Most businesses choosing a website platform are really choosing between three approaches: a hosted site builder, a content management system such as WordPress, or a custom-built site. Each is a sensible choice in the right situation and a costly one in the wrong situation. This article explains what each approach gives you, what it takes away, and how to decide.
Hosted site builders
Products like Squarespace, Wix and Shopify bundle design templates, hosting and editing tools into a monthly subscription. You do not install anything or manage a server.
Where they fit
- Brochure sites with a handful of pages and content that changes occasionally.
- Small online shops where the built-in commerce tools cover what you sell.
- Businesses that want to edit everything themselves and have no technical support.
Where they struggle
- Anything the template does not anticipate. Custom layouts, unusual data or integrations with other systems are hard or impossible.
- Moving away later. Exporting content is usually limited and the design does not come with you.
- Performance and search optimisation are only as good as the platform allows, and you cannot change the underlying code.
Content management systems
WordPress is the most common example. The software is free and open source, and runs on hosting you choose. Thousands of themes and plugins extend it, and a developer can customise it without limit.
Where they fit
- Sites with a lot of content, regular publishing, or several people editing.
- Businesses that want a bespoke design but still need to edit pages themselves.
- Situations where you expect the site to grow and want to own the whole thing.
Where they struggle
- Maintenance. The core software, theme and every plugin need regular security updates. An unmaintained WordPress site is a common target for attackers.
- Plugin sprawl. Sites that rely on dozens of plugins become slow and fragile.
- You are responsible for hosting, backups and security, or you need someone who is.
Custom builds
A custom site is designed and coded specifically for your business, often as a fast static site or a modern web application. There is no template and no generic admin area unless one is built for you.
Where they fit
- Sites where speed, accessibility and search performance are a priority.
- Products and services with unusual requirements: calculators, booking flows, customer portals, integrations with internal systems.
- Businesses that want a distinctive design and complete control.
Where they struggle
- Higher upfront cost and a longer build.
- You will depend on a developer for structural changes, so choose one you expect to work with long term.
How to decide
- List what the site must do. Not what it should look like, but what it must do: take bookings, show a catalogue, publish articles, capture leads, integrate with your accounts package.
- Think three years ahead. If you expect to add a shop, a members' area or a second language, a builder that cannot do those things now will force a rebuild later.
- Be honest about who will maintain it. A platform you cannot update yourself needs a maintenance arrangement, and that cost belongs in the comparison.
- Check you can leave. Ask how you would export your content and move to another provider. If the answer is unclear, treat that as a cost.
Our view. For most small businesses a well-built custom site or a carefully maintained content management system gives better performance and more flexibility than a site builder, provided someone is responsible for keeping it running. That is exactly the gap our hosting and maintenance service exists to fill.