Make a website: constructor, template, platformer or development from scratch?

Need to develop a website and don't know which one exactly?

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Need to develop a website and don't know which one exactly?

This article will take you no more than 10 minutes!
Please read it to the end to avoid the most common pitfalls that are discovered during the process of creating a website.

More than a hundred good articles have been written on this topic, but ours differs from them in that it is created on the basis of 14 years of experience in website development. In this article, we will describe the most popular questions that the customer has, as well as the common mistakes that he makes.

Choosing a website development option: constructor, template, website on a platform, unique design

So you decided that you need to . And now you are faced with a choice: how exactly should it be done?

There are not so many options for website development:

  1. Creating a website on a constructor yourself.
  2. Creating a website based on a ready-made template.
  3. Creating a website on the platform.
  4. Creating a website with a unique design.

      5.  

      Let's look at each option and determine their advantages and disadvantages!

      1. Make a website yourself using a builder

      Not a bad idea if your goal is an informational website for entertainment or leisure. If you have never done web development, then you will not be able to make even a remotely normal and selling website, even on a builder! With such an attempt, you will only waste time and money on purchasing access to the functionality of the builder.
      We present to your attention a list of the most popular website builders:

      1. Tilda

      • Features: minimalistic interface, unique blocks, good SEO functionality.
      • Suitable for: landing pages, business sites, creative projects.

      2. Wix

      • Features: easy to use, flexible design, built-in SEO tools, app store.
      • Good for: small businesses, portfolios, blogs, online stores.

      3. Squarespace

      • Features: stylish templates, powerful tools for designers, analytics integration.
      • Good for: creatives, photographers, restaurants, small businesses.

      4. Shopify

      • Features: focus on online stores, payment system integration, sales analytics.
      • Good for: eCommerce of any level.

      5. Webflow

      • Features: flexible design, support for professional web design without code.
      • Suitable for: designers, marketers, agencies.

      6. Zyro

      • Features: budget, beginner-friendly, AI tools.
      • Suitable for: budget projects, online stores.

      The choice of a website builder depends on your tasks:

      • Easy start and low budget: Wix, Tilda, Zyro.
      • Online store: Shopify, Wix.
      • Creative design: Webflow, Squarespace.

      Advantages:
      cheap.
      Disadvantages:
      everything else))

      2. Buy a template and make a website based on it

      Not a bad idea if this is the functionality and appearance of the website that suits your business and the maximum changes that will be made to the template are disabling (deleting) certain blocks. Otherwise, the template will require expensive revisions to the layout and programming. These works will be required with great probability!

      The simplest popular reasons for contacting paid specialists:

      • the length of the text in the block is longer than that in the template;
      • the number of menu items is longer than that in the template;
      • the name of the product or service is longer than that in the template;
      • the purchased template only supports an older version of PHP than that on the hosting.

      We present to your attention a list of the most popular and reliable platforms for purchasing ready-made website templates:

      1. ThemeForest (part of Envato Market)

      Description: One of the largest portals for purchasing templates. Huge selection for WordPress, HTML, Shopify, Joomla and other platforms.
      Features:

      • Thousands of templates from professional developers.
      • Filters by categories, platforms and site types.
      • Support and documentation from template authors.

      2. TemplateMonster

      Description: Popular portal with templates for WordPress, Joomla, Shopify, OpenCart and other platforms. Suitable for business and creative projects.
      Features:

      • Wide selection of premium and free templates.
      • Easy shopping and convenient search tools.
      • 24/7 support.

      3. Creative Market

      Description: A platform for designers and developers. Here you can find not only website templates, but also graphics, fonts, icons.
      Features:

      • Beautiful and creative templates.
      • Suitable for landing pages, portfolios, blogs.
      • Single and subscription purchases.

      4. Mojo Marketplace

      Description: A catalog of templates and extensions for various platforms, including WordPress.
      Features:

      • Easy integration with WordPress.
      • High-quality templates for small businesses.
      • Tools for customizing websites.

      5. Envato Elements

      Description: A subscription service that provides access to templates, graphics, videos, and more.
      Features:

      • Unlimited template downloads.
      • A variety of designs for different platforms.
      • One of the best options for professionals.

      6. Etsy

      Description: In addition to handmade goods, you can find designer website templates here, especially for blogs, portfolios, and small businesses.
      Features:

      • Unique, creative templates.
      • Direct contact with designers.
      • Affordable prices.

      7. BootstrapMade

      Description: Specializes in HTML5 and Bootstrap templates. A great option for developers.
      Features:

      • Lots of free and premium templates.
      • Suitable for responsive websites.

      Advantages:
      still cheap.
      Disadvantages:
      no free option to step away from the purchased template.

      3. Creating a website on the platform

      This is a great idea for starting a project whose success you are not 100% sure of. Or if the budget for starting a project (creating and launching advertising) is limited.

      Currently, there are many solutions for creating websites on the platform. The platform should be understood as a website with an optimized and well-thought-out structure, with the ability to manage the structure (enabling / disabling and changing the location of blocks) from the admin panel. Here we will not separately mention the ability to quickly change designs (templates), since there are several templates to choose from in any CRM system that you buy.

      There are no good solutions on the CIS market for creating a landing page on the platform! There are foreign options:

      Unbounce

      Optimized for marketing and testing.

      Leadpages

      Convenient for creating landing pages with high conversion.

      Instapage

      A platform for A/B testing and creating landing pages.

      And for online stores, there are a huge number of available platforms. The most popular in Ukraine is Prom.ua, it provides huge functionality and turnkey advertising packages. A significant disadvantage of this platform, like most others, is the lack of a sufficient number of unique templates. And also persistent attacks of nausea and mistrust of customers from the sight of a standard template!))

      It is worth noting the young, but no less functional and ambitious projects: Shop Express and SoloMono. They, unlike Prom.ua, offer more freedom in choosing a design and templates, but at the same time have less functionality and a slightly higher cost.

      Another popular in Ukraine, but not very recommended for choice, is the Horoshop platform. Its advantages include the functionality of integration with Rozetka, Prom.ua, OLX and other sites. As well as automation of work with orders and logistics. But a big disadvantage is the impossibility of making any changes when conducting , as well as extremely unfriendly support.

      Advantages: low cost;
      huge functionality;
      variety of templates.
      Disadvantages:
      most systems do not have the ability to make changes to the code: say SEO "pa-pa"));
      no way to change the appearance of the functionality the way you want;
      no way to connect third-party modules, calculators, etc.

       

      4. Creating websites with a unique design

      This is the only right solution for creating serious projects. This solution has no limitations. In this case, any design and functionality is available. This is an ideal solution for SEO optimization and . And not only for , as in all previous options. When creating a website with a unique design, all the client's wishes are taken into account, all the developments of competitors are used, thoughtful usability is added, any necessary functionality is developed and connected.

      Content Management Systems (CMS)

      More flexible platforms suitable for complex projects and experienced users:

      Vamshop

      Optimally suited for creating online stores.
      A large number of built-in modules and functionality.
      Requires hosting and extensive technical knowledge.

      OpenCart

      Focused on creating online stores.
      Free and easy to use.
      A large number extensions.

      ModX

      Simple and convenient CMS for creating Landing Pages.
      Easy to administer. Works on the Wysiwyg principle - what you see is what you get.

      WordPress

      The leader among CMS, suitable for blogs, business sites, online stores.
      A huge number of plugins and themes.
      Requires hosting and some technical knowledge.

      Joomla

      More complex than WordPress, but with more features.
      Suitable for portals, online communities, business sites.

      Drupal

      Flexible and powerful CMS for large projects.
      Requires programming experience.

      Magento (Adobe Commerce)

      Platform for large online stores.
      High degree of customization, but requires technical knowledge.

      Advantages:
      any functionality;
      any design;
      optimal for website optimization and promotion.
      Disadvantages:
      cost.

      Aren't you tired yet? That's it, we're finishing!

      There's more information to tell about each of the above headings than is written in this entire article.

      But such a volume of information will simply make it difficult to perceive. Therefore, the task of a professional web studio for creating websites is to independently determine what type of website the client needs. And also to subsequently reasonably convince the client.

      This article should have helped to structure the information about creating websites in your head! We hope that the knowledge you gain will help you make the right choice!

      If you want to know a little more, we recommend that you read the following articles:

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