FAQs - Bespoke

A bespoke website is a website that has been built, completely from scratch, just for you. It isn't built on any sort of template or framework that already exists and it doesn't take code from anywhere else, it's built entirely from nothing. A bespoke website should be designed and built to your exact specifications, taking into account who you are as a business and what you are trying to achieve. It should represent you completely and work to help you achieve your business goals.

The main benefit of opting for a bespoke website is that it is totally unique to you and your business. This brings a couple of advantages. The first is that no one else will have a website like yours so it will help you to stand out from your competitors. For those operating in particularly crowded and competitive marketplaces, a bespoke website, as long as it is designed and built well, can set you apart immediately. The other advantage of having a website that is totally unique to you is the ability to have it work exactly as you need it to without any limitations. You can ensure it functions in a way that will benefit your target audience, as well as complement your business goals.

A bespoke website is certainly an investment, in terms of time as well as money. Having something made just for you understandably comes with a price tag. The cost can vary greatly depending on the size of the website and the functionality required, however it is safe to say that you will be talking in thousands rather than hundreds. Ultimately, whether that works for you and your business will depend on your available budget, where your business is in its lifecycle and your ambitions for the future.

Creating a bespoke website can be split into 6 main stages:

1. Research - This involves getting to know you, your business and your goals so we get a clear idea of what you need when it comes to your new website and what your style is. This stage also involves researching your competitors so we can create a website that outshines them!
2. Design - We design your new website, presenting at key points to get your feedback and make adjustments to ensure you are completely happy
3. HTML/CSS - You new website is built in HTML/CSS and tested fully
4. Development - The HTML/CSS is integrated with your chosen CMS platform to create a back office system to manage the front end of your new website
5. Build - Your content is added to make your new website your own
6. Testing - Your new website is tested thoroughly before being passed to you for sign off

Commissioning a bespoke website is certainly a more involved process than an off the shelf option. There are key areas where your involvement is crucial, such as the design stage and the final sign off, however, to some extent, your level of involvement outside of that is entirely up to you. Some clients prefer to be very hands on, whereas others prefer to review and provide feedback at key times.

One of the main factors to consider when thinking about how involved you will need to be in the creation of your new website is content. This is an area that can come as a surprise to some clients and those who create their own content (text, images, videos, etc.) will experience more pressure on their time than clients who are having these things supplied to them (whether that's by us as part of an overall project or by someone brought in separately).

The time it takes to create a bespoke website does vary depending on size of the website and the complexity of the design and functionality, however it is a longer process than having a template website built. We generally say that a bespoke website build takes around 16-18 weeks from start to finish, however bear in mind that this can be impacted by how quickly you are able to provide feedback and also by things like the supply of content and images. We provide an estimated time frame at the beginning of the project and we will always keep you updated on any potential impact on this as the work progresses.

Google Analytics allows you to track all sorts of data regarding your website traffic, from how many visitors you are getting to which pages they visit and how long they stay. You can even get some demographic data. Collecting, and more importantly using, this data is essential if you want to make the most of your website.

Every website we build has Google Analytics automatically installed. If you would like access to this, all you need to do is provide us with a Gmail email address and we will add you to the account. If required, we can help you with tracking relevant data and how you can use this to make your website more successful.

The simple answer is - tell people about it! Share your website address on all 'touchpoints', the points at which clients and potential clients interact with your brand. This could be on printed material such as letterheads and business cards, electronic material such as email signatures and online e.g. on your social media channels.

Doing these things will get you some website traffic but likely only from those that already know about you. To gain brand new leads, you need to tell new people about you and to do this, you need to invest in online marketing. The two main options when it comes to online marketing are search engine optimsation (or SEO) and Google Ads (or pay per click). The right route is different for every business and needs proper research to ensure you make the most of your investment.

Regardless of which platform your new website has been built on, it is likely to need regular security updates to keep it safe and secure from hackers. These are released regularly to secure vulnerabilities discovered - the issue is that the release of a security update can let hackers know what the vulnerabilities are! For this reason, it is imperitive that security updates are done as soon as possible after they are released and it is often best to leave this to the experts as there can be conflicts with plugins and different functionalities that come up during the installation of updates.

Depending on the platform your new website is built on, you should have a back office content management system that will allow you to make minor changes, such as text or image updates, and even add new content, yourself with only a basic knowledge. Anything more than this is likely to need the help of someone with more advanced knowledge of the platform.

We always offer a support package alongside our bespoke website builds to cover any updates after the website has gone live and it even covers security updates as well, keeping your website up to date and secure at all times.

Absolutely - we are super proud of the work we do! You can read about some of our projects by visiting our portfolio here or you can download a presentation showing some of our latest bespoke websites using the button below.