Wix, template or custom site: when you lose customers

Wix, template or custom site: when the «cheap» option costs you customers

Michael Siaterlis · June 18, 2026 · 3 minute read

I’m going to say something you wouldn’t expect from someone who makes a living building custom sites.

Ready-made platforms aren’t bad. For some cases they’re exactly the right choice. There, I said it.

The problem starts elsewhere. It starts the moment your business outgrows the ready-made tool, and nobody has bothered to tell you. The site stays where you left it, you keep moving, and a quiet gap opens up between the two.

Let’s start with when a Wix or template makes sense

If you’re just starting out, if the budget is small and you simply want a clean presence online, a template is a reasonable choice.

You don’t need to spend thousands of euros to have a decent page. At this stage, the simple solution is the right solution. The tool should match the size of the problem, not the size of the ambition.

So far, no objection. Am I wrong?

The cost that isn’t visible at first

The «cheap» option looks inexpensive at first. Then it starts costing you in ways you hadn’t counted on, because those ways never appear on any quote.

Depending on the platform and the plan, you may run into limits: on speed, on technical SEO settings, or on a feature your business needs to work in a specific way, such as a connection to your systems. Many platforms do offer bookings, automations and good SEO tools. The question isn’t whether they «can», it’s whether they cover your particular case.

And on top of that, the subscription. A subscription on its own isn’t a bad thing, our own apps run on subscriptions too. What’s worth comparing is what you pay against what you need, what the platform can do, and whether you can take your data with you if you ever decide to leave.

The signs you’ve outgrown it

There’s a moment when the ready-made tool turns into a brake.

When you want something that «doesn’t exist ready-made». When you’re fighting limitations instead of growing. When you say «it would be perfect if the site could do this», and the answer is always «can’t be done here». How many times now?

At that point you don’t need another template. You need something built for you.

When you need something that isn’t bought off the shelf

I’ve connected a 2003 commercial program to myDATA, where no ready-made solution offered a way. I’ve built a booking platform from scratch, with its own automatic sites and a smart assistant.

These don’t exist in any catalogue. They get built. And that is exactly the difference between «putting up a site» and solving your problem.

Not sure? Just ask me

You don’t have to decide on your own which category you fall into. Because, as I said at the start, ready-made platforms aren’t bad. They just stop fitting you at some point.

If you don’t know whether a ready-made platform is enough or you need something of your own, tell me what your business does and what you want to achieve. I’ll suggest the solution that fits, with the reasoning and a detailed cost, and tell you honestly if a simple site covers you, even if the answer is “you don’t need me”. Write to me through the contact form with what the business does and the address of your current site, if you have one. What each option includes is on our web development page.

The whole picture: this article covers one part of a larger subject. If you are after the whole of it, from commissioning to replacement, it is in the guide to your website.

Frequently asked questions

Are ready made platforms bad?

No. For some cases they are exactly right. If you are just starting, the budget is small and you want a clean presence, a template is a sensible choice. The problem is not the tool. It is the moment the business outgrows it and nobody says so.

When does a Wix or a template fit?

At the start. When the tool matches the size of the problem rather than the size of the ambition. You do not need to spend thousands for a decent page, and at that stage the simple answer is the right answer.

Where does the cheap option hide its cost?

Nowhere in the quote. Depending on the platform and the plan, it can be limits on speed or on the settings you need, a feature that does not cover your particular case, or difficulty taking the site with you. The subscription on its own is not the problem: compare what you pay with what you need, and check whether you can export your data.

Is a site built on a platform actually mine?

The software is not: you rent it. That is not bad in itself, it is how every subscription service works, our own apps included. But ask what you can take with you if you leave: texts, images, customer records and your domain. The design and the features usually stay with the platform, and change only as far as it allows.

What are the signs I have outgrown it?

When you want something that does not exist ready made. When you fight limitations instead of growing. When you say it would be perfect if the site could do this, and the answer is always that it cannot be done here. At that point you do not need another template, you need something built for you.

What can only be built custom?

Whatever is not in a catalogue. I have connected a commercial program from 2003 to myDATA, where no off the shelf solution offered a route, and built a bookings platform from scratch with its own automatic sites and a smart assistant. That is the difference between putting up a site and solving your problem.

Michael Siaterlis Founder of MS-Logic and software engineer. More than 35 years in IT, from the Apple Central Service Centre to today's MS-Logic products. More about the author