Custom website or website builder? What a growing business should know
Builders are quick to start. Custom-coded sites are faster, safer and fully yours. Where each one makes sense.
Website builders have made it easy to get a site online in an afternoon. For many small businesses that is a fine start. As the business grows and starts spending on ads, the website becomes a sales tool, and its limits start to matter.
Speed
Builders load code for every feature they offer, whether you use it or not. A custom site loads only what it needs. On mobile data, a faster page means fewer people leave before it opens, which directly affects what you get from ad spend.
Security
A custom site can be locked down for exactly how it works: private folders blocked from the web, strict security headers, forms protected against spam and forgery, and enquiries stored encrypted. You are not waiting for a platform to add protections.
Ownership
With a builder, your site lives on their platform and moving away usually means starting again. A custom PHP site is a set of files you own and can host anywhere.
When a builder still makes sense
- You are testing an idea and need something live this week
- You will not run ads to the site yet
- You want to edit everything yourself without help
When the website starts carrying your marketing, it is worth building it properly. That is why every website we build is custom-coded.