Wix, a freelancer, an agency, or us.
There are four real ways for a business to get a website. Each one is right for somebody. Here is the whole picture, including who should not hire us.
| DIY Builder (Wix, Squarespace) | Freelancer | Agency | Gold Strategics | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Up-front cost | $0 | $1,500 to $8,000 | $3,000 to $15,000+ | $250 once on Gold, $0 on Diamond |
| Ongoing cost | $17 to $50/mo | $1,000 to $6,000/yr upkeep | $100 to $400/mo retainers | $80/mo Gold, $215/mo Diamond with every tool included |
| Your time | 60 to 80 hours to build, then ongoing | Meetings, revisions, content writing | Weeks of meetings and approvals | One form, about 15 minutes |
| Time to launch | Whenever you finish it | 4 to 8 weeks | 12 to 16+ weeks | Days, not weeks |
| Local SEO | On you to learn and set up | Sometimes, quality varies | Usually, often billed separately | Built into every page, schema included |
| Hosting & domain | Extra, managed by you | Extra, managed by you | Sometimes bundled | Included and managed for you |
| Updates after launch | You make them | Hourly invoices | Retainer or hourly | Requests go straight to us. Diamond adds monitoring and priority. |
| Commitment | Month to month | Project contract | Project + retainer contracts | Month to month, no cancellation fee |
| 3-year all-in* | Thousands in your time, plus fees | ~$7,600 and up | ~$15,200 and up | ~$3,130 on Gold, upkeep included |
*Three year totals use each option's mid-range pricing plus typical maintenance. Full math and sources are in our what websites cost guide. Gold Strategics figure: the $250 build fee plus 36 months of Gold; both plans are printed in full on the pricing page.
Every option is right for somebody.
DIY builders
Right for hobbies, side projects, and owners who genuinely enjoy tinkering with websites and have the hours to spend. Wrong for anyone whose weekends are already spoken for, or whose site needs to win local searches against professionally built competitors.
Freelancers
Right when you need something semi-custom and you have a trusted referral, a clear brief, and patience for the process. The risk is variance: quality, communication, and what happens when you need an update eight months after they've moved on.
Agencies
Right for funded companies that need custom platforms, brand campaigns, and a team of specialists, with budgets that start around five figures. For most businesses, you are usually paying for overhead you will never use.
Gold Strategics
Right for businesses that want a professional, SEO-ready website live this week, handled entirely by someone else, at a price that never surprises them. You run the business. The website just works.
When you should not hire us
Honesty is cheaper than churn, so here it is. If you need a large online store with hundreds of products, you want a custom web application with logins and dashboards, or building your own website genuinely sounds like a fun weekend, we are the wrong choice. Shopify, a developer, or Wix will serve you better, and we will happily say so before taking a dollar.
If you run a business and the website is the chore standing between you and more customers, that is exactly what we exist for.
Asked before choosing.
Is Wix cheaper than hiring a website service?
Only on the subscription line. Wix and similar builders run $17 to $50 a month, but industry estimates put a DIY build at 60 to 80 hours of the owner's time, and the finished site usually underperforms on speed and local SEO. Once your time has any value, DIY is frequently the most expensive option on the table.
What does a freelancer or agency website really cost?
Freelancers typically charge $1,500 to $8,000 for a small business site, and agencies charge $3,000 to $15,000 or more, with maintenance running $1,000 to $6,000 per year on top. Timelines run 4 to 8 weeks for freelancers and 12 to 16 weeks or more for agencies. The full breakdown with sources lives in our cost guide.
How is Gold Strategics different from an agency?
We are a fully managed flat-rate service with two plans. Gold is $80 a month with a $250 one time build fee and covers the custom build, hosting, security, backups, and lead capture. Diamond is $215 a month with no build fee and adds every tool package we make, monitoring and updates, and priority on changes. No hourly invoices, no maintenance contracts, no long term lock-in. Every number is printed on the pricing page before you commit to anything.
When should I not use Gold Strategics?
If you need a large e-commerce store with hundreds of products, a custom web application, or you genuinely enjoy building and maintaining your own site, a dedicated platform or developer is the better fit. We are built for businesses that want a professional website handled for them.
Two plans, priced in public.
No quote calls, no ranges that span $30,000. Every number is printed on the page.