Why Your Business Should Choose Custom Web Development

Every business needs a website to help them reach their customers and spread brand awareness. If you do not already have a website for your small business, you have two options: create a website using a template or hire a web development agency to create a custom website for you. Today’s post will explore the differences between template websites and custom ones and demonstrate why custom sites are the superior option.

What Is Custom Web Development?

Custom web development is the process of creating a unique website entirely from scratch – no templates or drag-and-drop tools. All coding and design elements are unique to your website and the website’s look and features are tailored to your needs.

Most agencies that offer web development in Toronto create custom websites for their clients’ companies. Be sure to ask every web design agency you work with if they perform custom work before you agree to hire them.

Reasons to Choose a Custom Web Development Company in Toronto

There are many advantages to hiring a web development agency to create a custom website for you, including:

• Uniqueness. Websites made with easy building tools often look very similar to one another. Custom websites can look any way you want them to, allowing them to properly represent your unique brand.
• Complexity. Many companies need websites with a variety of functions, plug-ins, third-party integrations, and other features that add to their complexity. Templates often do not support this kind of complexity, but custom websites can do anything you need them to do.
• Flexibility. Pre-built websites are limited to the scope of the tool used to create them. Custom websites, on the other hand, can accommodate any changes you might want to make in the future.
• Scalability. Your website should be able to grow and change as your company does, but that may not be possible with a site built from templates. Custom websites make it easy to add or remove pages as your needs change. You can even add whole new features later on if needed.
• Improved User Experience. While template websites are limited to certain features and layouts, a website that is built from scratch can provide users with highly-requested features and intuitive navigation that improve their user experience.
• Improved Website Security. While websites built from templates are often vulnerable to common exploits, websites built from scratch use proprietary source code and SSL technology to keep your site secure.
• Faster Load Times. Building a website from scratch allows you to minimize unnecessary functions and add-ons for blazing-fast loading speeds.

Web Development vs. Website Templates

There are many things you need to consider when choosing between custom web development and template-based web development. The three most significant factors are:

• Budget. Custom websites cost more than websites built from templates, but the extra investment is worth it. A custom website is built to your specifications and can be made to include features and multimedia elements that a generic pre-built website would not have.
• Development Time. Websites built using pre-made tools are easy to put together in just a few hours. A custom-built website takes much longer to create but will provide you with much more functionality.
• Customization. Many template websites look very similar to each other, leaving you without the distinctive look that your brand needs to grow. They also lack many of the features that small business owners need to succeed, including strong security measures and support for third-party software integration.

How to Develop an Impactful Web Application

Sometimes a web app is a better fit for your needs than a website. If you choose to go this route, expect to follow the steps below.

• Understand Your Users. A good web app fills one or more customer needs. Figure out what your users’ pain points are and devise a way to solve them using web app functions. You can also look to your competitors to see what their websites include and find a gap in the market that you can fill.
• Map Out the User Journey. Now that you know what your users need, it is time to figure out how best to deliver it. Think about how users interact with your brand and where certain features and information would be best placed. Consider why a user would want certain pieces of information and where they would logically go to get those details.
• Determine If a Web App Is the Right Solution. Web apps offer a smooth experience with a lot of functionality, but they may not be the best choice for all situations. Consider whether you may be better off creating a standard website instead. A custom-built website can accomplish many of the same goals that a web app would and may be more intuitive mymedic.es for users to navigate.
• Establish How Users Will Use the Web App. At this stage, you will need to decide which features to include in your web app. Make a list of key features that you would like to see in the final build and organize them by priority. This will help you to quickly decide where to focus your attention if your time or budget run low.
• Choose a Development Architecture. You will also need to decide which development architecture is right for your app. Most web apps now use cloud-based or microservices infrastructure to ensure they can easily reach the widest possible audience.
• Decide Who Will Be Responsible for Development. Before you begin working on your web app, you will need to choose a web development agency to handle the technical aspects of the projects. Look for one with plenty of experience in your industry and an impressive portfolio of past work.
• Build a Wireframe for Early Feedback. Wireframes are simple mock-ups that show what the app will look like and how it will function. Looking at one makes it easy to see if any of the app’s pages or features are unnecessary or if its layout is too confusing.
• Design and Develop Your Web App. Once your wireframe is approved, you can begin designing and developing your app. The design team will finalize how the app looks and where all the separate elements should go while the development team works on the code that makes it all run.
• Test Your App. When you have a finished version of your app ready, you can test it for problems and glitches. Check whether everything works as intended and loads quickly and smoothly. You should also do some user testing to ensure that your features and navigation are easy to understand.
• Host and Deploy Your App. Your completed app should be uploaded to a cloud service like Amazon Web Services or Google Cloud Platform before release. You can then begin distributing it to your end users.
• Monitor Web Performance. You will want to keep an eye on your web app’s performance once it has debuted to your audience. Track technical metrics like your speed index and error rates alongside behavioural metrics like bounce rates and average session length. If you spot any issues, refine the problem areas, and continue to monitor them for further improvement.

For Custom Web Development in Toronto, Contact WSI Comandix

There is no doubt that custom websites are the superior option for businesses, especially in high-competition areas like the GTA. WSI Comandix is the number-one choice for quality custom website development in Toronto. Our web development services offer all of the features and customization options you could want for your business, and every one of our websites is built from the ground up. Contact us today to arrange your free web design consultation and discover how much value we can bring to your business.