Guide

Website or app: which does your business need first?

We build both, so we have no reason to push you towards one. For most small businesses the honest answer is a website first, then an app when your customers come back often enough to want one.

Published 7 October 2026 · DH Website Services

Start with a website if

  • People need to find you. Google sends people to websites, not apps. If new customers search for what you do, a website is how they find you.
  • Most customers visit once or occasionally. Nobody installs an app for a plumber they call once a year.
  • You want the lowest cost to get going. Our websites start at £449.

Add an app when

  • Customers come back often. Cafés, salons, gyms, takeaways, clubs and shops with regulars are where apps earn their keep.
  • You want to reach people directly. A push notification lands on the customer's lock screen. An email may never be opened.
  • You want bookings or orders without the fees. An app can take orders and payments directly instead of through a marketplace that takes a cut.
  • You have staff to organise. A staff app for rotas, clock-in and leave can save hours every week. We run our own business on one.

Side by side

  • Found on Google: website yes, app no
  • On the customer's home screen: website no, app yes
  • Push notifications: website limited, app yes
  • Works for one-off visitors: website yes, app rarely
  • Starting price with us: website £449, app £349 (turning your existing website into an app with push notifications)

The route we usually recommend

  1. Get a fast, clear website that ranks for what you do and where you are.
  2. Once you have regular customers, add an app built on top of it, starting with push notifications.
  3. Add bookings, ordering or a loyalty scheme in the app when there is demand for it.

You never pay twice for the same thing: the app can reuse your website's content and systems.

Still not sure?

Book a free call and tell us how your customers find you and how often they come back. We will tell you honestly which one to do first, even if the answer is neither yet.

Talk to us about your project →