Bespoke website or ready made software?

A lot of businesses come to us because they want a website that has been hand crafted with care, and tailored to do the job they want it to.  It is possible to create websites another way, using blogging software like Wordpress, or e-commerce platforms like Shopify.

Wordpress, Shopify and other ready made software platforms would like you to believe that they are a quick, cheap and easy way to get a website, but it’s not as straightforward as that.  That’s why I wanted to give you my opinion on choosing a bespoke website versus buying a ready made solution.

Designed Around You

If you choose a Wordpress website you can choose a ‘theme’ or a ‘template’, you will inevitably end up with the same looking website as someone else out there.  These templates also have pretty limited functionality.  After buying a template and adding all of your text and images, you might find that it doesn’t quite do what you want it to do, and you’re left frustrated with a second-rate product.

We create websites around the needs of our clients, we don’t shoehorn an idea into a template just because we like the look of it.   Your customers want to connect with you, not with a template designed for other people. 

A CMS That Does What You Want

If you have a website, you'll want to be able to manage it yourself, using what's known as a Content Management System (CMS). 

If you opt for a ready-made CMS it can be difficult to use, and have a bewildering array of options (so that it suits everyone who uses the template).  You might find you're only using a small part of the CMS, and all the othe bits you don't use just make the whole thing slow and unwieldy. 

When we create the CMS, we build it to suit the needs of our client, just like the main website.  So the CMS does what our clients want, and they are as easy to use as the websites themselves.

Ready for the Future

Custom built websites are great for growing businesses - they can grow as you grow.  If you create a website using a particular template or platform, you might find that when you want to change something or add a new feature, then that isn’t something that the template can do, which locks you in and puts a limit on what you can achieve.

Updates and Security

Just like your phone or your computer, Wordpress websites needs to be updated, to maintain their security.  This can take a couple of hours a month, and if you don’t keep on top of it your site can become unstable and may be vulnerable to being hacked.   What’s worse is that some templates or plugins are no longer supported by the updated versions of Wordpress, so you are stuck with either an unsafe website or an unusable one.

Our CMS is robust and secure, and it doesn’t need updating.  It’s also “open standard”, meaning it can talk to your CRM software, stock control software or accounting package if you need it to.

Cost and Speed

It's true - a ready made template is cheaper and can be up and running quicker than a custom built website.   If you have a very limited budget and you're in a rush then a template may be the best option for you.

Our work is bespoke so you only pay for what you need.  We don't try to sell you up to something you have no use for.

Search Engines Like Unique Websites

When we create a bespoke website, we do so with search engine optimisation in mind.  We consider how the website will achieve your goals before we even write a line of code.  Templates and themes often don’t have this, meaning your website will be harder to find in google.

Our team spend a lot of time on research and development, discovering industry best practices to ensure we're up to date, and so that our work can stand the test of time.

Conclusion

We have a reputation for creating bespoke websites that get results.  An out of date, insecure template website may be cheaper to get up and running, but it can end up being worse than not having a website at all.

Some web design agencies pass off templates as custom design, we don’t do that.  We’re passionate about doing it the right way; we design high performance websites from scratch for businesses that want to make the most out of being online.

If you’re considering a new website please get in touch, we’d love to talk about how we can work together.