Why Bother with a Custom Website?

In this day and age, DIY is life, so why bother hiring someone to make you a custom website? We’re so glad that you asked! There are so many little details that go into a website for any brand or business. Here are just a few big reasons why having a custom will save you time and money while attracting more customers and followers.

No Limitations

We’re not here to disparage website building applications. In fact, we’ve used them before ourselves and understand the initial appeal. DIY Website builders can seem cheap and convenient and they don’t look too hard to use. For many users, a low cost website builder may seem like a more reasonable financial commitment when starting out a new business.

What we’ve learned from experience, though, is that many bloggers and brands end up feeling limited and stuck with the fixed templates of website builders, and this is especially true as their businesses grow. Website builders and templates are made to appeal to the masses, not just for viewers, but for users, too. That means half the design is set in stone for you and all you have to do is drag-and-drop to plug in the specifics. This makes it incredibly easy to throw up some basic pages, like a landing page, “About Me”, and “Contact Us!” 

But what about when it’s time to add on an e-commerce page? What if you need functionality for scheduling clients? Or what if you wanted to revamp your entire blog? Many website builders include tools for these types of things. Sadly, the flexibility for implementing them is often quite limited. Furthermore, once you’ve set up a new widget within your website builder, it can often create even more limitations to customize and fit the website to your brand.

A custom website allows you to have maximum control over every part of your website. It makes it easier to update when it’s time to refresh your brand or to add something on when it’s time for your website to expand. All in all, it offers flexibility. And that will save you a lot of time in terms of your website so that you can focus on bigger and better things in your business.

There’s a Plug-In for That

Every business has different needs and that means there’s no one-size-fits-all template or theme out there; it always ends up being a compromise. The type of web tools a real estate agent needs is going to be different from what a florist would use. A restaurant is going to want a different type of scheduling and ordering system than an event planner. Doesn’t it make sense for everyone to have a website that fits their business?

That is why we learn about all the needs of your business before building your custom website. What are your business goals? Why do you need a website? What can we do to make it easier for your audience to access your brand?

A cookie-cutter website template isn’t going to take all the little details of your business into consideration, and attention to those details is what sets apart a simple website from an exceptional one. With a custom website, your website will both look good while also offering an excellent customer experience.

Let’s Talk About Budget

The number one reason brands and businesses are reluctant to start off with a custom-made website is because of price. We get it! Spending up to $2000 on a new website is a scary thing. Of course no one really likes to talk about money, but it’s necessary to consider.

If you’re just talking about having a website, then spending $200 a year on a website builder or $100 for a premade WordPress template seems a lot more affordable in the short-term. Unfortunately what we’ve seen is that later on, many business owners hesitate to upgrade to a much-needed custom website when it’s time to grow, because they’ve already spent so many hours working with their website builder. What once seemed like a cash saver has become a huge time waster – and time equals money

Let’s say that again together: TIME. EQUALS. MONEY.

That’s why it’s absolutely necessary to consider how many hours you’ll be spending on your website and how much time that will take away from focusing on your brand and business. Consider all the design choices you might not even know exist. Will you know that the font you love is actually really difficult for some people to read? How much business will pass you by because your navigation bar takes up half your screen on one of the web browsers you don’t use? Or worse, on mobile devices? How many people are going to click the “X” to close their browser because all of your images take a century to load? Everyone knows that time is money, after all – customers included!

We could never discuss all of the issues that can pop up in a single blog post. Experience and dedication are important because they result in the skills and judgement to create a spectacular website. It’s vital to find a reliable team who can help you make the most powerful impact on your target market’s user experience.

Sidewalk Support

We’re not here to share “The Top 5 Essentials Every Business Website Must Have” because the truth is that there is no such secret. You’ve worked so hard to create a unique brand. Don’t you and your customers deserve a website that is just as awesome?

Our team at Sidewalk Marketing is here to guarantee that your website checks off all the boxes. We will absolutely ensure your site both looks beautiful and works perfectly. Whether you need a whole new website or you simply need a little help refining what you already have, we’re here to help! Contact us today to discuss how we can best support your business and help you build and maintain an authentic online presence.