You enjoy the problem solving
Plenty of sparkies do. If working out a website builder sounds more like a puzzle than a chore, DIY costs less and you end up understanding your own setup, which has its own value.
The honest comparison
Electrician website builder, or done for you?
You can build an electrical website yourself on something like Wix or Squarespace, and if you are the sort of sparky who reads manuals for fun you will probably do a decent job of it. The question is what those evenings are worth, and whether the finished thing will be built around the licence details and compliance a cautious customer is looking for. This page covers both sides, including when DIY is the better call. SiteDone builds and hosts it from $89 a month, live within 7 working days.
$0 setup fee, 2 of 3 build slots open right now.
Straight up
When you should just build it yourself
We would rather lose the sale than have you sign up for something you did not need. These are the cases where DIY is the better answer.
You are just starting out
If you are new to running your own electrical business, a simple DIY page and a properly completed Google Business Profile will do the job while you work out what kind of work you actually want.
Your current site is doing fine
If it loads fast on a phone, shows your licence details, and enquiries are arriving, do not touch it. Replacing something that works is a cost with nothing on the other side of it.
You mostly work through builders and contacts
If you are an electrical contractor and your work comes from three builders who already have your number, a website is doing very little for you. Be honest about that before either of us spends money on it.
The real cost
What DIY actually costs an electrician
The dollars are the easy part. The hours and the missing detail are what it really costs.
Evenings you do not get back
Most people describe building their own site in evenings rather than dollars. Put your own hourly rate against those evenings and the comparison stops being obvious.
The credentials usually never make it on
Licence details, insurance and compliance are the things a careful customer looks for, and they are exactly the sort of detail that gets left for later on a DIY build and never added.
Domestic and commercial end up on one page
Splitting the two properly takes planning, not just pages. Most DIY builds end up with a single services list that speaks to a homeowner and a builder at once, and convinces neither.
Every change stays your job
New service, new suburb, updated licence details. Every one of them is you, at night, remembering how the editor works. That does not stop once the site is live.
Side by side
What's actually different
Not a stitch-up. The column on the left is what a DIY builder genuinely gives you.
| Doing it yourself | SiteDone | |
|---|---|---|
| Up-front cost | Low. A subscription plus your own hours. | $0 setup right now, then one fixed monthly price, from $89 a month. |
| Who builds it | You do, in the evenings. | We do, from one voice note. |
| Time from starting to live | However long you can give it. | 7 working days from your details reaching us. |
| Who writes the words | You do. | We write them, you review with two rounds of changes. |
| Search setup | Yours to learn and do. | Structure, headings, local signals and schema done during the build. |
| Hosting and backups | Usually included in the plan. | Included, on Cloudflare's network. |
| Making a change later | You do it, whenever you get to it. | Send a voice note. 20 to 60 minutes included monthly by tier. |
| Who owns the domain | You, if you registered it yourself. | You, from day one, in your name. |
| If nothing comes of it | You have spent the hours either way. | On the Core Hub and Local Dominator plans, billing pauses if no real lead in 90 days. |
| Getting out | Stop paying. You keep what you built. | 3 months to start, then month to month. 30 days' notice, no exit fee. Domain yours from day one. Site handover after 9 paid months, no fee. |
We have deliberately not quoted any builder's prices or plan features here, because they change often and we have not verified them. Check them yourself before deciding.
What it costs
What you'd pay here
Three plans, one flat monthly fee, and the rate you start on is the rate you keep.
Plans are $89, $129 and $199 a month, setup is $0 at the moment, and every plan covers the build, hosting, SSL, backups and a set allowance of content changes each month. Your site is live within 7 working days of your details reaching us, and if it has not brought you a real lead within 90 days, your billing pauses until it does (on the Core Hub and Local Dominator plans).
Starter
$89/mo
Locked-in rate · standard $99/mo
$0 setup right now
Standard $179 one-off
A sole trader who needs to be findable and reachable, fast.
Three to five pages
20 min of changes a month
Want the 90-day lead guarantee? Choose Core Hub, or upgrade later.
Claim Starter →Core Hub
$129/mo
Locked-in rate · standard $149/mo
$0 setup right now
Standard $269 one-off
A small team covering a few suburbs or a few distinct services.
Five to eight pages in total, including two or three suburb or service pages
40 min of changes a month
✓ 90-day lead guaranteeNeeds a Google Business Profile. We help you set one up and walk you through Google's verification.
Claim Core Hub →Local Dominator
$199/mo
Locked-in rate · standard $249/mo
$0 setup right now
Standard $399 one-off
An established business chasing a wider service area.
Ten to fifteen pages in total, including five to ten suburb or service pages
60 min of changes a month
✓ 90-day lead guaranteeNeeds a Google Business Profile. We help you set one up and walk you through Google's verification.
Claim Local Dominator →No long-term contract. 3 months to start, then month to month.
Prices are in AUD and charged monthly. We're not currently registered for GST, so none is added. The $49 domain registration and any add-ons are separate.
Full comparison and the fine print are on the pricing page, and all five guarantees are on the guarantee page.
FAQs
Questions people ask before deciding
More on the full FAQ page if yours is not here.
Is a DIY builder cheaper?
In dollars, usually yes. In hours, usually not, and your hours are billable. The honest comparison is your evening rate against a monthly fee, not one subscription against another.
Can I show my licence on a DIY site?
Of course, nothing stops you. If you show your licence, you stay responsible for holding it. The catch is that it is a detail people put off adding, and it is one of the first things a cautious customer hiring local electrical work is looking for before they call.
Could I start DIY and move later?
Yes. Register the domain in your own name from the start and moving is straightforward, because the address your customers know goes with you.
Do you use a website builder yourselves?
No. The sites are static builds served from Cloudflare's network, which is why they load quickly on poor reception and work as a mobile-friendly site. On a trade site, where most visitors are on a phone, that matters more than it sounds.
What if I stop paying?
After your first 3 months you can cancel with 30 days' notice and no exit fee. The domain is yours either way. Your site stays live until your paid month ends, then we keep it in backup for 6 months so you can restore it. After 9 paid months you can take the site with you at no charge.
Ready to look at the build itself? See electrician website design. Everything else is on the full FAQ page, or start from tradie websites.
Rather spend the evening not building a website?
From $89 a month. One voice note, live within 7 working days. No monthly fees until your site is live. The $49 domain registration is separate.
$0 setup fee, 2 of 3 build slots open right now. 90-day lead guarantee on Core Hub and Local Dominator, in writing.