On this page
  1. What a website builder gives you
  2. What a custom site gives you
  3. When a builder is the right answer
  4. When it is time for a custom site
  5. Moving off a builder

We build custom websites for a living, and we still tell some people to use Wix or Squarespace. Here is how we decide, so you can decide too.

What a website builder gives you

Builders like Wix and Squarespace give you hosting, templates and a drag-and-drop editor for a monthly fee. You can have something live in a weekend, and the basics are there: a domain, a contact form, page titles for Google and a layout that works on phones.

The trade-off is that you rent the site. The pages are built inside the builder's own system, so if you leave, you rebuild somewhere else. Wix, for example, does not let you export a site to another host. You can take your domain with you. You are also limited to what the builder allows, and every page carries the platform's own scripts, which can make it slower than a site built for one job.

What a custom site gives you

  • You own it. The site and its code are yours. You can move host, change developer or bring it in-house.
  • It is planned around how your customers decide. A page for each service, the questions people ask before they buy, and a clear way to get in touch.
  • It does what your business does. A booking flow that matches your diary, a quote form that fits your prices, a link to the system you already use.
  • It is fast. With nothing on the page that you do not need, it loads quickly on a phone.
Two columns. Website builder, you rent it: a monthly fee and live in a weekend, pages live inside the builder's system, leaving means rebuilding elsewhere, your domain can come with you, limited to what the builder allows. Custom site, you own it: thousands up front and weeks to build, the site and its code are yours, move host or developer when you like, built around how your customers decide, only what the page needs so it is fast.
What you are paying for with each.

The catch is cost and time: a custom site costs thousands rather than a monthly fee, and takes weeks rather than a weekend. Ours start at the figure on our price list, and a straightforward site takes four to six weeks from design sign-off.

When a builder is the right answer

  • You are just starting and want to test the idea before spending money.
  • Your customers find you by word of mouth and only need a page to check you are real.
  • Your budget is a few hundred pounds, not a few thousand.
  • You enjoy doing it yourself and have the time.

In any of those cases, a builder plus a well-kept Google Business Profile will serve you well. Come back when the site needs to do more.

When it is time for a custom site

  • You want the site to bring in work from Google, not just confirm you exist.
  • You have hit the limits of the builder: a feature you cannot add, or a design you cannot get right.
  • The site is slow on a phone and you can see people leaving.
  • You want to own what you are paying for.
A two-question flow. Should the site bring in work from Google? If yes, custom. If no: have you hit a limit, such as a feature you cannot add or a slow site on phones? If yes, custom. If no, a builder will do for now, with a well-kept Google Business Profile beside it.
Two questions that settle most cases.

Moving off a builder

If you already have a builder site with some search traffic, moving needs care. Every old address should point to its new page with a redirect, or the rankings you have built up are lost. We price that work separately and include it in the larger packages; ask any developer how they will handle it before you agree a price.

Want a figure for your own site? Use our cost calculator, or tell us what you need and we will say honestly whether a builder would do.