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kevinferron.com

Websites

Template or built for you?

The short answer

A template site costs less if you have the time to build it, write it and keep it up yourself.

A small business website’s job is to bring in more customers. I build the site, host it and look after it every day, for small businesses in Metro Detroit.

Set up once, or looked after every day

A template site compared with the plan here, row by row
Who builds itTemplate siteYou pick a template and set it up.The plan hereI build it from what you send me, and you see it before it goes live.
Who writes and lays out the pagesTemplate siteYou write the words and lay out each page.The plan hereYou send the words and photos, and I build the pages. The pages are agreed on the intake call.
When something breaksTemplate siteFaults in your pages are yours to find and fix; the platform’s are the builder’s.The plan hereHosting, backups, security updates and fixes when something breaks are part of the monthly price.
Security updates and backupsTemplate siteThe builder runs the platform; keeping your own copy of your pages and content is up to you.The plan hereHosting, backups, security updates and fixes when something breaks are part of the monthly price.
What “done” meansTemplate siteYou publish it when you are happy with it.The plan hereLive on your domain, with your pages indexed and a test enquiry reaching your inbox.
Local search set-upTemplate siteYou work through the search settings yourself.The plan herePages that load quickly on a phone, set up for local search, with an enquiry form that sends each request straight to you.
Counting calls, enquiries and directionsTemplate siteBuilt-in visit counts; tracking calls, enquiries and directions is yours to add.The plan hereEvery site on the plan sends Google Analytics events for taps to call and email, the enquiry form, clicks to book where the site has Square booking, directions and pages, to a property that you own, at no extra cost.
Online bookingTemplate siteYou choose a booking tool and connect it.The plan hereI set it up on your own Square account: up to 5 services, your availability, a deposit taken through your own Square account, reminders, an embed on your site and a link from Google, and one test booking, recorded.
Small changes laterTemplate siteYou make each change yourself.The plan hereSmall updates after launch (text, photos, hours, prices) are included. New pages or features are quoted separately.
After launchTemplate siteIt stays as you left it until you change it.The plan hereAn AI agent reviews your site's numbers every day and fixes small technical things on its own. I approve any change to your words before it goes live. It's part of the plan, at no extra cost.
Who you talk toTemplate siteThe builder’s help pages or a support queue.The plan hereNo account manager and no junior bench. You write to me and I answer.

What I do before launch

  1. Ask

    Send a short enquiry with the form. I reply within 24 hours.

  2. Start

    Use the link to start. No set-up fee. Month 1 is charged when you start.

  3. Send what I need

    You supply the words and photos. This is the list:

    • Your business name, what you do and the area you serve.
    • Your logo, and any photos of your work you want on the site.
    • The domain you own or want to use, and where it is registered.
    • Anything you want it to say: services, prices, reviews you are happy to quote.
    • For online booking: your services, up to 5, with how long each takes and the price, and your usual availability and any days you are closed.
    • For online booking: a Square account you own, with an invitation to it. The deposits go to you, not through me.
    • Your Google Analytics 4 measurement ID (it starts with G-) and add me as an Editor on that property, or say you don't have one and I'll set it up with you on the intake call.

  4. A short intake call

    On the intake call we agree the pages and the enquiry form.

  5. Build and preview

    I build it, and you see it before it goes live.

  6. Live

    Live on your domain, with your pages indexed and a test enquiry reaching your inbox.

What I keep doing after launch

  • Hosting and looking after it

    Hosting, backups, security updates and fixes when something breaks are part of the monthly price.

  • Small updates

    Changes to text, photos, hours and prices after launch are included. New pages or features are quoted separately.

Looked after every day, not set up once.

A template is set up once and left to you. I'm refining and improving my autonomous systems for search and AI readiness: an AI agent reviews each site's numbers every day, fixes small technical things on its own, and I approve any change to your words before it goes live. It's part of the plan, at no extra cost.

What 36 months costs

Money paid to the website service, month by month, for the monthly plan and for the usual alternatives. It leaves out what every option shares: the domain, email and booking fees.

Cumulative cost over 36 monthsThe $49 a month website: $588 after 12 months, $1,764 after 36. DIY website builder: $468 after 12 months, $1,404 after 36. Freelance build: $3,000 after 12 months, $4,200 after 36. Agency build: $7,800 after 12 months, $11,400 after 36. Assumed, not quoted: Freelance build, Agency build. Drawn as arrows off the top of the chart: Agency build.$0$1,000$2,000$3,000$4,000$5,0000122436Agency build: $11,400 at month 36

Months since you start

  • The $49 a month website
  • DIY website builder
  • Freelance build
  • Agency build
ChartPrices as of October 27, 2026. Set-up fees are jumps at month 0, and each month's payment is counted at the start of the month. The DIY line sits below ours the whole way. Plus your time: you do the building, the writing and the upkeep.
The same figures as a table, in full: set-up plus the monthly price times the months. Prices as of October 27, 2026.
OptionSet-upMonthlyMonth 12Month 36
The $49 a month website$0$49$588$1,764
No set-up fee. Month 1 is charged when you start. The monthly plan is drawn. The yearly plan is not.
DIY website builder$0$39$468$1,404
Published price. A mid-range plan from a large builder, billed monthly. You build and maintain it yourself.
Freelance build$2,400$50$3,000$4,200
Assumed, not quoted: the midpoint of a published range of $800 to $4,000 for the build, plus a care plan of $50 a month, inside a published range of $50 to $500 a month.
Agency build$6,000$150$7,800$11,400
Assumed, not quoted: the midpoint of a published range of $2,000 to $10,000 for the build, plus a care plan of $150 a month, inside a published range of $50 to $500 a month.

When a template is the better choice

If you have the time, like building things and are happy to keep the site up yourself, a template costs less and is a sound choice.

It also suits a site you want to change every day yourself, or one you only need for a short while.

The plan here is for the owner who would rather spend that time on the business and have someone build the site and look after it.

Questions

A template is set up once and left to you. Mine is built for you, hosted and looked after. An AI agent reviews your site's numbers every day and fixes small technical things on its own. I approve any change to your words before it goes live. It's part of the plan, at no extra cost. If you have the time to build, write and keep up a site yourself, a template can cost less.

I host it, keep it updated and fix what breaks, and I make the small updates you ask for. An AI agent reviews your site's numbers every day and fixes small technical things on its own. I approve any change to your words before it goes live. It's part of the plan, at no extra cost.

If you have the time, like building things and are happy to keep the site up yourself, a template costs less and is a sound choice. It also suits a site you want to change every day yourself, or one you only need for a short while. The plan here is for the owner who would rather spend that time on the business and have someone build the site and look after it.

An AI agent reviews your site's numbers every day and fixes small technical things on its own. I approve any change to your words before it goes live. It's part of the plan, at no extra cost. Small technical things means page descriptions and the structured data that search engines and AI assistants read. Anything a visitor reads on the page, I approve first.

Want it looked after every day?

Start the site, or read how it works first. I reply within 24 hours.

Start for $49/month

No set-up fee. Renews monthly; cancel with 30 days' notice.

How the whole plan works