The business owners who come to see me for new websites sometimes have confusing ideas about custom web development. Some are convinced they absolutely need it because another designer told them they do; others are just as sure it’s not required because they think it’s only for very large companies. Quite a few aren’t exactly sure what custom web development really means in the first place.
In order to get readers and clients the answers they need, I wanted to tackle a few of these issues one at a time…
What is Custom Web Development?
A lot of web designers tend to use the phrases “custom web design” and “custom web development” interchangeably. However, they aren’t exactly the same thing. A custom web design is a layout that’s built from scratch. It’s all about the aesthetics. Custom web development, on the other hand, involves coding and programming apps that work within a website.
Both can be beneficial in the right situations, but most small business web design projects don’t require custom web development. There are exceptions, though.
When do Companies Need Custom Web Development?
The typical small business owner isn’t going to need custom web development for their site. That is, they’re going to want a unique layout that’s built from scratch (or close to scratch), but won’t require the services of a dedicated programmer.
However, in cases where complex pieces of software need to be built to have a website carry out important business functions, programming might be both necessary, and advisable. As a simple example, a business that wants to schedule employees or meetings online, or manage event attendance and payment portals, could have a need for custom web development.
Still, these situations are rare for businesses that don’t have hundreds of employees. Instead, what most smaller companies need is something a little bit different.
The Web Development Services Most Businesses Need
Instead of custom web development – which can be expensive and time-consuming – what most business owners really need is a web designer that will build a site from scratch and then find the right plug-ins to carry out any important tasks.
There are literally thousands of tools available for WordPress and other popular content management platforms. Unless your business happens to do something that’s truly unique, and there is probably a piece of software out there that can help you handle the job. With a little bit of tweaking, testing, and installation, you can use the existing program without paying a lot of money for custom web development.
Here’s the bottom line: most companies could benefit greatly from custom web design, but only a handful actually need custom web development. No matter which category you fall into, though, it’s incredibly important that you find the right creative partner to work with. Otherwise, what you need and what you get might be wildly different things.
If you’re looking for a Philadelphia business web designer you can trust to get results, contact the Biondo Creative team today to set up a free consultation!