Wix. Squarespace. WordPress templates. They promise a website in minutes. And they deliver — a website that looks exactly like every other business using the same theme. Here's the honest truth about when templates make sense and when they cost you far more than you think.
| Factor | ✦ Gravlux Custom | Wix / Squarespace / WP Template |
|---|---|---|
| Unique Design | ✓ 100% bespoke — no other business shares it | ✗ Shared with thousands of other businesses globally |
| Google Rankings (SEO) | ✓ Clean code, fast load, precise technical SEO built in | ✗ Bloated code, slow on mobile, generic meta structures |
| Mobile Speed in Kenya | ✓ Optimised for 3G/4G — loads under 2 seconds | ✗ Heavy JS bundles struggle on Kenyan mobile data |
| Full Customisation | ✓ Anything is possible — zero platform restrictions | ✗ Limited to theme options — workarounds get expensive |
| Ownership | ✓ You own the code — host anywhere, no lock-in | ✗ Platform-locked — Wix shuts down, you lose everything |
| M-Pesa / Africa Payments | ✓ Native M-Pesa, DPO, and local payment integration | ✗ Stripe/PayPal only — M-Pesa requires costly workarounds |
| AI & Automation | ✓ Full AI chatbot, workflows, and integrations possible | ✗ Limited to template's plugin ecosystem |
| Ongoing Monthly Fee | ✓ KSH 0 after delivery (hosting ~KSH 1,500/mo optional) | ✗ KSH 3,000–8,000/month forever |
| Brand Credibility | ✓ Looks distinctly premium — builds customer trust | ✗ Customers recognise "Wix site" — signals low investment |
| Support & Updates | ✓ Direct WhatsApp line to your designer — 48hr response | Platform's ticket system — hours or days |
| Loading Time (LCP) | ✓ Under 1.8s LCP — Google Core Web Vitals green | ✗ 4–8s common — fails Core Web Vitals, penalised by Google |
| Long-term Cost (3 Years) | ✓ KSH 40,000–70,000 total (one-time + minimal hosting) | ✗ KSH 108,000–288,000 in platform fees alone |
Template platforms feel cheap up front. The maths tells a different story.
If organic traffic is part of your growth plan, custom wins. Template bloat is one of the biggest hidden SEO killers — especially on Kenyan mobile connections.
If customers are choosing between you and a competitor, your website signals credibility instantly. A template site signals low investment. A custom site signals professional ambition.
Template platforms are built for Stripe and PayPal. Integrating M-Pesa on Wix or Squarespace is messy and expensive. We build M-Pesa natively from day one.
Salons, clinics, logistics companies, rental businesses — any business with custom booking logic needs a custom build. Templates can't handle complex business rules cleanly.
AI chatbots, smart search, automated workflows — none of these integrate properly on template platforms. Custom-built sites can have intelligent features built in from the start.
If you're in pre-launch mode, validating a product before committing resources, a template can work short-term. Once you're serious, migrate to custom. Most clients come to us within 12 months.
I spent 8 months trying to make Wix work for my clinic. The site was slow, I couldn't get Google rankings, and M-Pesa checkout was a nightmare. Gravlux rebuilt everything in 3 weeks. Within 60 days we were on the first page of Google for our main service. I wished I'd made the switch sooner.
— Kenya Healthcare Clinic Client · 2025
For brand-new micro-businesses testing a product idea, a template can be a low-cost starting point. But if you are building a brand, trying to rank on Google, or competing in any established market, a template will hold you back. Templates are used by thousands of businesses — you cannot differentiate with them.
A template costs roughly KSH 3,000–8,000/month ongoing. A custom website from Gravlux starts at KSH 35,000 one-time. Within 12 months, the custom site often costs the same or less — with no platform lock-in, no monthly fees, and far better SEO performance.
Yes. We migrate your content, branding and any existing Google rankings to a fully custom site. Most clients see a significant SEO improvement within 60–90 days of migrating to a custom Gravlux site, because our code is significantly leaner than template platforms.
Template platforms generate bloated HTML, use generic meta structures, load slowly on Kenyan mobile connections, and share infrastructure with millions of other sites. Google's Core Web Vitals penalise slow sites. Custom-built sites load faster, have clean code, and can be optimised precisely — all factors that contribute to higher rankings.
Stop paying monthly template fees for a site that looks like everyone else and ranks below them too. Let's build something that's yours — and that Google rewards.