Free website builder or custom website?

A free website builder is a good starting point when a clear page with your services and contact details is enough, and you can put it together yourself. A website built for you makes sense when you want help with the setup, content and design. A redesign starts with an existing website and asks what should change, and what should stay.

Those are different jobs. “Custom” describes how a site is made for your needs; it does not automatically mean custom software or better search rankings. A designer may use a builder, and a simple site can serve a business well.

Benchlight offers all three routes. The prices below are our own, checked on November 6, 2026. Other providers have different terms; use the same questions to compare their offers.

Choose by the job your site needs to do.

You need your first useful page.

Imagine a new gardener whose customers mostly call or text. A short page with real work photos, services, the area covered and a phone number may be enough. Start free, check it on a phone and improve the details as you learn what people ask. You can keep it free without committing to a paid plan.

The trade-off is your time. Someone still needs to supply the facts, choose the photos and keep hours and contact details current. Use our first business website guide to decide what belongs on the page.

You need more pages and help putting them together.

Imagine a cleaner with several services and photos to explain each one. A site built for you can bring those pieces together when you do not want to handle the setup yourself. With Benchlight Standard, the domain, hosting and limited small updates are included in the subscription.

You still check the facts, provide material you have permission to use and approve the result. Agree what “an update” includes: adding a new page or feature is different from changing a phone number.

Your existing site gets in the way.

Imagine a salon with useful treatment pages, an established web address and a booking service that already works. If the phone layout makes prices or appointments hard to find, a redesign may be useful. Preserve the treatment information, page addresses and booking route while improving the experience.

If the only problem is old opening hours, a missing photo or a broken contact link, fix that first. A complete redesign may be unnecessary. The website redesign checklist helps you separate small repairs from a wider refresh. These examples are illustrative, not customer results.

Compare the whole cost.

Ask what you will spend during the first year and after it: setup, hosting, domain renewal, changes and any tools the site needs. A free plan can be a lasting choice, but its limits should fit your business.

• Free Benchlight sites: no subscription or card, with a Benchlight address and credit. Free sites stay out of search engines for their first week; publishing limits apply and there is no uptime guarantee. Contact forms and customer logins are not included.
• Standard: $19 paid monthly is $228 over 12 months, or $199 paid annually. A standard domain, hosting and up to two small updates a month are included.
• Redesign: from $249 once, with the exact offer in your preview. Benchlight hosting is $9/month or $99/year after a 14-day trial with a card required. Domain registration and renewal are separate from that hosting plan.
• Optional shop or booking: each costs $10/month per website on a free or paid site. Online payments add Benchlight’s 5% fee plus separate Stripe processing fees. Unpaid appointment reservations have no booking commission. A link to an outside booking tool is different from the native paid booking module.

Check the current plans and payment-fee details for what each charge covers. A preview lets you judge the proposed website; it is not a promise of sales or search traffic.

Protect what already works.

Before replacing a site, save a copy and list the pages people use, the features they rely on and the accounts you control. Keep the old site running until the new one is tested.

• Your domain: know who manages it, who pays for renewal and how it can transfer. Ask what happens if you cancel the website service.
• Your email: preserve the mail settings when changing website hosting. Use the website move and email checklist and test sending and receiving afterward.
• Your useful pages: keep their addresses where possible. If an address changes, redirect it to its relevant replacement. Google’s site-move guidance explains the migration steps; visibility can fluctuate during a move.
• Your working tools: try forms, bookings, payments and important integrations before switching. A new design does not automatically replace the software behind them.

What about search rankings?

A paid or custom design does not guarantee better rankings. Useful information, accessible pages, clear navigation and a working phone experience matter whichever route you choose. Google recommends helpful content made for people, and explains that even a submitted sitemap does not guarantee indexing.

For an existing site, protecting useful content and old page addresses is part of the redesign job. For a new site, start with accurate information and a clear customer action, then use Search Console to see what actually gets discovered.

Ask these questions before you commit.

1. What must a visitor be able to do on the site today?
2. Who will supply the content, build the pages and update them?
3. What is included in the first-year price, and what renews?
4. What happens to the domain, files and important tools if you leave?
5. Can you review the site and test the customer journey before it replaces anything?

Choose the smallest option that does the job well. If your current website works, keep the useful parts. If you are starting from nothing, make something clear enough for the next customer to use.