You need a website. You know that. What you might not know is that “website” can mean something very different depending on who builds it, what you need it to do for your business, and how involved you want to be in the process.
At Engenius, we know not every business needs to spend five figures on a new website. Sometimes, you simply need to get online quickly so you can start marketing your business, building credibility, and selling your products or services.
That’s why we created the Basic Website. This website product has three tiers, but all three are designed to help you launch a professional website quickly and at a lower cost. Basic Websites are template-driven and require some copywriting homework from you and your team, but we help you get online within weeks instead of months.
Is this the website you will have for the full life of your business? Probably not. But it can absolutely be the framework you use to grow.
Who Is a Basic Website Best For?
The Basic Website is a great fit for startups, solo entrepreneurs, and small businesses that are just getting their feet wet in digital marketing.
If your main goal is to establish a professional online presence, share essential information, and give customers a place to learn more about your business, a Basic Website may be exactly what you need.
But what about a more established business with bigger needs for sharing information, attracting an audience, and generating leads?
That’s where the Engenius Website System, or EWS, comes in.
What Is the Engenius Website System?
EWS is a strategy-first, fully custom website process where Engenius does the heavy lifting for you, from determining the sitemap and layout to writing all the content.
Our team spends time getting to know your business, your goals, and your audience. Then we build the website around those things. At the end of the process, you have a fully custom website with professionally written content, a design built around your brand and audience, and a structure created to guide visitors toward taking action.
If your website needs to be a lead-generation tool, a sales support asset, or a stronger representation of your brand, EWS gives you a more strategic foundation than a template-driven website. For businesses that are ready for a more customized approach, our web design and development services are built around strategy, content, user experience, and long-term performance.
Side-by-Side Breakdown of Website Products
It’s important to note that while there are DIY aspects to each of our products, they are all high-quality WordPress websites built by our team of experts. The difference comes down to what you’re willing to invest in time and money and what your business is ready for.
| Basic Website | Basic Website Plus | Basic Website Premium | Engenius Website System | |
| Timeline | ~6 weeks | ~6 weeks | ~5 weeks | ~14–16 weeks |
| Your Role | Choose template, write content, find images, make edits | Choose template, attend strategy session, write content, find images, make edits | Choose template, attend strategy session, review content, find images, attend site review, provide feedback, attend training | Attend kickoff meeting, review strategy brief, complete content checklist, attend site review(s), provide feedback, attend training |
| Engenius Meetings | N/A | Strategy consultation | Strategy consultation, site review, training | Kickoff meeting, strategy review, homepage review, site review, training |
| Strategy | N/A | Strategy consultation with an Engenius team member | Strategy consultation with an Engenius team member | Multiple team members collaborate on your website strategy and present it for approval via a Creative Brief |
| Design | Choose one of our templates to be customized to your brand colors and fonts | Choose one of our templates to be customized to your brand colors and fonts | Choose one of our templates to be customized to your brand colors and fonts | Fully unique design based on your requests, branding, content needs, and audience |
| Content | DIY content worksheet to help you write content; all images provided by you | DIY content worksheet to help you write content, which Engenius reviews; all images provided by you | Engenius writes your content and consults on imagery | Engenius writes your website content and consults on imagery |
| Feedback | N/A | N/A | One round of revisions included for Engenius to address your feedback | Two rounds of revision time included for Engenius to address your feedback |
| Training | Stock training documents | Custom training video and custom documents | In-person or Zoom training session plus custom documents | In-person or Zoom training session plus custom documents |
So What Do You Actually Need?
Here’s a simple way to think about it.
If your main goal is to have a professional online presence while you figure out the rest, start with a Basic Website. It gives your business a solid, professional foundation without requiring the time, budget, or strategy of a fully custom website project.
If your website is supposed to be a primary driver of leads, credibility, sales, or audience education, that’s an EWS conversation. Trying to do the second job with the first product is where many businesses get into trouble.
We also have a tool that can help you decide and provide a rough estimate of the cost.
[Link to Richard’s nifty form/wizard.]
What Happens If You Choose the Wrong Website?
Choosing the cheaper option isn’t always the wrong move, but choosing the wrong option almost always costs more in the end.
A Basic Website for a business that’s actually ready for EWS might get you online quickly, but if it can’t support your content strategy, communicate your value clearly, or convert visitors into customers, you may find yourself rebuilding sooner than you planned. And starting over is rarely cheaper than doing it right the first time.
On the flip side, investing in a full EWS build before your business is ready means paying for strategy, content, and customizations your team may not yet be positioned to make the most of.
Our goal at Engenius is not to sell you the most expensive website. It’s to help you choose the right website for where your business is right now.
Basic Website vs. EWS: A Quick Decision Guide
Choose a Basic Website if you:
- Need to launch quickly
• Have a smaller budget
• Are comfortable writing your own content
• Need a professional but simple online presence
• Are still clarifying your messaging, offers, or audience
Choose EWS if you:
- Need a fully custom website
• Want Engenius to write your website content
• Need a strategy-first website process
• Want your website to support lead generation or sales
• Have a more complex audience, service offering, or site structure
Let’s Figure It Out Together
Not sure which website product fits your business? That’s exactly what we’re here for.
Before you commit to anything, talk to us. We’ll ask the right questions, listen to where you are and where you’re headed, and give you a straight answer about which path makes the most sense.
