Website builders like Wix and Squarespace have made it easy to get online, and for some businesses they're the right choice. But it's worth understanding what you're signing up for before you build your business on one.
Renting vs owning
With a website builder, you're renting. Your site lives on their platform, and you pay a monthly or yearly subscription for as long as you want it online. If you stop paying, the site goes. If you want to move, you generally can't take the design with you, so you start again.
With a custom website, the files are yours. You can host them with almost any provider, hand them to another developer, or move them later without rebuilding.
Speed
Builders have to support thousands of different features, and every site carries some of that weight, whether it uses those features or not. A custom site only includes what it needs, which usually makes it faster on phones. Speed matters to customers and to Google.
Cost over time
A builder looks cheap at the start because there's no upfront build cost. Over a few years, the subscriptions, paid add ons and the time you spend on it yourself add up. A custom site costs more upfront, then usually less to run.
When a builder is the better choice
- You're just starting out and need something online this week.
- You enjoy doing it yourself and have the time.
- You need to change content every day, and want an editor built in.
When custom makes more sense
- Your website is a main source of new customers.
- You want to look different from competitors using the same templates.
- You care about loading speed and being found on Google.
- You want to own what you've paid for.
Not sure which suits you? I'm happy to give you an honest answer, even if it's "stick with your builder for now". Get in touch.