3 Signs You Should Build Your Site From the Ground Up

When you start a website project, there are a lot of options on the table. Should you build the site yourself using a plug-and-play service like Squarespace? Should you work with a team that specializes in customizing site templates? Or should you work with a digital partner to build a product from the ground up?

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to this problem. As a digital partner to our clients, Mostly Serious has a proven, effective process for building digital properties from scratch—but we also understand that process is not for everyone. Sometimes a template website or even a plug-and-play service is the right solution depending on budget constraints and how robust a project’s goals are.

However, there are a few telltale signs you should consider a custom approach. Before you take the first step to build a new website, make sure you scrutinize your business goals, ideal audience, and problems to be solved. You might be surprised by how much a ground-up solution is actually the right fit for you.

You want to increase and track conversions.

One of the most common requests we hear from client prospects is the ability to set and track meaningful goals for a website. These goals typically break down into awareness objectives or targeted leads, which require a digital solution built to drive business outcomes, attract the right people, and speak to a clearly defined audience.

Few templates out there—if any—are built around these needs, which can vary wildly depending on your industry or offerings. Like many other aspects of business, you get what you pay for when it comes to digital properties. A small investment rarely pays off big or accommodates long-term success. The point is: don’t expect to open the floodgates of new, targeted leads by putting your dollars toward a template website.

Do, however, expect to see a trackable return on an investment in a ground-up approach. Through Mostly Serious’s process, we create the opportunity to deeply understand your audience—not just what they do on your website, but what they like, what their habits are, and what they expect from your business. We’re able to get results because we take the time to understand what will make your audience love your brand, then we execute on the work to make it a reality.

You want a presence that truly supports your business goals.

Before we can build a product that will improve your business, we first work with key stakeholders to determine what success even means for you. We start by establishing clear goals and defining what measures of success should look like through our tried-and-true discovery phase.

We employ strategic planning to ensure everyone involved in the project is on the same page and to work through the difficult problems that are holding your business back. Then we define your audience, thoroughly understand your industry, and look for opportunities that will allow us to achieve the measures of success you care about most.

Part of starting from the ground up is a willingness to evaluate every aspect of your business and consider how a digital solution can help you move the ball forward—not just for an immediate return, but a long-term one that snowballs over time. That’s the value of a true digital partner.

You want to build solutions for your customers.

It’s easy to get caught up in building for ourselves. This is especially true when working with template websites, where audience and business goals come second to the restrictions put in place by an off-the-shelf solution.

When people are not at the center of a solution, we risk building a product that does little outside of simply existing. If the purpose of your website is merely to show that your business exists, a basic template can be the right option. But if you want your digital properties to work for you and your audience, starting with a predefined solution puts you at an immediate competitive disadvantage.

Instead, before we begin building any solution, we use our discovery and planning phases to define who we’re building this product for and what trackable goals we want to achieve. By doing that, we’re able to separate the product from preconceived notions and always track back to the most important question: is the product meeting our goals, and is it pleasing the people using it?

Ready to get started?

We know the leap into the digital landscape can be intimidating. Whether you’re ready to build from the ground up or looking for an overhaul of your current site, we’re here to help you find the best path forward.

If you think a custom website might be the right next step, let’s talk about what you’re trying to accomplish, who you’re trying to reach, and how your digital presence can contribute to your business goals.