Business websites
Should you choose a custom website or a website builder?
Start with the work the site must do. Custom development helps when a real requirement cannot be handled sensibly by the simpler option.
Separate a custom look from a custom system
A brand can need an original design without needing a completely new technical platform. Conversely, a simple-looking site may have complicated integrations behind it. List the unusual requirements and ask for a demonstration of each. Then check how your team edits routine content and what happens when you leave the supplier. Compare maintenance and ownership along with launch cost; flexibility has little value if nobody can safely use it afterward.
Write the constraints
List integrations, languages, content volume and editing frequency. Identify which requirements are standard and which genuinely need unusual behaviour. Distinguish a bespoke visual design from a completely custom technical system.
Test the owner’s work
Ask the intended editor to update a page and preview the result in each candidate approach. Include mobile and translated content. The demonstration should use your tasks, not a supplier’s polished example unrelated to the business.
Compare lifetime responsibility
Review hosting, updates, portability and support with named owners. A flexible system needs somebody to maintain its flexibility. A convenient builder needs an exit plan and a clear understanding of subscription and export limitations.
Identify the requirement that needs custom work
Ask for a demonstration of the difficult part: an unusual quotation process, integration or content relationship. If a standard tool handles it well, custom development needs another reason. If it cannot, document the gap and who will maintain the custom solution once the original developer leaves.
Official references
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