What business owners need to know about building websites

Boxers & Briefs Podcast #30: Why every business needs a web developer with Paul Stockton

Having a website for your business is essential in this digital age. It’s often the first thing potential customers seek out when they hear about your company, and a well-crafted website lends credibility to your brand. However, with numerous hosting platforms, conflicting information, and unreliable operators in the industry, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed.

So, we decided to go straight to the experts. In this episode of the Boxes and Briefs podcast, we sit down with Paul Stockton, managing director of Control Shift. His company specialises in collaborating with creatives to provide web development, hosting, and support services.

The birth of Control Shift

Control Shift was born out of frustration with the cowboys in the industry. Paul explains, “There’s so many unfortunately, and the thing is they make these promises and then it doesn’t happen, or they take your money, give you somewhat of what you need but not the rest, and then if you want the rest you’ve got to pay more.”

“We do a lot of rescue operations,” Paul notes. One of the biggest issues they encounter is developers simply disappearing, leaving clients stranded with incomplete or broken websites.

The team approach to website success

When asked about the essential elements of a good website, Paul’s answer might surprise you. Rather than listing technical features or design elements, he emphasises the importance of having the right team behind you.

“You want your designer who knows what they’re doing, you want your content creator—someone who can help you in that section, that’s probably one of the hardest points coming to websites—and then you need it built well, and you’ll want someone to support it.”

This team approach addresses one of the biggest pain points in website management. Paul describes it as a “black hole in marketing” where, when something goes wrong, everyone points fingers between the domain provider, IT support, email provider, developer, and hosting company. Control Shift positions itself as the single point of contact to eliminate this confusion.

Understanding the investment

For businesses wondering about costs, Paul suggests that a brochure website—a simple site without e-commerce functionality that serves as a credibility piece—starts around $10,000 when done properly with a full team approach.

But what if you don’t have that budget? Paul acknowledges that many startups face this challenge. “They could start small—this is where templates come in. You can get a pre-built template, start when you have low capital, get your content in, just get something up there that’s credible, so if someone with word of mouth comes along, they’ll see you exist.”

The key is viewing this as a stepping stone. Once you have capital flowing, you can invest in proper branding, messaging, and custom design that truly represent your company.

Common pitfalls to avoid

The biggest mistake businesses make? “Thinking they can do it themselves,” Paul states bluntly. Whilst templates have their place as a starting point, they come with significant limitations.

Template websites often fall apart after just one year because the original developer stops updating them to work with platform changes. They also rarely match your branding or provide the customer journey needed to convert visitors into clients.

“You want to have people coming to your website who have talked to you, and when they meet you, it’s the same language, it feels the same. If it’s not, they usually get a bit untrustworthy,” Paul explains.

The custom versus template debate

Whilst templates serve a purpose for businesses with limited budgets, they come with hidden costs. Developers often spend more time trying to turn off unwanted features than building new ones. Templates also typically include ‘code bloat’—unnecessary code that slows down your website, hurting both user experience and search engine rankings.

Custom development, whether through WordPress with clean page builders like Elementor or fully coded solutions, offers much more control and performance. A fully custom-coded website can achieve perfect scores on Google’s page speed insights, though Paul notes this typically costs around double a WordPress build.

Emerging trends and future thinking

Paul identifies conversion rate optimisation (CRO) as the biggest trend in web development. This involves strategically placing elements to guide visitors through a journey that leads to them contacting you or making a purchase.

“Designers are usually all about creating something beautiful, and yes, it looks good, but you want someone to give you some guidance of like this is how it’ll convert or this is where we should send people,” he explains.

This trend reflects a shift from websites as mere online brochures to strategic business tools designed with specific outcomes in mind.

Getting started the right way

Paul’s biggest piece of advice for businesses looking to redo their website is to sort out their branding first. “Make sure your branding is 100%, your messaging, you know exactly who you’re targeting.”

This means having proper brand guidelines with consistent colours and fonts that carry through all your marketing materials, not just your website. Think of major brands like Cadbury with their distinctive purple—that consistency builds trust and recognition.

The process should start with a designer who works with a marketer to ensure the website not only looks good but also converts visitors into customers. Trying to make changes after development becomes costly, so getting the strategy right upfront saves both time and money.

The bottom line

In an industry plagued by unreliable operators and broken promises, finding the right team makes all the difference. Whether you’re starting with a template or investing in custom development, the key is working with people who understand that a website isn’t just about looking good—it’s about creating a tool that grows your business.

As Paul puts it, “We want to create a solution for the client that has a positive outcome.” In a world of cowboys and quick fixes, that philosophy of thinking with the end in mind is exactly what businesses need to build websites that work.

This article and podcast is proudly brought to you by Gilligan Sheppard, the problem solvers in business who believe in thinking differently.