There are many ways to get a website, but almost all of them fall into three groups. Each one has its place, and choosing well depends on what you need now and how you want to grow.
1. Templates and site builders (WordPress, IONOS, Wix…)
You pick a ready-made design, change the text and images, and add features with plugins.
What it offers: a website up and running quickly and cheaply, and a huge ecosystem of themes and extensions.
Its limits: the design starts from a template shared by many other websites. Each new feature is usually a third-party plugin, and each plugin adds weight, pending updates and potential security issues. The dashboard is generic, full of options you do not use, and your business's own content has to fit what the template allows.
When it fits: a simple website that rarely changes and a very tight budget.
2. In-house engine (custom CMS)
It is a codebase of its own, already built and tested, that includes what almost every website needs. On top of it, each website is designed and built for its client.
What it offers: a unique design and custom features at a more affordable price than starting from scratch, because the common parts are already done.
Advantages over a template:
No third-party plugins: all the code is its own and is checked automatically on every change, with tests, security analysis and dependency control.
Performance and accessibility built in: the website only loads what it uses. ragdoll-ragsweet.com, for example, scores 93 for performance and 100 for accessibility on mobile PageSpeed.
A dashboard designed for your content: if your business has cats, shows or awards, the dashboard has sections for cats, shows or awards, not generic entries.
Multiple languages and SEO built in, with no extra extensions.
Improvements that reach every website: when the engine improves, the websites that use it can receive that improvement.
When it fits: when you want a website that is truly yours, with content specific to your business, without paying what starting from scratch costs.
3. Built from scratch
Everything is designed and coded from a blank page.
What it offers: total freedom in technology and architecture, for projects that do not look like a business website: an application with very particular logic or a product with special technical requirements.
Its limits: it is the most expensive and slowest option, because everything that comes ready-made in the other options has to be built too.
When it fits: when the project does not fit in a CMS, however customisable it is.
What we do at Nika Studio
We work with the last two options. For most company and professional websites we use the in-house engine: it is the balance between customisation and price, and it is how ragdoll-ragsweet.com and samcreta.es are built. When the project calls for it, we build it from scratch.
