You've probably heard of Weebly. It's one of the original DIY website builders—drag, drop, done. At first glance, it looks like the perfect solution: cheap (free to start), supposedly easy to use, and you control everything.
But here's what nobody tells you: that “quick weekend project” turns into months of sporadic tweaking. The template that looked fine in the preview starts feeling generic. Every time you want to make a simple change, you're hunting through menus or watching tutorials.
And that's if you even finish it. Plenty of business owners start a Weebly site, get 80% there, and abandon it because life got busy.
What Does Weebly Actually Cost?
Yes, there's a free plan. But it comes with Weebly branding on your site—like having a billboard on your store that says “I'm using the cheap option.” Not exactly the professional image you want to send to potential customers in San Luis Obispo County.
The real plans start at $10/month (if you pay annually upfront) or $13 month-to-month. That gets you a custom domain and removes the ads. But you're still looking at outdated templates that haven't seen a meaningful refresh since Square acquired Weebly back in 2018.
That's not just me saying that—reviews consistently point out that Weebly's templates and app ecosystem feel dated compared to modern builders. The platform has stagnated, with few major updates in years.
The Hidden Cost: Your Time
Here's what DIY advocates don't mention: building your own site takes 40-60 hours minimum. That's if you already know what you're doing. Factor in the learning curve, and you're looking at closer to 60-80 hours total. (We cover this more in Why Your DIY Website Might Be Costing You Customers.)
And you're not done once it launches. Basic maintenance—updates, backups, security checks, content tweaks—runs 2-4 hours per week. That's 100+ hours per year.
What's your time worth? If you bill $100/hour for your services (or even if you just value your time at half that), you've spent thousands on something that still looks and feels like a DIY project. For a full breakdown of what websites actually cost, see our guide to website pricing.
Why Weebly Sites Are Often Slow
DIY builders load your site down with unnecessary code. The result? Slower page load times. And speed matters.
A two-second delay can increase cart abandonment by up to 87%.
When a potential customer lands on your site and it lags, they don't think “server issues.” They think “unprofessional.” And 88% of users are less likely to return after a bad experience.
That visitor is gone forever. They probably found your competitor while waiting for your page to load.
DIY vs Professional Website Conversion Rates
Here's the stat that actually matters for your bottom line:
DIY websites convert at 0.5-1%, while professional sites achieve 2-3%.
That doesn't sound like a huge difference until you do the math. If you get 1,000 visitors per year:
- DIY site: 5-10 leads/customers
- Professional site: 20-30 leads/customers
You're losing half your potential revenue just by having a “good enough” website instead of one built to convert.
When Does Weebly Make Sense?
I'm not here to say DIY builders are never the right choice. Weebly makes sense in specific situations:
- You have zero budget and time is not a factor
- It's a temporary site while you build something better
- You enjoy tinkering and have the technical aptitude
- You need a basic online presence for a hobby or side project with no revenue goals
If you're running a serious business in SLO County and your website is part of how you get customers—“good enough” is probably costing you more than you think. (For more on the hidden costs of “free” builders, see The Hidden Costs of 'Free' Website Builders.)
What YouGrow Does Differently
I build professional websites for local businesses. Not drag-and-drop templates that look like everyone else's. Not a DIY builder that you have to figure out yourself.
Wondering about other builders? We've also reviewed Squarespace, Wix, and GoDaddy in similar detail.
You tell me about your business. I build something custom-branded and fast-loading. Your site goes live in days, not months. When you need changes—a new photo, updated hours, a price change—you email or call me. I handle it. Most updates happen within one business day.
No dashboards to learn. No weekends spent tweaking layouts. No wondering why your site is slow or why visitors aren't converting.
And it's $79/month. Everything included: hosting, security, updates, support. No setup fee for founding members (first 100 clients). Month-to-month, cancel anytime.
The Bottom Line: Is Your Website Helping or Hurting Your Business?
It's not “Weebly or nothing.” The real question is whether your current website is bringing in customers or pushing them away.
If you've got a half-finished Weebly site that's been sitting for months, or a live one that you're embarrassed to share, let's talk. I'm in Arroyo Grande. I answer my phone. And I build websites that actually work for local businesses.
Plus, with our Everfresh Guarantee, you get a complimentary design refresh every 3 years—so your site never looks outdated. That's something Weebly can't offer.
Get in touch → or call me directly at 805-439-6288. Have questions? Check out our FAQ.