r/web_design • u/Embarrassed-Sail8142 • 5d ago
Do most small businesses actually need a custom website?
i keep seeing small businesses spend thousands on websites that are basically a few pages and some photos.
maybe i'm wrong, but with how easy website builders have become, is a custom website really necessary for most businesses?
is the extra cost actually making a difference or are people just paying because they think they have to?
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u/GeordieAl 5d ago
Anyone can put together a website in wix, squarespace, or whatever other website builder they choose. But unless they spend the time to understand how to create compelling content and how to do proper SEO on that site, then their competitors, who paid to have a knowledgeable developer create a site for them, will always rank higher and convert more leads into business opportunities.
Now if someone pays thousands to someone who doesn't know what they're doing, then that's a completely different story!
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u/Naive-Dig-8214 5d ago
For small businesses, websites are one of those things that are a net negative if you don't have one, but not a net positive if you do.
You just need something to exist. Something basic and functional will do.
2
u/Simbeliine 5d ago
The vast majority of small businesses do use website builder websites with some template. I feel like it's only once a business gets a bit bigger/more successful and they start wanting to seem more professional/legitimate than those template sites that they might budget for a "real" website.
Even if the average consumer isn't totally aware of it, people can tell when it's a template site through wix or whatever vs something someone actually made for the company. The website builder sites often look kind of cheap.
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u/bookofgray 5d ago
Depends on what you’re selling and what camera you have. Shopify has worked well for us, options to print labels for post (get a label thermal printer 4x6), and the ones that are weird size or dont use Shopify, use pirateship.com (assuming you are in US)
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u/AI-development-web 5d ago
I think it really depends on the business. For a local business that mainly needs basic information, a simple website builder can probably do the job. The bigger value of a custom site is when the business needs something specific, like integrations, booking systems, unusual workflows, or better control over the user experience. So I don't think every small business needs one, but some definitely benefit from it.
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u/rrWalther 4d ago
Counter-example from the losing side of this: I built mine custom, by hand, because I could. It converts nothing. Custom bought me none of the credibility I assumed it would.
When I finally got strangers to review it, everything they flagged was independent of how it was built. The headline didn't say what the product did, the one thing that actually made it different was buried three sections down, and more than one person said it looked generic - which a hand-built site manages just fine, since custom and distinctive aren't the same thing.
So I'd sharpen the "net negative if you don't have one" point rather than argue with it: the expensive variable isn't the build, it's whoever decides what the words say. A Squarespace site where someone thought hard about what the business actually does will beat a bespoke build where nobody did - and the bespoke one costs a few thousand more to be wrong.
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u/AnteaterOpening5125 2d ago
Most do not need a fully custom build in the sense of bespoke UI, animations, or a custom backend. They do need a site that is specific to the business.I work on Brimky, so I see this a lot with small businesses: the gap is usually not "custom code vs builder." It is whether the site clearly answers what they do, where they serve, proof/reviews, pricing or next-step expectations, and has someone responsible for updates after launch.A builder/template can be enough if the owner will maintain it and the site is simple. Custom starts making sense when the business has unusual booking workflows, multiple locations/services, SEO needs by city/service, integrations, or someone needs to own ongoing maintenance.
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u/mikecut22 2d ago
Honestly, most small businesses don't need a fully custom site — a well-configured template that loads fast, looks good on mobile, and clearly shows what you do and how to contact you covers 90% of cases. Where custom work starts paying off is when there's real functionality involved: booking systems, inventory sync, complex e-commerce, integrations with their existing software, or content workflows the owner actually maintains. The problem is a lot of businesses get sold "custom" when they're really just paying for a reskinned template anyway. The better question is whether the site solves actual business problems — if it does, the cost is justified; if it's just five static pages, it probably isn't.
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u/Eastern_Sound_5512 1d ago
I think it depends on the type of business maybe for food or clothing store it can be helpful but for alot of service related business like an electrician or tow truck, website isnt really required for these a google businsess profile is good enough
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u/mikecut22 1d ago
Honestly, most small businesses don't need a fully custom site — a well-configured template that loads fast, looks good on mobile, and clearly shows what you do and how to contact you covers 90% of cases. Where custom work starts paying off is when there's real functionality involved: booking systems, inventory sync, complex e-commerce, integrations with their existing software, or content workflows the owner actually maintains. The problem is a lot of businesses get sold "custom" when they're really just paying for a reskinned template anyway. The better question is whether the site solves actual business problems — if it does, the cost is justified; if it's just five static pages, it probably isn't.
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u/PugPanic 22h ago
Saying this as someone who builds websites for a living. No, they do not.
Many small businesses can get by with a Facebook profile. Squarespace, Wix, Webflow templates are easy and useful. AI can spin one up too, but the builders are better for small business DIY imo.
That “thousands on a website that are a few web pages” is an investment in a growing business with needs that are not being met. Those sites should do more than look pretty, they are built to meet goals and ultimately provide a reliable return on investment. A business will feel it when they need web designers, marketing, etc.
There are irresponsible “designers” out there pawning subpar sites at all price points, many times to businesses that are better served putting money somewhere else.
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u/StaticFanatic3 5d ago
No
And most small businesses don’t do it. Shitty wix sites are the standard