Websites need you (the person with the need), a builder (whatever or whomever makes) and a host (where the website lives). Whatever combination you choose; it will end up affecting the overall cost. Efficient spending is when you only pay for only what you need; with enough room for growth and nothing more. In this article, we explore various possibilities that these options present and their relative effect to the final cost.
This is not to be taken as knowledge and as such cannot be used as official consultation. It is a general scope over what you might expect when commissioning web related projects. My experience as a software developer around the web will form obvious biases as depths will not be explored; unless I deem them necessary. The safest path around these things is getting a consultant well versed in your specific problem to provide you with choices around costs. That being said, here follows a broad exploration around commissioning a website.
The fastest, easiest and cheapest solution to a functional website is using a DIY(Do It Yourself) builder. In fact there are options that come completely free. Then pay more as you request more. However as you will come to realize, a fully kitted out DIY solution that solves your need is in most cases; more expensive than having a developer do your website.
Automation is why DIY options get to be cheaper. The idea behind these systems is enabling users with no programming or design experience make websites. They achieve these by using user friendly editors that follow a WYSIWYG(What You See Is What You Get) principle. The editors have drag and drop functions, text insertion spaces that resemble word editors and a graphics editing tool that does image manipulations.
However you get vanilla designs with DIY builders. Take templates as an example. Templates are a combination of layouts, fonts and actions that form what we see in a website. Premium customers get more than mid level ones who in turn get more than free tier counterparts. In statistical terms, your website has a less likely chance of looking like another if you paid more but it still will. Why? Say a provider has ten thousand templates and a customer base of five thousand. In a perfect scenario where every one picks a unique one That translates to one in two chances that your website looks like another. However; some are favored more than others and further hurts your chances. Now apply this formula across any provider; see how much you really have to pay to get to that exact look
Going with a developer on the other hand offers limitless possibility. You could scribble anything and it will be brought to life. Think of any behavior, feature or see something you like and it will be incorporated. The website will grow as you or your ideas grow.
The ruling principle around these systems is; the more you pay, the more you get. The builders are built to serve anyone and everyone. If you built something to do everything; it probably will be good at nothing and end up serving no one. To get to that specific function that makes your business unique will be way expensive than having a developer.
Most of the plans come with bundled features. It is rare that you will ever get to use all of them so chances are that most subscribers do not. More so; specific features that are not available in your current bundle average higher prices. A software developer could easily add some lines of code and you’ll have that feature for life.
A software developer offers expert help on call. Concerns are shared accordingly. You worry about the business, the developer deals with the website. Starting out with a consultant as pointed out earlier is the way to go. You get to discuss your road map, get advice on what you need and how most efficiently to grow your product as you experience it. By this metric; DIY offers fewer growth opportunities.
Following this; E-commerce. It is the rave nowadays and while it may seem cheaper to get started using a builder, costs over time far outweigh a bee-spoke product. There are ready plugins and entire systems that plug into DIY projects but most will take a commission of your earnings. This is on top of what you subscribe for. Then comes the issue of data; how safe is it?
With a bee-spoke set up, you can have your data logic separate from the business logic and further segment that from the front-end (what the user sees). Then you can implement up to date methodology as all you have to do is place a request to your developer. It’s also easier to move custom projects across servers as opposed to DIY which implicitly discourage this.
DIY systems survive on shared platforms. That is; every feature is shared across its subscribers. So if it fails, well you get the idea here. The hosting is also shared meaning availability is also shared across subscribers. Many subscribers mean less availability. Seemingly, this translates to demand. Should a few experience extreme demand then the majority will have to cope with reduced resources.
An obvious advantage for you if you choose DIY is control. The website is yours to rule but with this comes the responsibility of keeping it alive and healthy. Tasks like data, security, monitoring, optimization, regional laws and so much more are yours to manage. However, problems will be yours to solve.
Ultimately, what you choose should ideally fit your purpose. If you are a hobbyist and web is a small part of the entire passion, then a simple DIY solution will do. However, if business is your motive; get yourself a software developer.