subject: Considerations In The Deciding Between A Custom Website And Prepackaged Website [print this page] For many people making the transition to an online business, they are bringing with them many of the tools they need, product savvy, marketing skills, financial analysis experience. Unfortunately, they are usually not bringing along web skills and that is a major gap when the new environment is the Web.
This lack of web skills is one of the primary reasons that people think about purchasing a pre-assembled site then going through a customizing process. They do not have to know a great deal about programming and web language; they just need to know what they want and the pre-fabricated site plugs in the pieces from a portfolio of features that have already been designed to integrate with one another and function seamlessly. In fact, this may be a perfect solution for starting out and, in any case, it is always possible to re-launch a site as your needs change. Plus, the pre-built site can be a lot cheaper when you are starting out. But, before you decide to go prepackaged, you should spend a few minutes to think about what you need your site to do and be sure you can live with the loss of total customization that a built-for-you website has to offer.
Page Limitations
Many pre-builts have page limitations. Think about what you want your site to look like in six months. Be sure you either buy adequate space or think about what you are giving up with space constraints.
Theme and Design
One of the biggest constraints in pre-built websites is the lack of flexibility in design. Even though a group that offers pre-builts tells you that there are hundreds of templates to choose from, you would be amazed to discover how often you want the combination that you just cannot find. Take some time to look through the templates and be sure they offer something that will work for you and your business.
Product Sales Means Photos, Shopping Cart and Payment Gateway
Sometimes the merchant package offered in a pre-built site is one of the greatest selling points. These are functions that need to work together seamlessly. But, be sure that you will be able to handle your product promotion the way you want. For example, if you are selling fashion items, does the site support 3D views and zoom so you can show fabric texture? Does the shopping cart keep a running total and offer easy update capability? Can you add audio and video if you want? There are probably a dozen other features you want to be sure are present in the package before signing on.
The Alternative: The Custom Site
The custom site is built for you and your needs. The site designer will work with you to determine precisely what will work best for your company and will design a website that has that specific functionality, theme set and so on. You will have total control over your sites appearance and operation.
For many, this is the ideal arrangement (unless of course you do not know enough about websites to want that kind of control). However, you will pay for the privilege of that customization. Custom websites are much more expensive to create.
Your decision should be made by weighing needs and costs and choosing the solution that is right for you today.
