If you’re building a new business, launching your website likely falls at the top of your to-do list. But it also may feel overwhelming if this is new territory for you. With limited resources, you may be deciding between turnkey website vs custom website design for your site. No doubt, that decision comes with lots of questions, such as how to weigh the balance between your available budget and the return on your investment, what features and integrations you need on your site, and perhaps whether you really need a website in the age of social media.
Turnkey Vs Custom Website Design | Evaluate Pros & Cons
Let’s explore some of these questions, and the pros and cons of turnkey website builders versus building a custom website.
Turnkey Builders: Quick & affordable
Turnkey website builders offer a user-friendly way to create a professional-looking website without coding knowledge.
If you need specific features or functionality for your business, some builders may not offer advanced features needed for complex websites.
Popular Options:
Squarespace:
Known for its sleek templates and intuitive, beginner-friendly drag-and-drop interface, this turnkey site builder may be ideal for visually driven businesses looking to get online quickly and with minimal fuss.
Wix:
Wix offers a drag-and-drop editor, a wide range of templates and an AI-powered design tool. This builder may have more of a learning curve than SquareSpace, but also offers more customization options.
Shopify:
Specifically designed for e-commerce, Shopify integrates robust features for online storefronts.
Weebly:
Simple and straightforward, Weebly is also designed for e-commerce, and appeals to beginners and small businesses with basic needs.
Pros:
Turnkey website builders avoid expensive upfront development costs, but instead charge monthly subscription fees that startups may find more affordable at the beginning of their brand journey. Some turnkey builders even have free plans (but with many limitations and generally lacking a custom domain).
With no coding knowledge required, these website builders are user friendly, making them accessible for solopreneurs who have a basic level of tech-savvy but no website design experience.
Fast setup options allow you to launch your website quickly.
Cons:
Templates are great for fast setup but may restrict customization and design flexibility.
Additionally, building on generic templates means your website may resemble others using the same templates. How important standing out visually is to your business often depends on the nature of your business and market competition.
And while a monthly subscription cost may be more affordable than a large initial cash outlay to develop a new site, it may cost you more in the long run—both as those monthly fees add up over time and due to lost sales if the functionality and customization options don’t meet your strategy needs.
Custom website design: Tailored & unique
A custom website allows for complete design control and tailored functionality. Working with a website designer or development firm can provide greater customization and ensure you have the integrations you’ll need. But remember there will still be work required on your part to ensure the end product is a website that serves your business needs.
That’s where working with a strategic agency like Better Way Branding can help guide and streamline the process, to make sure your investment results in a tool that achieves your business goals. We’ll help guide you through the process of planning your website, whether you’re working with one of our trusted website designers or your preferred vendor. That process includes:
Step one: Define your goals.
You’ll need to create a clear outline your website’s purpose, target audience, desired features and basic navigation.
Step two: Request quotes.
Once you’ve defined the goals for your website, you can request design quotes with a detailed scope of work and clear deliverables. The better you have defined your goals in step one, the more detail you’ll have to include in your request for quotes. This is a critical step to getting a final result that meets your needs and stays on budget.
Step three: Provide brand guidelines and inspiration.
Your designer needs access to your brand logo, as well as documentation of your colors, fonts and visual identity guidelines to adhere to your brand standards. Providing examples of websites you like, in terms of aesthetic, navigation, and user experience, can help the designer create a site that fulfills your vision.
Step four: Preparing content.
In most cases, your website design quote will only include only design, with responsibility for providing copy, images, videos and other creative assets falling on you.
Building a custom site on a budget: Tips for trimming costs
If you’ve determined you need a custom site and you’re trying to keep costs in check, here are a few ways to get the most bang for your buck:
Start with a clear plan.
Website projects often go over budget because clients don’t have a clear idea of what they need going into the project, so the initial design concepts end up missing the mark. This results in additional revisions and proofing rounds. Most project quotes include a set number of revisions, with additional costs incurred if you require additional work.
Consider requesting branded page templates in your quote.
If you have a moderate level of comfort with a no-code content management system (CMS) like WordPress, you can have branded page templates built that will allow you to easily create new content pages on your own when you need them. Make sure to discuss with the designer what platform they will use for your site and ask them to include training on to adapt and use these templates.
Prioritize essential pages and features to start.
Focus on the core features content you need now and add more later as your business grows. Make sure you communicate with your designer what features and content you may want to add later, so they can consider future incorporation of these elements in their initial design.
But… do I really need a website?
Before we close out, let’s touch on this question, which businesses are asking themselves more and more frequently. While websites used to be your digital front door, social media has changed that landscape. Now customers may be finding you through any number of social platforms—they’re coming to you through figurative back doors, side entrances or maybe even through the window!
If that’s the case, do you really need a website? In most cases, the answer is still yes, because it’s a platform YOU control. Consider what happens if you’re fully dependent on Facebook for your digital presence and suddenly your page gets flagged/banned for a policy violation. Also consider how political turmoil has affected platforms like TikTok and X.
It’s best practice to have a digital presence you own and control, then build a strategy that integrates social platforms with your website.
That being true, if you’re in the very early stages of starting a business and operating on a true shoestring budget, forgoing a website presence temporarily and relying on social platforms is possible—but be sure you’re making a plan for how you’ll eventually launch your own site.
Wrap-up: Key factors to consider
- Budget: Turnkey builders are more affordable, while custom sites require a larger investment.
- Technical Skills: Turnkey builders are user-friendly, while custom sites may require coding knowledge.
- Customization: Custom sites offer greater design flexibility and functionality.
- Time: Turnkey builders allow for faster website launches.
Choosing a turnkey vs custom website design depends on your budget, technical skills, and business needs. At Better Way Branding, we can help you assess your options and create a website that aligns with your goals.
