Some websites can be built using existing templates and plugins, but some websites require custom development because the plugin that offers the needed functionality is not available, or an out-of-the-box solution would force the business to adjust the way it operates to align with the solution instead of the other way around.

We perform custom developmentif there is a good reason for doing so. We have been involved in custom solutions for booking systems, integrations that connect the website to the company’s internal systems, and building membership areas that fit the company’s specific business requirements. If a standard WordPress website with the correct plugins performs the same task with a substantial saving to the client, we will not advise custom development. We will instead recommend the less costly option.

We select the technology to use based on what fits the project best instead of using our preferences to inflict a particular technology on the client. Sometimes the technology is WordPress and custom built plugins. Sometimes the technology is an application that is built in React or Node.js. We choose based on what works best for the project, keeping the long-term sustainability of the project in mind, not on what is the quickest solution for us.

Though it may seem that the most advanced solutions are the best, these high-end solutions that only the developer who built them understands are a burden to a company once the developer is no longer with the company. We do not encourage complicated solutions in our work. We are more competent in solving problems in simple ways.

If you’re not sure whether your project would require custom development or if an existing platform would be sufficient, a discussion may still be worthwhile as the answer could turn out to be a much smaller task than you initially expected.