Navigating the plethora of options for crafting your very own company website can be daunting. From Jimdo and Wix to Wordpress or opting for custom development, the choices seem endless. So, how do you pick the right one? Here’s a simplified guide for SMEs venturing into the digital realm for the first time.
Navigating a Sea of Choices
Where do I even begin with creating my company’s website? What initially seems straightforward quickly spirals into complexity.
The spectrum of choices spans from do-it-yourself website builders to bespoke, professionally coded websites, each carrying its own price tag and a unique set of pros and cons. Essentially, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer.
As a co-founder of ESG Plus GmbH, a consultancy SME, I’ve experienced this dilemma and the considerations involved, having tried various solutions. Initially, a web developer advised us to lean into a custom-themed Wordpress site for a tailor-made digital presence. At that time, builders like From Jimdo were just emerging, and the fear of making a wrong choice — the dreaded ‘FOMO’ or Fear of Missing Out — loomed large. If everyone’s on Wordpress, are we making a mistake by not joining the bandwagon?
This article draws on our journey and insights to help you identify the solution that best suits your needs more swiftly.
A Compass for Website Solutions
Key differentiators among website solutions boil down to:
- Flexibility for changes
- Website customization
’Flexibility for changes’ pertains to how easily you can update your site without needing an external developer. This usually comes at the expense of customizability. If a website is built using a drag-and-drop interface, be prepared for limitations imposed by the platform. It’s crucial to weigh this trade-off.
The diagram below categorizes traditional website solutions based on these criteria.
Builder Platforms
Website builders like Jimdo or Wix are the go-to for simplicity and independence. They offer the significant advantage of potentially bypassing professional help entirely. A monthly fee ensures you can tweak your site as needed, with the provider handling the technical backend. No fuss over updates or maintenance required.
The compromise, however, is in customization. Despite attractive templates from these services, your site might not stand out as uniquely as you’d hope. But for many, particularly those needing a straightforward digital business card, the ease and time saved are invaluable.
For example, in its early years, ESG Plus GmbH leveraged a Jimdo site. Since acquisition was still very focused on personal contacts at that time, a classic business card website with the most important information and contact details was sufficient.
Wordpress
Striking a balance, Wordpress powers an impressive 40% of all websites. It marries an intuitive admin panel with the potential for web developers to craft custom themes, aligning precisely with your vision. Plugins like Elementor further bridge the gap to builder platforms, offering an intuitive drag-and-drop-interface for users to tweak the website’s design and layout. Additionally, there is an extensive market place for plugin for added functionalities.
However, Wordpress powers an impressive 40% of all websites. It marries an intuitive has the downside of increasing (especially time) costs due to ongoing maintenance, such as regularly performing updates and backups. Another challenge is continuously optimizing the website to maintain high loading speeds. If you have the necessary time resources to take care of the maintenance and if customization brings a business advantage (marketing), upgrading to Wordpress can pay off.
The SME ESG Plus GmbH
mentioned at the beginning later faced the challenge of needing to acquire more new customers through
digital marketing. With a new focus on blog articles and special landing pages for digital customer
acquisition, Wordpress’s flexibility in
designing the website or even individual pages was a
key factor in the decision to switch. With the team’s accumulated experience
the required maintenance of a Wordpress site
was not a big problem.
Custom-Coded Static Websites
For those dreaming big, custom-coded (particularly static) websites leave no stone unturned in design or functionality. Anything from a 3D showroom to intricate animations is possible.
Yet, this route demands a higher maintenance budget and sacrifices update flexibility, as changes typically require a developer. This approach suits if ongoing content updates like blogs or promotions are not needed. This dependency needs careful consideration, but standout design and features can significantly differentiate and enhance your marketing efforts.
Looking back, ESG Plus GmbH might have benefited from starting with
a custom site to further distinguish ourselves early on instead of using
Jimdo. However, the decision hinges on your
specific needs and competitive landscape, particularly weighing the impact in sectors like
B2B
consulting versus consumer-facing markets. Especially in B2B
businesses it might be more valuable
in the beginning to invest more time into the pitchdeck, brochures and attending events to create
new leads.
Conclusion – Keep it Simple
Tech enthusiasts often lean towards recommending programmed websites or custom Wordpress themes. Yet, for most SMEs, builder platforms like Jimdo or Wix completely suffice, offering a cost-effective, user-friendly solution.
The complexity of web development isn’t just about the build but also involves designing, preparing content, images, videos and more. Any additional complexity should clearly benefit marketing and customer acquisition efforts.
Unsure about the right path for you? We offer free initial consultations and can assist you with everything from design to full-scale development, irrespective of your chosen platform. Our aim is to support you not just technically, but strategically, enabling you to focus on what you do best: driving your business forward.