business takes off, the last thing you need is a website that holds you back.
  • Maintenance & Updates – Lastly, the thing that we see most often is the person who volunteered to help you build the site on Wix (or Godaddy, or Shopify, or any one of the other low-cost or free site builders) is one day, not around. They no longer work for you. They no longer have the time to volunteer. They simply no longer are available to help. And you are stuck with a website that needs to be updated and you have no idea how to make the changes. This creates a real problem for your business.

Typical Traits of a DIY Site

A DIY website often ends up looking like a digital junk drawer—cluttered, outdated, and difficult to navigate. Building your own website might seem like a great way to establish your online presence, but DIY sites lack the essential functionality needed for a seamless user experience, driving potential customers elsewhere. Here are things to consider before deciding to build your own website.

  • “Free” (Is Not Truly Free) – Many DIY website platforms market themselves as “free,” but don’t be fooled—this is rarely the full picture. While the initial sign-up may cost you nothing, hidden fees lurk around every corner. Premium plugins, additional storage, custom domains, and transaction fees can quickly pile up, transforming your supposedly budget-friendly website into a financial burden. These platforms often use this bait-and-switch tactic to reel you in, only to hit you with unexpected costs down the road. What started as a “free” venture can easily become an expensive headache that eats away at your resources,
  • Poor Analytics or No Analytics At All – The key to success in this data-driven world is analytics. Analytics are essential for understanding your audience and optimizing your website’s performance. Without comprehensive analytics, you’re operating in the dark, unable to track user behavior or measure key metrics like bounce rates, conversions, or traffic sources. Most DIY website builders provide only basic analytics or no analytics at all, leaving you with minimal insight into how users are engaging with your content. Without the ability to track which elements are working and which are failing, you risk wasting resources on strategies that don’t resonate with your audience. In a competitive market, not having actionable data is a major disadvantage—it means you’re guessing rather than making informed, data-backed decisions to improve your site and grow your business.
  • Unwanted Ads – Free DIY websites often come with a hidden cost—intrusive, third-party ads that bombard your visitors and disrupt their experience. These ads not only distract from your content but also damage your brand’s credibility, making your site feel unprofessional and cluttered. A whopping 80% of individuals in the U.S. agreed that ads are disruptive to a website. Doesn’t your business deserve a clean, focused online presence? Ditch the digital battleground of pop-ups and irrelevant ads that drive your audience away.
Source Rakuten Marketing
  • Cluttered Layouts – Without a professional designer’s finesse, DIY sites can quickly become visual chaos. Overcrowded with widgets, stock images, and jumbled text blocks, these sites overwhelm visitors rather than guiding them smoothly through your content. These can make your business look unprofessional and unreliable, costing you credibility and conversions.
  • Outdated Design – Web design trends evolve at a rapid pace, and a site built on outdated templates can quickly look behind the times. An old-fashioned design not only diminishes your credibility but also makes your business appear disconnected from current trends, sending the message that you’re out of touch with modern expectations. In a world where first impressions matter, an outdated site can be a dealbreaker for potential customers, leaving them questioning whether your business is still relevant. Interested in learning more about trending web design? Click here.
  • Not Secure – Security is a critical concern that doesn’t end after the initial setup. Many DIY sites fail to receive the necessary updates and patches to protect against evolving threats, which leaves your site vulnerable to cyberattacks. Without regular security monitoring and updates, your site becomes a prime target for hackers, putting both your data and your customers’ information at risk. Relying on a DIY platform means you’re potentially exposing your business to long-term security breaches that can have catastrophic consequences, including loss of customer trust as well as financial damage. It’s also important to note the drastic increase of data breaches since 2020.
Spike in Website Data Breaches 2020-2025
  • Unclear Purpose – A successful website communicates a clear, focused message that instantly tells who you are and what you have to offer. Without professional expertise, your site often becomes disjointed and directionless, leaving users unsure of your brand’s purpose. A lack of clarity not only frustrates potential customers but also diminishes your credibility.

Choosing to go the DIY route for your website might seem like a cost-effective solution at first, but the hidden pitfalls can quickly turn it into a costly mistake your business can’t afford. From security risks and sluggish performance to poor user experience and a lack of scalability, the consequences of cutting corners in web design can be devastating. Your website is more than just an online presence—it’s a direct reflection of your brand’s credibility, professionalism, and value. In today’s competitive digital landscape, investing in a professionally designed website isn’t just a luxury; it’s a necessity for success. Don’t let a DIY website hold your business back—partner with experts who can build a site that drives traffic, engages customers, and fuels growth.

Kit Mullins Author
Kit Mullins
About the Author

Kit Mullins, co-owner of Jemully Media, LLC, has been a leader in digital marketing for more than twenty years. A writer, designer, and developer, Kit enjoys travel, photography, and Bible study. With six kids and fifteen grandkids, she has no choice but to find ways to be creative.

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  1. To access and use the Services, you must register for a Jemully Charter account (“Account”). To complete your Account registration, you must provide us with your full legal name, business address, phone number, a valid email address, and any other information indicated as required. Jemully Charter may reject your application for an Account, or cancel an existing Account, for any reason, at our sole discretion.
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  1. Upon purchasing a domain name through Jemully Charter, domain registration will be preset to automatically renew each year so long as your Jemully Charter Account remains active. You acknowledge that it is your sole responsibility to notify Jemully Charter to deactivate the auto-renewal function should you choose to do so.

3. Jemully Charter Rights

  1. The Services have a range of features and functionalities. Not all Services or features will be available to all Merchants at all times and we are under no obligation to make any Services or features available in any jurisdiction. Except where prohibited in these Terms of Service or by applicable law, we reserve the right to modify the Services or any part thereof for any reason, without notice and at any time.
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  3. Verbal or written abuse of any kind (including threats of abuse or retribution) of any Jemully Charter employee, member, or officer will result in immediate Account termination.
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  6. Jemully Charter reserves the right to determine, in our sole discretion, rightful Account ownership and transfer an Account to the rightful Store Owner. If we are unable to reasonably determine the rightful Store Owner, without prejudice to our other rights and remedies, Jemully Charter reserves the right to temporarily suspend or disable an Account until resolution has been determined between the disputing parties.

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  2. You acknowledge and agree that the Services are not a marketplace, and any contract of sale made through the Services is directly between you and the customer. You are responsible for the content of your Jemully Charter site, the goods and services that you may offer, and all aspects of the transactions between you and your customer(s) via your Jemully Charter site.  You represent and warrant that your Jemully Charter site, your Materials and the goods and services you offer through will be true, accurate, and complete, and will not violate any applicable laws, regulations or rights of third parties.
    1. You are solely responsible for the goods or services that you may sell through the Services (including description, price, fees, tax that you calculate, defects, required legal disclosures, regulatory compliance, offers or promotional content), including compliance with any applicable laws or regulations.
    2. You may not use the Jemully Charter sites for any illegal or unauthorized purpose nor may you, in the use of the Service, violate any laws in your jurisdiction (including but not limited to copyright laws), the laws applicable to you in your customer’s jurisdiction, or the laws of Canada and the Province of Ontario. You will comply with all applicable laws, rules and regulations (including but not limited to obtaining and complying with the requirements of any license or permit that may be necessary to operate your store or that may be held by you) in your use of the Service and your performance of obligations under the Terms of Service.

5. Payment of Fees

  1. The subscription with Jemully Charter requires a minimum of twelve (12) months. Business owners who terminate their subscription prior to 12 months will have the payment method on file automatically charged for the remaining months that equal to twelve full months of service. plus a 15% early termination fee. 
  2. You will pay the Fees applicable to your subscription to Online Service (“Subscription Fees”) and any other applicable fees, including but not limited to applicable one-time fees, setup fees, or site customization fees. 
  3. You must keep a valid payment method on file with us to pay for all incurred and recurring Fees. Jemully Charter will charge applicable Fees to any valid payment method that you authorize (“Authorized Payment Method”), and Jemully Charter will continue to charge the Authorized Payment Method for applicable Fees until the Services are terminated, and any and all outstanding Fees have been paid in full. Unless otherwise indicated, all Fees and other charges are in U.S. dollars, and all payments will be in U.S. currency.
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  8. Jemully Charter does not provide refunds.

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  1. “Confidential Information” will include, but will not be limited to, any and all information associated with a party’s business and not publicly known, including specific business information, technical processes and formulas, software, customer lists, prospective customer lists, names, addresses and other information regarding customers and prospective customers, product designs, sales, costs (including any relevant processing fees), price lists, and other unpublished financial information, business plans and marketing data, and any other confidential and proprietary information, whether or not marked as confidential or proprietary. Jemully Charter’s Confidential Information includes all information that you receive relating to us, or to the Services, that is not known to the general public including information related to our security program and practices.
  2. Each party agrees to use the other party’s Confidential Information solely as necessary for performing its obligations under these Terms of Service and in accordance with any other obligations in these Terms of Service.

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  1. You expressly understand and agree that, to the extent permitted by applicable laws, Jemully Charter and its suppliers will not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or exemplary damages, including but not limited to, damages for loss of profits, goodwill, use, data or other intangible losses arising out of or relating to the use of or inability to use the Service or these Terms of Service (however arising, including negligence).
  2. You agree to indemnify and hold us and (as applicable) our parent, subsidiaries, affiliates, Jemully Charter partners, officers, directors, agents, employees, and suppliers harmless from any claim or demand, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, made by any third party due to or arising out of (a) your breach of these Terms of Service or the documents it incorporates by reference (including the AUP); (b) or your violation of any law or the rights of a third party; or (c) any aspect of the transaction between you and your Customer, including but not limited to refunds, fraudulent transactions, alleged or actual violation of applicable laws (including but not limited to Federal and State consumer protection laws), or your breach of the Terms of Service.
  3. You will be responsible for any breach of the Terms of Service by your affiliates, agents or subcontractors and will be liable as if it were your own breach.
  4. Your use of the Services is at your sole risk. The Services are provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis without any warranty or condition, express, implied or statutory.
  5. Jemully Charter does not warrant that the Services will be uninterrupted, timely, secure, or error-free.
  6. Jemully Charter does not warrant that the results that may be obtained from the use of the Services will be accurate or reliable.
  7. Jemully Charter is not responsible for any of your tax obligations or liabilities related to the use of Jemully Charter’s Services.
  8. Jemully Charter does not warrant that the quality of any products, services, information, or other materials purchased or obtained by you through the Services will meet your expectations, or that any errors in the Services will be corrected.

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8.1 Your Materials
  1. We do not claim ownership of the Materials you provide to Jemully Charter. You grant Jemully Charter a non-exclusive, transferable, sub-licensable, royalty-free, worldwide right and license to host, use, distribute, expose, modify, run, copy, store, publicly perform, communicate to the public (including by telecommunication), broadcast, reproduce, make available, display, and translate, and create derivative works of any Materials provided by you in connection with the Services. We may use our rights under this license to operate, provide, and promote the Services and to perform our obligations and exercise our rights under the Terms of Service. You represent, warrant, and agree that you have all necessary rights in the Materials to grant this license. You irrevocably waive any and all moral rights you may have in the Materials in favour of Jemully Charter and agree that this waiver may be invoked by anyone who obtains rights in the materials through Jemully Charter, including anyone to whom Jemully Charter may transfer or grant (including by way of license or sublicense) any rights in the Materials.
  2. If you owned the Materials before providing them to Jemully Charter then, despite uploading them to your Jemully Charter site they remain yours, subject to any rights or licenses granted in the Terms of Service or elsewhere. You can export the content of your Jemully Charter site, however you will be required to fulfill the 12 month subscription requirement plus any outstanding fees and the early termination fee, if applicable. You may notify Jemully Charter of your desire. 
  3. You agree that Jemully Charter can, at any time, review and delete any or all of the Materials submitted to the Services, although Jemully Charter is not obligated to do so.
  4. You grant Jemully Charter a non-exclusive, transferable, sub-licensable, royalty-free, worldwide right and license to use the names, trademarks, service marks and logos associated with your site (“Your Trademarks”) to operate, provide, and promote the Services and to perform our obligations and exercise our rights under the Terms of Service. This license will survive any termination of the Terms of Service solely to the extent that Jemully Chartery requires the license to exercise any rights or perform any obligations that arose during the Term.
8.2 Jemully Charter Intellectual Property
  1. You agree that you may not use any trademarks, logos, or service marks of Jemully Charter, whether registered or unregistered.
  2. You agree not to purchase, register, or use search engine or other pay-per-click keywords (such as Google Ads), trademarks, email addresses, social media names, or domain names (including without limitation top-level domains, sub-domains, and page URLs) that use or include Jemully Media or Jemully Charter or that use or include any terms that may be confusing with the Jemully Media.

9. Jemully Charter Theme Sites

  1. You may establish the appearance of your Jemully Charter site with a design template from Jemully Charter’s Theme options. 
  2. Technical support for a Theme is the responsibility of the Jemully Charter, and the Business Owner may not modify the Theme. 

10. Termination

  1. The term of these Terms of Service will begin on the date of your completed registration for use of a Service and continue for a minimum of 12 months or until terminated by us or by you, as provided below (the “Term”).
  2. You may cancel your Account and terminate the Terms of Service at any time by contacting chartersites@jemully.com and then following the specific instructions indicated to you in Jemully Charter’s response.
  3. Without limiting any other remedies, we may suspend or terminate your Account or the Terms of Service for any reason, without notice and at any time (unless otherwise required by law), including if we suspect that you (by conviction, settlement, insurance or escrow investigation, or otherwise) have engaged in fraudulent activity in connection with the use of the Services. Termination of the Terms of Service will be without prejudice to any rights or obligations which arose prior to the date of termination.
  4. Upon termination of the Services by either party for any reason:
    1. Jemully Charter will cease providing you with the Services and you will no longer be able to access your Account;
    2. unless otherwise provided in the Terms of Service, you will not be entitled to any refunds of any Fees, pro rata or otherwise;
    3. any outstanding balance owed to Jemully Charter for your use of the Services through the effective date and including the completion of the 12-month required subscription and early termination fee, if applicable, of such termination will immediately become due and payable in full; and
    4. your Jemully Charter site will be taken offline.
  5. If you purchased a domain name through Jemully Charter, upon cancellation your domain will no longer be automatically renewed. Following termination, it will be your sole responsibility to handle all matters related to your domain with the domain provider.
  6. If there are any outstanding Fees owed by you at the date of termination of the Service, you will receive one final invoice via email. Once that invoice has been paid in full, you will not be charged again.

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