Coding a Website From Scratch vs Using a Website Builder

Intro

In the digital age, establishing an online presence is essential for businesses, small and big. When it comes to creating a website, you have two primary options: coding the website from scratch or using a website builder. Each approach has its own set of advantages and challenges, and the right choice depends on your specific needs, skills, and resources. This blog post will delve into the differences between these two methods, and help you make an informed decision.

What Is Coding From Scratch?

1. Flexibility and Customization

When you code a website from scratch, you have unparalleled control over every aspect of the design and functionality. Using languages like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, you can create a site that perfectly aligns with your vision. You can create achieve a pixel perfect website which matches the most unique and custom designs. This flexibility allows for unique, custom features that are tailored to your specific requirements. Whether it’s a complex interactive feature or a unique layout, coding from scratch offers limitless possibilities. Most big companies that have a large budget, may have in-house developers, whose sole purpose is to maintain and develop the website code. For many small businesses, you don't need someone there40 hours a week, but having a developer who can do customizations with code can be extremely valuable.

2. Learning Curve and Skill Requirements

Coding from scratch requires a solid understanding of various programming languages and web development principles. For beginners, this can be a steep learning curve. Learning how to code takes time, practice, and often lots of education and training. However, once you acquire these skills, they are highly valuable and transferable to other projects. We usually don't advise business owners to go and learn these skills. Unless of course, they are actually interested in learning and practicing web development. Because it does have a steep learning curve, it's often something you would rather leave it to the pros.

3. Time and Effort

Building a website from scratch is typically more time-consuming than using a website builder. From designing the layout to writing code and testing for bugs, the process can take weeks or even months, depending on the complexity of the site. This method demands a significant investment of time and effort, which may not be feasible for everyone. The less experienced the developer is, the longer it will likely take him. I know for me, when I first got started, I had to look up so many trivial things such as how to change the background color or increase the font size of the text. An experienced developer will likely know how to implement these things quickly and efficiently, as well as follow best practices.

4. Performance and Optimization

A well-coded website can be optimized for speed and performance, providing a seamless user experience. With control over the code, you can ensure that the site is lean and efficient, reducing load times and improving search engine rankings. This level of optimization is harder to achieve with pre-built templates and plugins. Having full access to the code, you are able to manipulate the Document Object Model (DOM), to tell the browser what should show on the screen and at what time - helping you to optimize load times, and increase performance. Another thing you have access to, is the data loading. Fetching data os often an expensive and time consuming thing for websites, so having this run smooth is key to having a fast site.

What Is A Website Builder?

1. Ease of Use

Website builders like Wix, Squarespace, and WordPress are designed to be user-friendly, catering to those with little to no coding experience. These platforms offer drag-and-drop interfaces, pre-designed templates, and intuitive tools that make it easy to create a professional-looking website quickly. It helps even the most novice business owners, create a new site within days, sometimes even hours. This ease of use is one of the primary reasons people opt for website builders. It doesn't have a huge learning curve, and as long as you have a computer, you can usually get a site up and running without any experience. This does depend largely on the type of platform you use and how comfortable you are with website terms. Shopify has a builder as well, but their platform is usually a little bit harder to pick up compared to Wix, for example. At least that what we've seen in terms of client feedback.

2. Speed and Convenience

Using a website builder significantly reduces the time required to get your site up and running. With access to a library of templates and themes, you can have a functional website ready in a matter of hours. For individuals or businesses needing a quick online presence, this convenience is invaluable. That is why many small business owners who are just starting out like this option. They can quickly build a site themselves, or hire someone to get it done over the weekend. You don't have to worry about any technical things that include servers, hosting, etc. Going live with your site can be as easy as one click of a button.

3. Cost-Effectiveness

Website builders often come with various pricing plans, including free options with basic features. For those on a tight budget, this can be a more affordable solution compared to hiring a professional developer or investing time in learning to code. For example, Shopify has a "Get three days free, then 1 month for $1", which is a great deal. Additionally, many website builders include hosting, security, and customer support in their packages, further reducing costs. Another thing people really like about them is that everything is in one place. Usually your website content management system (CMS) is in the same spot where you deploy and host your site. Making it easy to manage everything from a single backend.

4. Limited Customization and Flexibility

While website builders offer a wide range of templates and customization options, they are limited, especially when to compared to coding from scratch. You may find that certain unique features or design elements are not possible within the constraints of the platform. For businesses with very specific needs, this lack of flexibility can be a drawback. That is why it's important for you to weight out your options. Do you have a custom design? Do you have unique features that you will need? Are more concerned about price than you are about the look of your site? Are you ok with a templated website that looks traditional and standard? These are good questions to start asking when you're considering the two options: coding a website from scratch vs using a website builder.

Key Considerations When Choosing Between Coding and Website Builders

1. Purpose of the Website

Consider the primary purpose of your website. If you need a simple blog, portfolio, or small business site, a website builder may be sufficient. However, for complex e-commerce sites, custom applications, or unique interactive elements or animations, coding from scratch might be necessary. Make a list of your requirements or discuss them with your designer and see how much customization you'll need.

2. Budget and Resources

Evaluate your budget and available resources. Website builders can be a cost-effective solution for those with limited financial resources. On the other hand, if you have the budget to hire a developer or the time to learn coding, building from scratch can provide long-term benefits. Hiring a developer can save you lots of time and you won't have to sacrifice design or customization. If for example you already had a designer make you a custom Figma design for your website, then hiring a developer may be the best way to go. Contact us to get a free quote for custom development.

3. Time Constraints

Check your timelines. If you need a website quickly, a website builder is the obvious choice. However, if you have the luxury of time and want a highly customized site, coding from scratch is worth considering. With a website builder, you can have a site live within days or hours. With a custom coded website, you want to allot for 4-8 weeks of development. Keep in mind it could be much longer depending on the site. We've seen some sites take up to six months of dev work.

4. Future Scalability

Think about the long-term scalability of your website. Website builders offer limited scalability and may not handle high traffic or advanced features as efficiently as a custom-coded site. If you anticipate significant growth, coding from scratch can provide a more robust foundation. Take into account the amount of traffic you plan to have on the site. If you're a local small business and are expecting less than 10,000 users/month, a website builder may be enough. If you're a large retail cooperation it's worth considering a custom built site to handle the large sale periods like Black Friday/ Cyber Monday. Scalability is very specific and varies from business to business so it's hard to give you a hard rule to follow but we wanted to include it as something to consider.

Conclusion

The decision between coding a website from scratch and using a website builder ultimately depends on your specific needs, skills, and resources. Coding from scratch offers unparalleled customization, control, and performance but requires significant time, effort, and technical expertise or a good budget to hire the right developers to get it done. On the other hand, website builders provide ease of use, speed, and cost-effectiveness, making them an attractive option for those with limited coding knowledge or time constraints or those with a tight budget.

In the end, there is no one-size-fits-all answer. Carefully consider your goals, budget, timeline, and future plans to choose the best approach for your website. Whether you opt for the flexibility of coding or the convenience of a website builder, the most important thing is to create a website that effectively serves your purpose and engages your audience. Start with your target market and ask, what kind of site will best serve us in this industry? What kind of brand do we want to build and how do we want to show up? Those are a couple of questions you can start asking.