Websites. Reviewed October 29, 2026
Custom website
Also called: Custom-coded site, Bespoke website
A custom website is built from code for one business, with its own design, pages and tools, rather than assembled from a theme or page builder shared with thousands of other sites.
In practice
The practical differences are speed, because there are no plugins loading things the page does not use, and control, because any feature can be built rather than found. The trade is that someone has to write the code, which is what an agency is for.
A template is fine for a company that will never change the site. Most companies change the site.
Related terms
- Website ownershipWebsite ownership means the business holds the domain, the code and the content and can take all three to any host or agency; a rented site lives on a provider's platform and goes dark when the subscription stops.
- CMSA CMS, content management system, is the software that lets someone edit pages and publish posts without touching code, and WordPress is the best known.
- Page speedPage speed is how quickly a page becomes usable for a visitor, measured on a phone over a cellular connection, and Google reports it through Core Web Vitals.
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