WordPress runs on plugins that slow it down and open security holes. A custom build gives you the same flexibility, hand-coded and fast.
⚡ Under 1s vs 2.8s
Looking for Custom Website vs WordPress in Des Moines? Here is what local businesses get:
For the roughly 570,091 people who call Des Moines home, getting found in local search takes more than a pretty template — it takes Custom Website vs WordPress done right. As a major metro, Des Moines rewards the businesses that show up fastest and clearest the moment locals search. Plenty of Des Moines businesses quietly lose traffic to bloated, templated sites; we fix that with hand-coded Custom Website vs WordPress.
As a major metro, Des Moines draws locals and visitors alike near places like Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden, and your site has to load fast for every one of them. Locals and visitors rate spots like Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden and Pappajohn Sculpture Park around 4.6 stars — the same standard your Des Moines site should meet the moment it loads.
Moving off WordPress should not cost you rankings. We migrate Des Moines sites to custom PHP while preserving URLs, schema, and the SEO equity you have already built. Because the code is fully custom, your site scales with Des Moines demand instead of buckling under plugin bloat. You own the finished site outright — no subscriptions quietly draining your Des Moines budget.
Whether your customers are downtown or out near Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden, they expect a Des Moines business to have a website that is quick, clear, and easy to use. Each Des Moines project is built for speed and ownership: sub-second loads, proper schema markup, and code that stays yours. If your current site is slow or dated, a custom build is usually the highest-return change a Des Moines business can make.
You own the code and the domain outright. Hosting is yours to choose, and most Des Moines clients handle day-to-day edits themselves through the editable sections.
Yes — booking flows, enquiry forms and native Stripe checkout are built directly into the code, so no Des Moines business is paying a platform a percentage of every sale.
Every build is measured on Google Lighthouse before launch and again after go-live. The target is 100, and it is a number you can verify for your Des Moines site yourself rather than take on trust.
Pricing is a flat fee agreed up front — one cost, with no monthly subscriptions. Des Moines businesses get a fixed quote based on scope, so there are no surprises after launch.
Every WordPress migration for Des Moines, Iowa ships with a full redirect map, so the rankings you already have follow you across. Most WordPress sites in Des Moines start fast and slow down as plugins and apps accumulate. Custom code has nothing to accumulate. Moving off WordPress is mainly a migration problem, not a design one — and for Des Moines businesses the risk that matters is losing rankings, which careful URL mapping prevents.
WordPress powers a huge share of the web, but most WordPress sites are weighed down by themes and a stack of plugins that slow them to 3+ seconds and create constant security and maintenance headaches. We build custom websites that deliver the same functionality with clean, hand-coded PHP — under-1-second load times, a 100 Lighthouse score, no plugin bloat, and no monthly licenses. Here is the WordPress comparison. Serving Des Moines, Iowa.
Side by side on the things that actually affect your rankings and your wallet.
| BuiltToWinWeb | WordPress | |
|---|---|---|
| Page load time | Under 1 second | 2.8s |
| Lighthouse score | 100 | 55 |
| Cost | ✓ One flat fee | ✗ Hosting + plugins, ongoing |
| You own the code | ✓ Fully yours | ✗ Locked to platform |
| Built for SEO | ✓ Hand-coded schema | ✗ Limited control |
| Code & plugin bloat | ✓ Zero | ✗ Heavy |
The trade-offs that come with the convenience.
Themes and plugins bloat load times to 3 seconds or more
Plugins are the #1 source of security vulnerabilities and hacks
Constant updates and maintenance to keep everything working
Premium plugins and themes add recurring license costs
Performance depends on hosting and plugin quality, not your control
Yes. Anything a WordPress plugin does — contact forms, e-commerce, booking, memberships — we build directly into clean PHP, without the plugin bloat, security risk, or recurring license fees.
Significantly. Most WordPress hacks come through outdated plugins. A hand-coded site has no third-party plugins to exploit, so the attack surface is far smaller.
Yes. We build a simple editor for the parts you need to change yourself — without the complexity, updates, and maintenance overhead of a full WordPress install.
They stop. The build is a one-time cost and the code is yours; the only ongoing cost is standard hosting.
Not with a planned migration. Every URL is mapped, meta data carried across, and redirects tested before launch — most sites hold rankings and gain from the speed improvement.
Yes, and generally faster. Anything handled by a WordPress plugin or app — forms, payments, bookings, galleries — is built directly into the code.
Get a free, no-obligation quote. We can rebuild and migrate your existing site without losing your rankings.
Guarantees, process and pricing are the same everywhere we work — see the full Custom Website vs WordPress page. Serving Des Moines, Iowa.
See how Custom Website vs WordPress worksReal, verified reviews from business owners who switched.
“Couldn’t be happier with my website. Jacob is a great guy, very knowledgeable, and truly stands behind his work.”
“His work is always professional and well done. He’s great at designing websites that look clean, modern, easy to use.”
“Jacob is professional and I highly recommend using him for making your websites.”
“Great Work, Professional Service! Jacob is very knowledgeable, trustworthy and reliable. Highly recommend.”