From Wix to Custom Code: Which Website Approach Will Grow Your Business?
By Roy Harryman
A small-business website is much like the next car you purchase: It can yield benefits and realize its potential year after year. Or it could end up being a lemon and money pit.
Whether you’re launching a new website or re-launching an existing one, you must begin by clearly identifying your purpose. In this case: Why do you want a website? Or a revamped website? What do you want the site to do for you?
To help you with brainstorming, here are a few reasons that could make sense:
Creating awareness of your business or organization
Selling products online
Soliciting donations online
Scheduling appointments
Capturing sales leads
Influencing opinions
Driving people into your physical business location
Promoting an event and registrations
What are your business objectives? It’s fine if they’re not on this list, as long as a website can help you attain them.
The wonderful thing about websites is you can accomplish nearly anything you want – at least from a technological perspective. But that’s also the downside: You can waste time and money creating gee-whiz features that will do absolutely nothing for your bottom line. Everything needs a purpose.
There are essentially three approaches to creating a site:
#1: High-tech approach
Your site is custom-built from scratch by a web developer and is likely also maintained by a developer. You don’t know what’s under the hood, but you know it works.
#2: Middle-ground approach
Your site is built with a customizable tool such as WordPress. Some technical proficiency, and possibly the help of a developer, will be required. You can open the hood, but you may not know what the parts do.
#3 Low-tech approach
Your site is built with a non-technical, template-oriented service popularized by companies including Wix, Squarespace and GoDaddy. There’s no hood to open.
Evaluating the approaches
#1 High tech
If money is not an issue, this approach would be optimal for all. Why? Because you can get exactly what you want. If you have ambitious plans for your website and adequate resources, this may be your best option. The downside is you will have higher expenses and, unless you’re a techie, will have difficulty administering your website. You’ll likely be dependent on a developer to keep things going and to troubleshoot.
If it makes sense for your business to have a powerful and highly-tailored website, this is the best of all worlds. You can get the site you need and delegate upkeep to employees or contractors, freeing yourself to focus on the core of your business.
This expenditure, like everything else, must create a reasonable return on your investment. For many small businesses, this won’t be the case. For example, if you make wedding cakes from your home, it’s probably unreasonable to spend $50,000 on a website. In that case, option two or three are better choices. But if your business has a higher volume and can automate many functions through a website, then it’s likely to pay for itself. You’ll have to do the math.
#2: The middle of the road
A second option is using a powerful development tool such as WordPress. This world-renowned platform is sometimes promoted as requiring no technological skills and as an ideal solution for novices. I disagree with this overly optimistic sentiment. While WordPress is certainly friendlier than staring at unintelligible lines of code, it still requires a significant amount of technical savvy. And unless you’re a pro, you still need a developer. Why? You’ll need an expert to customize the site. In addition, you’ll need a developer to fix things that break. And things will break. This is a good option for someone who wants a number of customized options and is not afraid to look under the hood. But don’t plan on going it totally alone.
#3 Low tech
The third approach is the simplest and least expensive and requires minimal technical skill. These are template-based websites created by companies including Wix, Squarespace, GoDaddy and many others. Their value is in providing a low-cost, low barrier-to-entry for small businesses. The downside is these sites limit creativity and innovation. Since their goal is to protect us from ourselves, they may limit the expression of our ideas. But they also protect us from the naivete that might lead us to wreck our site or get in over our heads. If your plans are basic or your budget is tight, this may be a good option for you. However, the more ambitious you get, the more you’ll be frustrated. If you’re new to working on websites, this may be a good place to start.
In addition, if you have a significant problem, you’ll have to solve it from a distance through text-based chats or international phone support. That’s not as satisfying as talking to a local consultant.
I inherited a client’s site that was having difficulty connecting to its domain. I rebuilt the site using one of these template-based services. However, the domain would still not connect (meaning the site was, in effect, offline).
I was mystified and went back and forth between the domain registrar and the site host for six weeks. The only thing they did was blame each other. I was caught in the middle and no one was going to lift a finger to help. I even reached out to a friend who managed a web team for a well-known international corporation. He couldn’t solve the dilemma.
It was only when I contacted Level Five, a Kansas City-based web development company, that I got resolution. I had inherited a serious and complicated problem, and the service providers did nothing to help. Level Five resolved the problem in about two hours on a Sunday afternoon.
In fairness, this was the first hard case I’ve had in more than 15 years of working with template-based sites. Yet it could happen to you.
Evaluating your options
Overwhelmed by all these details? Maybe an analogy will help. A first-time home buyer usually lacks the budget and expertise to acquire a dream home, so she begins with a starter. Once they move in, the family experiences the benefits and limitations of the house. Over time, they earn more and have a better idea of what they want in a home. Armed with this experience and more resources, they begin looking for a new residence that more adequately meets their needs.
If you’re not sure where to start, then begin with a lower investment and see how it works for you. It’s easier to move up in technical proficiency than it is to hit the wall and have to start over because the platform was overly technical.
A website will benefit any business or nonprofit. The question is, which approach is best for you?
Roy Harryman is the author of “Small Business, Big Impact: A No-Nonsense Marketing Strategy For Companies That Do More With Less.” This column is an excerpt from the book.