PlantAmerica

A web site is fast becoming as important to small businesses as business cards, fax machines, and cell phones. What was once a highly expensive, confusing and uncertain endeavor has become far simpler, potentially inexpensive and, best of all, you have more choices than ever before.

While there are many different options for building and maintaining a web site, this article focuses on the two principal choices available to green industry firms: custom sites or template-based sites. Here is a brief overview of each choice, with the pros and cons of each. As you’ll see, the bottom line is that your choices will create trade offs that you must consider.

Custom Sites

A custom site is one that a web development/design firm builds for you. A custom site can range from one page or more than 100 pages. A custom site can either be static, meaning that you cannot easily update it yourself, or dynamic, meaning that you can update it yourself.

Advantages

The major advantage of a custom site is that you get a site that looks exactly like you want and does exactly what you want it to do. Of course you could spend anywhere from $2,500 to $50,000 on a custom site and, here, too, you get what you pay for (less if you just want a static “Yellow-Page” type site). Want flashy graphics, rotating photos, tips, etc? That will cost you.

Disadvantages

The major disadvantage of most custom sites is that they are extremely challenging to keep up-to-date and interesting. Typically, you either need to submit changes to the designer (who makes them according to his/her schedule, for a fee) or hire or train someone in-house to make the changes (with webmasters commanding high salaries in today’s marketplace, you’ll want to think carefully about this option).

According to design firms, you can expect to spend about the same amount as your original design in yearly maintenance and hosting, unless you don’t update your site very often. For example, if you spend $5-10,000 on the original design (not excessive if you want to build a very nice, functional site) you should budget a similar amount for hosting and maintenance. Plus, you will learn that you want new functions, etc., after the site is built and this will cost money, too.

Template-based Sites

This type of site will allow your content to be placed in pre-designed graphical templates. Template based sites can cost anywhere from $29.95 a month (those free sites have largely disappeared) to several $100 dollars a month depending on what features and functions you want.

Advantages

The major advantage is that virtually anyone can make most updates quickly and easily at no additional cost. Secondly, with a template-based site you will typically get lots more features and functions that you could afford to build in your own custom sites. Equally important, the cost of ownership is typically much lower than a custom site—and very predicible. And, if you ever decide that you really want a custom site, then the switching cost is relatively low, as you have not invested thousands in custom design work and programming. The same is NOT true of a custom site.

Disadvantages

The major disadvantage is that there are some limitations in the look and feel, navigation, and functions of the site. For example, most programs have a selection of templates from which to choose—if you don’t like them, then that’s a disadvantage. If you want a particular feature, and the site doesn’t offer it, then you don’t have that as an option. 

What Do You Value?

In the end, the question is value: You have to consider the variables of cost, functionality, and flexibility and decide what makes the most sense. Template based sites can be a great value, offering power and benefits for a small fee. However if having an original design and the flexibility to have exactly the features and functions you want, and money and time are not as important, then the custom route is clearly for you.