A small business can run its website three ways: do it yourself on ordinary web hosting, pay for managed hosting so the technical upkeep is handled while you manage the content, or pay a web design service to build and look after the whole thing. DIY costs the least in money and the most in time and risk; a done-for-you service costs the most and asks least of you. The right choice depends on your skills, your time and how much the website matters to your sales.
What running a website actually involves
Whichever route you choose, someone has to do these jobs:
- Build: choose a design, write pages, add photos, contact forms and WhatsApp links.
- Update software: WordPress core, themes and plugins need regular updates, and updates sometimes break things.
- Back up and restore: keep copies and know how to put the site back after a mistake.
- Secure: strong passwords, removing unused plugins, scanning for malware and cleaning up if hacked.
- Keep content current: prices, opening hours, staff and products change.
- Renew: domain, hosting and SSL must not lapse.
Option 1: DIY on web hosting
You buy hosting and a domain, install WordPress or another tool, and do everything yourself.
Good for
- Owners or staff who are comfortable learning WordPress and have time to maintain it.
- Simple brochure sites that rarely change.
- Tight budgets where time is easier to find than money.
Watch out for
- Updates and security get forgotten when the business is busy, which is how many small sites are hacked.
- Your time has a cost. Count the hours honestly.
- If the person who built it leaves, make sure the business still has the logins.
At Tremhost: cPanel web hosting from $30 a year for Himalaya or $50 a year for Bvumba, with free SSL, unlimited email accounts, daily backups and one-click WordPress through Softaculous. The Help Centre has a guide to installing WordPress.
Option 2: managed hosting, your content
You still build and edit the site, but the provider handles the technical upkeep.
Good for
- Businesses whose website brings in enquiries or orders, so downtime or a hack costs real money.
- Owners who are happy editing pages but do not want to manage updates and security.
Watch out for
- It costs more than basic hosting.
- You still need to keep content fresh and write the pages yourself.
At Tremhost: managed WordPress from $15 a month or $175 a year for one site, with updates tested on staging before they go live, daily backups, malware scanning and removal, and Cloudflare Pro on every site.
Option 3: done for you
A web design service builds the site, hosts it and makes changes for you.
Good for
- Businesses without the time or skills to build a site, or that want a professional result first time.
- Owners who would rather send changes by message than log in.
Watch out for
- Higher annual cost, and changes beyond what is included may cost extra.
- Check that the domain is registered in your name, not the designer’s.
At Tremhost: website design from $550 a year for the Basic package: five pages, hosting, SSL, unlimited email and a free domain, with an edit each quarter. The first draft takes about two weeks and the site goes live in four to six weeks.
Comparing the three
- Money: DIY is cheapest, managed sits in the middle, done-for-you costs most.
- Your time: DIY needs the most, done-for-you the least.
- Skills needed: DIY needs WordPress and basic security knowledge; managed needs content editing; done-for-you needs almost none.
- Risk of neglect: highest with DIY, because nobody else is watching updates and backups.
What three years costs at Tremhost prices
Using published prices, which renew at the same rate:
- DIY: Bvumba at $50 a year plus a .co.zw at $6.99 a year comes to about $171 over three years, plus your time.
- Managed WordPress: Micro at $175 a year plus a .co.zw comes to about $546 over three years, plus the time to write and update pages.
- Done for you: Basic web design at $550 a year, with the domain included, comes to $1,650 over three years.
Set those figures against what one extra customer a month is worth to your business.
Questions to decide
- How many enquiries or sales does the website bring, and what would a week offline cost?
- Who in the business will update the site, and how many hours a month can they give it?
- Has anyone on the team built or maintained a website before?
- How often does your content change?
Whatever you choose, keep the domain in the business’s name, keep logins in a shared password manager, and make sure backups exist somewhere other than the website itself.
Frequently asked questions
Can I start DIY and switch later?
Yes. A WordPress site on Tremhost web hosting can move to managed WordPress, and Tremhost’s migration from other cPanel hosts is free.
Do all options include email?
Web hosting and the website design package include unlimited email accounts. For managed WordPress, check what the plan includes for email; separate business email plans start at $5 a month.
How do I pay?
In US dollars by EcoCash, InnBucks, ZimSwitch, Omari, Visa, Mastercard or cryptocurrency.
Next step
If you want it done for you, see the Tremhost website design page. For DIY or managed options, follow the hosting and WordPress links above, or ask on WhatsApp on +263 73 563 9917, Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 17:00 CAT.
