The stakes of creating a website in 2025
Before choosing how to build your site, you need to understand the current challenges of a successful website.
First, time is a precious resource: people want a website live fast, but without compromising quality.
Then, your website is your brand image — it must build trust and reflect professionalism.
You also need to think about SEO (search engine optimization) to be found on Google, and conversion to turn visitors into customers.
All of this, without forgetting an absolute must: mobile-first design.
In 2025, around 64% of global internet traffic comes from mobile devices.
Your site must look perfect on smartphones — or you risk losing most of your audience.
Not to mention that each extra second of loading time can reduce conversions by 7% — an impatient visitor is a lost customer.
Faced with these challenges, you'd better be well accompanied.
Sure, you can try the solo route using modern tools…
But let’s be honest: between running your business and becoming a web expert, it can drive you nuts.
Why not chat about it over a virtual coffee with Alan, right? 😉 Make an appointment here!
But if you're still determined to build your site yourself, here are the main options available in 2025:
No-code website builders (Webflow, Framer, …)
No-code website builders are all-in-one platforms that let you build a site via drag-and-drop, with zero coding.
For a quick showcase site or small e-commerce, and if you’re not a developer, it’s the most accessible option.
Best use cases: small businesses, freelancers, portfolios, simple landing pages, blogs or small online shops.
Basically, anytime you want a quick and affordable site without tech skills.
Pros:
- Simple and fast at low cost: pick a template, replace text and images, and boom — your site is live in hours without writing a line of code.
- All-in-one: hosting, templates, and features (like contact forms, basic shops, etc.) are built-in. No need to worry about servers or updates.
Cons:
- Limited customization: no-code doesn’t mean no-limits. These tools are powerful, but they have boundaries.
If you want something very custom that the builder doesn’t support, you’ll hit a wall (e.g., totally out-of-grid layouts). - Platform lock-in (and long-term cost): your site lives on their servers, and you pay a monthly fee.
If they change pricing or policies, you’re stuck. And migrating out of platforms like Wix or Webflow is a nightmare. Over time, subscriptions can end up costing more than open-source options.
Common mistakes:
- Neglecting mobile design: many beginners only focus on desktop layout and forget mobile.
But as we said, mobile-first is vital. These tools often need manual tweaks for mobile.
Without them, overlapping text or broken elements will scare off visitors. - Overloading the site: it’s tempting to add fancy animations, widgets and plugins.
But bloated sites load slowly and are frustrating to use.
Better to go for fast and clean than flashy and chaotic.
Open-source CMS (WordPress & co)
Open-source CMS are software you install on your own hosting to build a website.
The most famous is WordPress, powering around 43% of all websites in 2025.
WordPress offers massive flexibility: you can build any type of site, from a blog to a corporate site, forum or full e-commerce store.
Thanks to thousands of plugins and themes, WordPress can do just about anything — a true Swiss Army knife.
Best use cases: projects with evolving or very specific needs, large content sites (hundreds of blog posts, online magazines), or advanced e-commerce sites.
If you need a very custom function that a plugin covers, WordPress can work.
And if you're hiring a dev team or agency for a highly personalized site, it's a solid base.
Pros:
- Huge flexibility: “There’s a plugin for that.”
Need booking, members-only areas, multilingual, calendar sync? Just add the right plugin.
With 59,000+ plugins, you’ll usually find what you need. - Community & resources: WordPress has been around since 2003 with a giant community.
You’ll find tons of tutorials, docs, and help forums.
And it’s easy to find freelancers or agencies who know it well.
Cons:
- Technical maintenance: being open-source means you’re responsible for the tech side.
You need to update regularly, monitor plugins, and sometimes dig into code when something breaks.
Not always fun for non-techs. - Variable performance & security: a well-optimized WordPress can be fast and secure…
But many WordPress sites suffer from bloat and vulnerabilities.
Heavy themes, too many plugins, or outdated ones can drag your site down or expose it.
Common mistakes:
- Plugin overload: it’s easy to go wild with plugins.
People often add dozens to cover every little thing.
Soon the site becomes slow, buggy, and hard to manage. - Skipping updates and backups: people delay updates for fear of breaking stuff — and skip backups.
Then one day, crash or hack. No backup. Pain.
Set up automated backups and keep everything updated (ideally after testing).
A little confession: at Outside the Box, we use WordPress less and less for new projects.
After building and fixing a ton of them, we know its strengths… and its limitations.
In 2025, more agile tools often make better sense. Curious to know why?
Let’s chat — Alan’s full of good stories on that topic 😉.
Specialized platforms (Shopify, Squarespace…)
This category includes tools designed for specific use cases.
Shopify is all about e-commerce.
Squarespace targets elegant showcase sites (maybe with a small blog or shop).
Best use cases:
- Shopify: launch an online store — from small local brands to large D2C brands.
If your #1 goal is to sell products without the tech hassle, Shopify is your friend. - Squarespace: perfect for artists, consultants, restaurants, etc.
Any project where design and simplicity matter most.
Ideal when you want a good-looking site fast, without hiring a designer.
Pros:
- Ready-to-go and optimized: these tools are best-in-class in their domain.
Shopify gives you all you need to sell online from day one (cart, payments, stock, shipping…).
Squarespace comes with elegant templates, hosting, and all essentials pre-built. - Beginner-friendly: built for non-tech people, with intuitive editors.
Creating a product or page is a smooth ride. No coding needed (though Shopify allows it for advanced users).
Cons:
- Limited flexibility: specialized means less adaptable.
Shopify isn’t great for anything outside e-commerce.
Squarespace hits limits if your store grows or needs custom features — you may need to switch later. - Rising long-term costs: these tools charge monthly (more than Wix or basic hosting) and often take transaction fees.
Shopify, for instance, adds a fee per sale (unless using their payment system).
Over time, these costs add up compared to self-hosted options.
Common mistakes:
- Skipping marketing: putting your store online is just the start.
You still need to market it (SEO, social, email, ads…).
The platform won’t magically bring traffic. - Leaving templates untouched: with Squarespace, using a template is fine,
but leaving default text/images screams “template site.”
Customize it — colors, logo, visuals — to make it yours.
Custom development (from scratch)
This is the "premium" option: building your site 100% custom, without relying on any existing CMS.
Best use cases: highly specific or ambitious projects, outside the scope of standard tools.
For instance, a custom web app, or a unique website concept needing total freedom.
Also chosen by large companies with extreme performance/security needs.
Pros:
- Total flexibility: whatever you imagine, it can be built.
No tool limitations — only time, budget, and dev skill.
You get exactly what you want, from layout to functionality. - Top performance optimization: a custom-coded site lets you control every bit.
It can be lightning fast, super secure, and SEO-perfect — no extra code, no bloat.
Cons:
- High cost & time: this is the most expensive and time-consuming option.
Custom dev takes weeks/months, so you’ll need a serious budget.
For a basic site, it’s rarely worth it. - Ongoing tech reliance: once delivered, it needs maintaining (fixes, updates, upgrades…).
And if the original dev is gone, making changes or fixes can be tricky.
You're tied to a tech team long-term.
Common mistakes:
- Misjudging the need: starting a custom build without clear specs or real need = waste.
You must validate your idea and define features first — don’t just "start coding." - Forgetting UX: too much tech focus, not enough user experience.
It might be impressive tech-wise but confusing to use.
Custom is fine — but always think user-first.
Conclusion: maybe delegation is the real smart move?
As you’ve seen, building a website in 2025 means navigating many tools — each with pros and traps.
Going solo can be exciting and educational… but it’s often time-consuming and frustrating.
Many entrepreneurs start excited, only to burn out after 30 hours in a dashboard maze.
That’s 30 hours not spent growing your business.
Delegating your site to pros doesn’t mean giving up — it’s often the smartest move.
You save time, avoid costly mistakes, and get a site that actually performs from day one.
At Outside the Box, that’s our mission: help you win back your time and sanity,
while building a high-performance website aligned with your goals (brand image, SEO, conversion…).
In short, if you want a great site without pulling all-nighters: call us.
Focus on what you do best — let us handle your online presence.
Sounds good? Book a call with Alan and let’s chat (yes, over virtual coffee ☕).
We’d love to help you choose the best solution for your project — in 2025 and beyond. 🚀
