A professional website is much more than just a showcase of online business activities. It is a useful tool that helps sell products or services and gain a positive customer experience. From this article, you will learn why your company should develop a website from scratch rather than use one of the ready-made templates offered by popular website builders.
Benjamin Franklin once aptly stated that only death and taxes are certain in this world. In business, we would add, the proven figures are equally certain. Let’s take a look at what they say about the dynamics of e-commerce growth. They will show why you must stay active with your business in the virtual world.
Online Sales in Numbers:
- In 2020, 256 million Americans shopped online. By 2024, this number is projected to grow to 278.3 million and the value of products and services sold online could reach $6 trillion annually.
- Nearly three out of four internet users in the European Union shop online. Almost every second of these people spent between 100-500 euros on online shopping in the three months preceding the survey.
Why is the Popularity of Online Shopping Growing so Fast?
There are several reasons for this. Over the last decade, we have become accustomed to convenient, cashless, and time-saving online shopping. The market is changing all the time to make the whole process even easier and more pleasant.
Today, as customers we appreciate:
- Access to a larger range of products and services
- The possibility of deferred payment or 0% installments
- Free shipping and returns
- Cashback
- Exclusive online offers
- More convenient return policy
- Price comparison websites
- Real-time availability of products and services
- The opportunity to find out others’ feedback as well as to give your own product rating.
Additionally, the Coronavirus pandemic has had a strong impact on our shopping habits and decisions. During this period a large percentage of traditional consumers have had the opportunity to benefit from the convenience of online shopping and be convinced by it. Certainly, this time and money-saving shopping is here to stay with us and on a scale, we never even dreamed of a few years ago.
E-commerce Website from a Wizard vs Website Built From Scratch
The internet has a global reach which means that an online business can potentially meet millions of customers around the world. This is particularly important for businesses that offer niche products or services as it can be difficult to find a large customer base in a specific geographical area. To run a successful online business having a user-friendly website is key. It can help increase engagement and improve customer satisfaction.
An effective website for selling products and services should be responsive, fast-loading, attractively designed, and intuitive for the user. An optimized website is a must for almost any business activity today. With this in mind, it is time to face the title question. Is a website built from scratch much better than a ready-made template from Wix?
As is often the case in the IT industry: it depends.
It depends on the purpose of the site, its size, and the direction of business growth. Is it just a simple showcase of your online business or something more? Let’s say we run a small florist. If we want contact details, an access map, and a gallery kept up to date along with a social media presence–a ready-made template from the website creator will work just fine.
Things are different when a small florist is just the starting point for a larger brand that will transform over time into online sales and a florist’s center with a wide range of products and services. The same applies when we intend to acquire new customers mainly online. If the project is to be large, flexible, and SEO-friendly we will need functionalities that website builders usually don’t offer for free.
Do you already know that you need a bigger project? Great, let’s move on.
The Main Advantages of Building a Website From Scratch
Management
Undoubtedly, a great advantage of a website builder is its low price, especially compared to the expense of a complete website development. There are, however, considerable limitations behind the attractive rate. When building a website using available templates, we usually have only basic-level functions at our disposal and only the provider has the possibility to make major changes. When we build a bespoke website we have the ability to manage every element of it from content and the admin panel to decide how it looks in the browser.
Responsiveness
Let us refer to the numbers again. One of the most significant trends in e-commerce is the dynamic increase in the use of mobile devices in purchasing processes. As of the last quarter of 2022, smartphones accounted for approximately 74% of retail site traffic worldwide and generated 63% of online shopping orders. Purchases made via mobile devices are extremely popular in Asia. In South Korea, two-thirds of total online transaction value comes from mobile traffic. Why are we mentioning this? Because if we want to play a vital role in the game for customers who make purchases using smartphones, we must have a responsive website, i.e., one that looks as good on a tablet and mobile as it is on a laptop.
Appearance
The website builder is based on ready-made templates. On the one hand, it favors the quick and efficient construction of the website and on the other–it severely limits the possibilities of a creative approach to the subject. The number of ready-made solutions and templates is limited. It doesn’t always respond to your needs and ideas (advanced work with the creator requires at least basic design skills). It means that your page may not be consistent with the visual identity and character of the brand. Working with a software development company and a professional web designer you will not experience such problems.
Speed
Have you ever left the site before it is fully loaded? Exactly. The studies show: a delay of two seconds in loading a site causes almost nine out of ten people to skip elsewhere. The conclusion is obvious. The website must load fast. Sites created using templates sometimes have a problem with the loading speed, especially if they are running on a server alongside hundreds of other similarly built websites, which is often the case. It is much easier to work on website performance with programmers when we give the loading speed a high priority at the beginning.
Optimization
Speed plays a significant role in the positioning of websites by Google. The mechanism is simple. Silicon Valley’s giant’s algorithms promote high-quality content and websites that pay attention to user experience and satisfaction. In terms of their display, quality, and service as well. With pages from templates, we do not have control over many of the website’s performance parameters. It is difficult to adapt the website to the changing search engine guidelines and thus the website ranking may be lower.
Hosting
There is a significant difference between a Wix or Element website and one commissioned from scratch. When building a website with a software development company it becomes our property. It means that changing the server provider—in case of dissatisfaction with the services provided—will not be a problem. It is different in terms of websites from the wizard. Usually, there is no way to export the page. You have to start building elsewhere or stay with the existing infrastructure.
Support
Suppose you are unfamiliar with IT, employ few people, or there are no IT specialists on a payroll. What will you do in case of technical problems? We can get professional help at Wix or Elementor but it requires an additional fee. Professional software development companies take care of their clients comprehensively. They help not only to create a website that meets the needs of the business but also take care of its launch and subsequent maintenance on the server.
Develop Your Website With Sidnet
Every business is unique and a website should reflect this. If we operate in the e-commerce sector or are planning an online presence far beyond the traditional business card, it is worth considering building a website from scratch based on a personalized design.
Not familiar with IT? You’ve come to the right place. You can entrust us with a complete set of works on your website.
Comprehensive Website Development Includes, Among Others:
- UX and UI design
- Programming
- Project management
- Server administration
- Long-term technical support
Contact us today and let’s create a great website together.
