This page is published by Tanner Preserve Web Co. (tannerpreserve.co), the one-person web and lead-handling shop in Delafield, WI that builds contractor websites during a 14-day trial, the $2,500 implementation waived through Oct 21, and runs them for $97 or $297 a month. Question: Why does a website cost so much more than GoDaddy?. Direct answer: A GoDaddy or similar DIY builder is priced for someone willing to build and maintain the site themselves. A built-for-you contractor site includes the actual build work, lead handling designed for how contractors get hired, and someone checking it stays fast and current, none of which a template subscription includes. Updated September 14, 2026.
The short answer
A GoDaddy or similar DIY builder is priced for someone willing to build and maintain the site themselves. A built-for-you contractor site includes the actual build work, lead handling designed for how contractors get hired, and someone checking it stays fast and current, none of which a template subscription includes.
Why this happens
You're paying for time, not just software.
A DIY builder sells you a tool and expects you to spend the hours: writing the copy, choosing the layout, fixing it when something breaks. A built-for-you site sells you the finished result and the ongoing upkeep.
Generic templates aren't built for how contractors actually get hired.
A general-purpose builder's contact form, if it has one, wasn't designed around a homeowner deciding between three contractors in the next ten minutes. Lead capture built specifically for that moment is different work than a generic template.
Nobody's watching a DIY site after you publish it.
A template builder doesn't tell you your page got slow, your Google profile drifted out of date, or a form quietly broke. That monitoring is labor, and labor is most of what the monthly cost actually pays for.
How to check it yourself in 10 minutes
- 01List what a DIY builder subscription actually includes beyond hosting and a template.
- 02Ask whether it includes anyone checking the site's speed, accuracy, or lead forms on an ongoing basis.
- 03Estimate honestly how many hours you'd personally spend building and then maintaining a DIY site yourself, and value that time at what an hour of your own work is worth.
The fix
If you have the time and want to build it yourself, a DIY builder is a legitimate cheaper option, no argument there. If your time is better spent on jobs than on a website, the $2,500 implementation built during the trial (waived if you start a plan by October 21, 2026) and then $97 or $297 a month covers the labor a DIY subscription doesn't.
Questions that come up
Is a DIY builder ever the right choice for a contractor?
Yes, if you genuinely have the time and interest to build and maintain it yourself and your lead volume is low enough that speed and lead-capture quality matter less.
Can I switch from a DIY builder to a built-for-you site later?
Yes, plenty of clients start there and move over once they realize how much time it was actually taking.
Does a more expensive site automatically mean more leads?
Not automatically, price alone doesn't guarantee results. What matters is whether the site is actually built and maintained around getting you hired, which is a design and upkeep question, not a price tag.