When it’s time to create your website, one of the biggest decisions you’ll face isn’t about colours or fonts. It’s about how you’ll build it! Do you go the DIY route, customizing everything yourself from scratch, or do you choose a done-for-you Squarespace template, where most of the heavy lifting has already been done for you?

Both paths can lead to a website that works for your business, but the best option depends on your time, budget, confidence with design, and how quickly you want to launch.

Let’s break down the difference between DIY and done-for-you templates so you can make the right choice for your business!

What It Really Means to DIY Your Website

Designing your site yourself can feel exciting and even empowering! You have total control over how everything looks, you can experiment as much as you like, and you can launch on your own terms.

In Squarespace, this usually means starting with one of the base templates and customizing every element yourself from the layout and fonts to the navigation and spacing, as well as making sure your site is optimized on all screen sizes, and optimized for Google search engines (SEO).

DIY design works well if you:

Enjoy learning new creative tools
Have time to experiment
Don’t mind problem-solving
Are working with a limited budget

But the reality is without experience in design or strategy, DIY websites often take much longer to finish, and can take lots of time away from your business. If you don’t have a proper design background, the results can feel inconsistent or unpolished. You might find yourself tweaking fonts for hours or struggling to make sections look cohesive.

While Squarespace is incredibly user-friendly, there’s still a learning curve. Getting everything to look professional (and function beautifully on all devices) requires time, patience, and some trial and error. It’s also easy to push SEO best practices to the side when DIYing your own site, as many people focus a lot on the visual aspects and not the back end structures.

What Is a Done-for-You Squarespace Website Template?

A done-for-you Squarespace template certainly gives you a head start. It’s a fully designed website that’s ready to personalize.

Instead of beginning with a blank canvas, you start with a professional design built by someone who understands layout, branding, and conversion. All you have to do is replace the demo content with your own words, images, and brand colors.

It’s ideal for business owners who want:

A professional website that looks like it was custom-designed
A quick launch timeline
A structure that already includes conversion strategy
Freedom to edit and update the site themselves

Think of it as the best of both worlds — the flexibility of DIY, but the polish and strategy of professional design.

That’s exactly what our Squarespace Website Templates are designed to do: help you skip the design overwhelm and start with a site that’s already built to work.

The Real Differences Between DIY Websites and Done-for-You Templates

While both options let you create your own website, they deliver very different experiences.

When you go DIY, you’re responsible for everything — from structure, spacing, fonts, colours, layout, to strategy. You’ll spend a lot of time making creative decisions and troubleshooting along the way, which ultimately takes time away from the parts of your business you love.

With a template, those decisions are already made for you by a designer who knows what works. The layout is cohesive, the flow is logical, and every section is built to guide visitors naturally through your content. So instead of wondering, “Where should I put my testimonials?” or “How big should my headline be?”, you simply plug your content into a pre-tested structure.

DIY gives you full freedom, but it also gives you all the responsibility. A done-for-you template gives you structure, strategy, and design expertise all wrapped into one.

Why Done-for-You Squarespace Website Templates Convert Better

A professional template doesn’t just make your website look better. It helps it perform better.

Done-for-you website templates are built with intention. Designers think about how users move through a page, where their eyes land first, and what kind of content helps build trust and encourage action.

That means your site automatically includes:

A clear, compelling hero (first) section with your value statement
Logical sections that tell your brand story
Strategically placed calls to action
A balance of white space and hierarchy that feels effortless

Every Figment Branding Squarespace Template follows this framework — designed not only for beauty but for conversion. Your site will guide visitors smoothly from curiosity to confidence to clicking “Book Now.”

Another key advantage? Accessibility and mobile optimization are built in from the start. You don’t have to guess if your text is readable or if your colors meet contrast guidelines — those details are already considered for you.

When DIY Web Design Might Still Make Sense

There are definitely situations where the DIY route can be the right fit. If you’re just getting started, experimenting with a new idea, or building a simple personal website, designing it yourself can be a valuable learning experience.

Squarespace’s drag-and-drop system makes it possible to create something functional and visually appealing, even without prior design experience. DIY can also be a good option if you genuinely enjoy the creative process and have the time to learn through trial and error. However, if your website plays a key role in attracting clients, building credibility, or generating sales, the time investment required to DIY may end up costing more than expected — both in hours spent and opportunities missed.

How Our Squarespace Website Templates Make It Easy For Small Business Owners

At Figment Branding, every Squarespace template is designed specifically for small business owners who want a professional, strategic, and stylish website without a massive price tag or steep learning curve.

Each template includes thoughtfully planned layouts that support storytelling and conversion, built-in accessibility to create an inclusive and trustworthy experience, and flexible customization options for fonts, colors, and sections.

You’ll also find guided tutorials that walk you through the setup process, helping you launch confidently and efficiently. It’s everything you’d expect from a high-end designer, but simplified and made approachable.

Ready to Launch with Confidence?

Skip the overwhelm and explore the Figment Branding Squarespace Template Shop. Each template is professionally designed, conversion-ready, and fully customizable — so you can launch a polished, purposeful website in days, not weeks. Have any questions? Don’t hesitate to reach out!

DIY vs. Templates: Which Is Right for Your Website?