Decide the questions before the platform
Platform comparisons online can read like lists of features. A feature list is only useful once you know what you need. Answer these first, in the planner or on paper:
- Who will update the site after launch, and how comfortable are they with computers?
- What must the site do: show information, take bookings, sell products, hold member accounts?
- How much can you spend each month on running costs?
- How much would it matter if you had to move to another system in a few years?
- Who will look after updates and security?
The three broad kinds
| Hosted builder | Self-hosted software | Shop platform | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | A service where you design and edit the site inside the provider's system | Software installed on hosting you rent, which you or a builder maintain | A hosted service built around products, checkout and orders |
| Who maintains it | The provider | You or someone you pay | The provider |
| Monthly cost | A plan fee to the provider | Hosting fee, plus any paid add ons and maintenance | A plan fee, plus payment and add on charges |
| Design freedom | Within the provider's templates and tools | Wide, depending on the builder | Within the platform's themes and tools |
| Moving away | Content may need copying by hand | Files and database can be moved to another host | Product data can be exported on some platforms; check before you choose |
The table describes broad kinds, not particular products. Check each provider's current plans and terms on the day you decide.
Hosted builders
A hosted builder suits a business that wants to edit its own pages and does not want to think about servers or updates. The provider handles security patches and hosting. The trade off is control: you work within the provider's tools, and if you leave, you may need to rebuild the design elsewhere and copy content across by hand.
Questions to ask a provider: what each plan includes and costs, whether you can use your own domain, how you export content, and what happens to the site if you stop paying.
Self-hosted software
Self-hosted software is installed on hosting you rent. It offers wider freedom: almost any design and a wide range of add ons, and you can move it to another host. The trade off is upkeep. The software, its themes and its add ons need regular updates, and someone has to make them, check that nothing broke, and keep backups.
If you choose this route, write maintenance into the plan and the budget. Decide who updates the software, how often, and who to call if the site stops working.
Shop platforms
If selling products is the main job, a platform built for selling may suit better than adding a shop to a general site. Shop platforms handle product listings, checkout, payments and order emails. They charge a plan fee, and payment processing carries per transaction fees, so include both in the running costs line of the budget estimator.
Whatever the platform, a UK shop still has to show the information GOV.UK lists for online sellers, such as the total price, delivery costs and the steps to place an order. The shops page covers it.
Things that matter on any platform
- Mobile layout. Check the site on a phone before choosing a template.
- Accessibility. Ask how the platform or template supports the W3C's WCAG 2.2 guidelines, and test with a keyboard.
- Search basics. Can you set each page's title and description, and use readable addresses? Google's SEO Starter Guide suggests including words in a URL that may be useful to users.
- Ownership. Make sure the account is in the business's name and that more than one person can log in.
- Email. Website platforms and email can be bought separately. See the domain and hosting guide for setting up email that receivers trust.
Try before you commit
Some hosted builders and shop platforms offer a trial before you pay, and self-hosted software can be tried on a test copy. Use the trial with your own content, not the sample text:
- Build one real page from your plan, such as the services page.
- Edit it the way you will after launch: change a price, add a photo, fix a typo.
- Look at it on a phone.
- Find the export or backup option, and check what it gives you.
- Read the plan's terms on cancelling and on what happens to your content afterwards.
If the person who will update the site after launch finds the editing screen hard, that matters more than any feature on the provider's list.
Make the decision in writing
Write down the platform kind you chose and why, in two or three sentences. If you ask builders to quote, tell them. Some builders work on one platform only; a plan that names the kind of platform helps you compare like with like.
Sources checked for this page