Most small business websites today start from a template: a WordPress theme, a Squarespace or Wix design, or a bought layout. We build ours from scratch instead. That is not because templates are bad, but because for the businesses we work with, building to measure tends to pay off.
What "from scratch" means
It does not mean reinventing everything. We use well-established, widely used tools, and write the website itself to fit your business: your pages, your content, your features. Nothing is included that you do not need.
What you gain
Speed. A template has to work for thousands of businesses, so it carries code and features most of them never use. A site built for one business only loads what it needs. When we rebuilt the M Ryder Roofing website, its home page went from 3.0 MB to 0.46 MB and its Lighthouse mobile score from 73 to 95. You can read how we did it.
A design that is yours. Your website does not look like hundreds of others using the same theme.
Features that fit. Booking with payments, a quiz that sends results to your inbox, a product configurator: these are built around how your business works, rather than bent to fit a plugin. Reset Saunas, for example, takes bookings and payments online through a booking system built for its sessions.
Fewer moving parts. No plugin marketplace to keep up with, and far fewer things to break after an update. That is a big part of keeping a site secure.
What it costs
A website built from scratch takes more skill to make than one assembled from a theme, which is usually why it costs more upfront. We give you a clear build price before work starts, paid in three stages, and our Care Plan covers the hosting, security and monthly changes that keep it working.
When a template is the better choice
To be fair, a template or website builder can be the right call if:
- you need something online this week on a very small budget;
- you want to edit every part of the design yourself;
- the website plays a minor role in how you win customers.
We compared the options in more detail in WordPress, Webflow or a custom website.
The short version
If your website is how most customers find you and decide to get in touch, it is worth having one that is fast, distinctive and built around your business. If you would like to talk it through, get in touch.