The internet has spawned a massive amount of different styles, different themes and different types of website, all of which are support by large chunks of coding, but do you really need unique code, or will mass sell do you?

It really depends how unique you want your code and your site to be, and whether there is actually something on the market which can do the job for you, at an acceptable price. What are the pros and cons of unique v mass market code?

Some points to consider include :-

Unique Code

While the code will be yours, and nobody else will have anything quite like it, unique code can be very expensive and some what time consuming to complete. Some of the most difficult unique code can take months to finish, and often hold back a project, effecting your cash flow and ultimate profitability.

There is also further downside with the testing process, as some problems may not materialise until a long time after you have begun using the code - ultimately leaving you with potential problems. You also need to balance up the need for unique code against copycats, and those whole will rip-off your idea for their own means. Ground breaking sites such as the milliondollarheompage suffered at the hands of copycats, who had their own versions on the market with in days.

Mass Market

While there are a number of negatives to using mass market code (i.e. code that is not unique), these are probably over shadowed by the positives. On a positive side the code is likely to have been fully tested, both by the original coders as well as the vast array of users, ensuring very few problems. Indeed, many coders will actually release updates on a regular basis to keep the code in the public eye.

On a negative note it can be tricky to find something which does exactly what you want, and unless you make an effort to introduce a different design to your site, it can begin to look like any other site which uses that code - taking away that unique look which can often improve your traffic.

Conclusion

There are a number of factors to consider when looking for that special code, and it will come down to how much you can afford and how different you want your site to be from the main stream. Not an easy decision for many……..