The verdict in three sentences
Wix and Squarespace are perfect for getting started, but a Sydney SME in business events, real estate or professional services eventually pays for their limits in lost leads: slow mobile pages, constrained SEO, clunky CRM integrations. A custom site at EUR 8,000 to 20,000 (USD 8,800 to 22,000), with a clean URL migration at EUR 1,500 to 4,000, becomes profitable as soon as it brings a few more qualified enquiries each month. The real risk is not the cost, it is a rushed migration that drops organic traffic by 30 to 60%.
Comparing costs over 3 years
The Wix subscription looks unbeatable until you add paid apps, lost hours and missed opportunities.
| Item | Wix or Squarespace | Custom site |
|---|---|---|
| Build or redesign | EUR 0 to 2,500 (theme + freelancer) | EUR 8,000 to 20,000 (USD 8,800 to 22,000) |
| Subscription or hosting | EUR 30 to 50 per month | EUR 80 to 200 per month (hosting + maintenance) |
| Third-party apps (booking, forms, reviews) | EUR 20 to 80 per month | Built into the project |
| URL and content migration | Not applicable | EUR 1,500 to 4,000 |
| Total cost over 3 years | EUR 2,600 to 7,600 | EUR 12,400 to 31,200 |
| Code ownership | No | Yes, fully portable |
The 3-year gap is therefore EUR 10,000 to 24,000. The real question: how many extra clients does it take to cover it?
The limits that cost you leads
| Metric | Typical SME Wix site | Optimized custom site |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile load time (LCP) | 3.5 to 6 s | 1.2 to 2 s |
| Mobile PageSpeed score | 35 to 60 | 90 to 100 |
| Visitor to enquiry rate | 0.8 to 1.5% | 2 to 4% |
| Control of SEO markup and structured data | Partial | Full |
| Multilingual pages | Paid, rigid structure | Native with hreflang |
| CRM integration and automated quotes | Through apps | Custom built |
In Sydney, conference, premium property and B2B service clients are often international. Clean multilingual pages with dedicated URLs carry real weight.
Migrating without losing your rankings
A serious migration follows a strict method: inventory every indexed URL, map 301 redirects one by one, carry over title tags and descriptions, keep the content that ranks, submit the new sitemap, then monitor Search Console for 8 weeks. Done well, it causes a temporary 5 to 15% dip over 2 to 6 weeks, followed by gains from faster pages. Done badly, with pages deleted and no redirects, it can cost 30 to 60% of traffic for months. Realistic budget: EUR 1,500 to 4,000 depending on page count, from 30 to 300.
Mini case study
Julian, managing director of a corporate events agency in Sydney, gets 2,500 visitors a month on Wix and converts at 1%, or 25 enquiries. He invests EUR 14,000 (about USD 15,400) in a custom site and EUR 2,500 in migration. After 4 months, conversion reaches 2.6%, or 65 enquiries. With a 20% win rate and EUR 1,800 margin per event, the 40 extra enquiries bring roughly EUR 14,400 in monthly margin. Even with that assumption divided by 3, break-even comes in under 4 months.
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
FAQ
When does leaving Wix pay off?
As soon as the site generates more than 15 to 20 enquiries a month or each client is worth over EUR 1,000 in margin. Below that, staying on Wix with a good theme may be enough.
Will I lose my Google rankings?
Not if 301 redirects are mapped page by page. A 5 to 15% dip for a few weeks is normal, and traffic usually ends above its starting level.
How long does a full migration take?
Allow 6 to 10 weeks for a 20 to 80 page site, including 1 to 2 weeks for the redirect plan and testing.
Can I still edit my content myself like on Wix?
Yes, a CMS such as Sanity or WordPress lets you edit pages, news and images. Training takes about 2 hours.
What monthly costs should I expect after launch?
EUR 80 to 200 a month for hosting, backups, security and small changes, roughly 2 to 4 times a Wix plan, with code ownership on top.
Let's scope your project. Send us your Wix or Squarespace URL and your enquiry volume: we will price the EUR 8,000 to 20,000 rebuild, the SEO migration and your break-even point. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
