When we build a website for you, you get the source code. It's yours. You can take it and run it yourself, or you can pay us $50/month (or $500/year) to manage it for you.
This page is an honest breakdown of what "run it yourself" actually means—so you can make the right call for your situation.
The Short Answer
What You'd Need to Do Yourself
Here's the complete list of what managing your own site involves. We're not going to sugarcoat it or make it sound scarier than it is.
| Task | What It Means (No Jargon) | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| Create accounts | Sign up for GitHub (stores your code) and Cloudflare or Vercel (runs your site) | Easy |
| Connect your domain | Point your domain (e.g., yourcompany.com) to your new hosting. Involves changing some settings at your domain registrar. | Medium |
| Deploy the site | Connect GitHub to your hosting platform. Usually a few clicks if you follow the tutorial. | Medium |
| Set up SSL | Make sure your site shows the padlock icon (https). Usually automatic with Cloudflare/Vercel. | Easy |
| Monitor for problems | Check that your site is still online. Set up alerts or check manually. | Ongoing |
| Make updates | When you need to change your phone number, hours, etc. Requires editing code or having someone do it. | Harder |
| Renew your domain | Your domain expires yearly. Miss the renewal and your site disappears. | Easy (just pay) |
The Real Costs of DIY
"Free" hosting isn't really free. Here's the honest math:
Dollar Costs
- Domain renewal$12-20/year
- Cloudflare/Vercel hosting$0 (free tier)
- GitHub$0 (free tier)
- Total~$15/year
Time Costs
- Initial setup (if unfamiliar)2-4 hours
- Learning curveVaries
- Troubleshooting when things break???
- Mental loadOne more thing to manage
The Hidden Cost
When Managing Your Own Website Makes Sense
- You have a tech-savvy family member who can help with the initial setup
- You're comfortable with technology and enjoy learning new tools
- You have another tech person (employee, partner) who can handle updates
- You're already using GitHub for something else
- You want complete independence and don't mind the learning curve
- You're on a very tight budget and time is more available than money
When Paying for Website Management Makes Sense
- You'd rather spend time on your actual business
- Technology isn't your thing and you don't want it to be
- You want someone to call when something isn't working
- You need changes made quickly without learning a new system
- Peace of mind is worth $50/month to you
- You don't have anyone tech-savvy in your circle
What $50/Month Actually Gets You
We want to be clear about what's included so there are no surprises:
- Your site stays online
We host it on reliable infrastructure and monitor for problems.
- SSL stays configured
The padlock icon and https always work.
- Minor updates included
New phone number? Changed hours? Updated service area? These small changes are included.
- Someone to contact
If something seems wrong, you can reach out and we'll look into it.
Not included: Major changes (adding new pages, redesigns, new features) are billed at $200/hour. But you'll always know what something costs before we start.
Making the Decision
Here's a simple way to think about it:
Is $50/month worth not having to think about your website?
If you bill $100/hour for your work, and managing your website yourself costs you even 30 minutes per month of frustration or troubleshooting, you're already losing money by doing it yourself. And that's before counting the stress of one more thing on your plate.
That said, if you have someone who can handle it (or genuinely enjoy this stuff), there's nothing wrong with self-hosting. We'll hand over everything you need and you'll own it completely.
The Bottom Line
We don't want to lock you into anything. You own your website—domain, code, everything. If you want to run it yourself, we'll help you get set up.
But for most contractors we work with, $50/month (or $500/year) is a no-brainer. It's less than one hour of their billable time, and it means they never have to think about their website infrastructure again.
You're in business to do your trade—not to manage web servers. That's our job.