Every platform sells itself as the answer. The honest answer is a set of trade-offs. This guide gives you the questions that settle it, before you speak to anyone who sells a particular platform.
The four options in plain terms
- A hosted site builder, such as Wix: you design inside the builder's editor and the company hosts everything. It is quick to start and easy to edit. You depend on its templates, its limits and its monthly plan.
- A hosted shop platform, such as Shopify: built for selling, with products, payments, shipping and inventory in one place. It is the quickest route to a working shop, with monthly fees and fees on sales or payments that you should read carefully.
- WordPress: open-source software you install on your own hosting. It is flexible, has a huge ecosystem of themes and plug-ins, and you own the site. You also have to keep it updated, backed up and secure.
- A custom build: designed and coded for your needs, often with a content system behind it. It gives the most control over speed, design and features, and needs a team to build and maintain it.
The questions that settle it
- What must the site do in the first year? A few pages that explain you and collect enquiries is a very different job from a shop with hundreds of products.
- Who will update it, and how often? If the owner edits text weekly, choose something the owner can edit without breaking it.
- Will it sell online? If yes, begin with a platform built for selling unless you have a strong reason not to.
- How much does speed and search matter? All of them can be fast and well built, and none is fast by default. Ask for the mobile speed of real sites on the platform, not of the template.
- Who owns the site and the content? You should be able to export your text, images and data and move on if you wish.
- What will it cost to run, not only to build? Add hosting, plug-ins, themes, payment fees, maintenance and the time of whoever looks after it.
A simple way to choose
- A small service business that needs a clear site and enquiries: a well-built site on WordPress or a custom build is usually enough, and a site builder can do for a first version.
- A shop with a handful to a few hundred products: a hosted shop platform, with a designer to set up the look and the photography.
- A brand that needs a distinctive design, strong speed and room to grow: a custom build, or a carefully built WordPress site with a small, controlled set of plug-ins.
- A first test of an idea: use a builder, keep the content, and rebuild when the idea has proved itself.
Mistakes to avoid
Choosing a platform because a friend uses it. Paying for a custom build when a simple site would do, or the reverse. Installing plug-ins for every small idea until the site slows down. Not asking who looks after updates and backups. Not setting up the domain in your own name.
Next steps
Write down what the site must do, who will edit it and what it may cost to run. Get a range from the website cost calculator, read how much a website costs in India, and use the website readiness checklist so your text, photos and logins are ready before a studio starts. For a view on which route suits you, see our web design service or send a short brief.
