Why I build custom websites instead of generic templates

I returned to web work in a serious way in 2019. I build custom websites in PHP and Laravel, with Bootstrap, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, MySQL or MariaDB, and SEO. Services sit on ionelnistor.com, public projects in the portfolio, and tools on tools.ionelnistor.com.

Where a template falls over

A template is fast when you need a presentation page and nothing more. It stalls when you add users, an admin panel, real forms, languages (ro, es, en), clean URLs or a database that has to grow. Then you start cutting the theme, adding exceptions and paying twice: once at the start, then at every change.

Custom does not mean “more expensive so it sounds better”. It means the structure follows the purpose: who uses the site, what data comes in, and what must be changeable a year later without rebuilding everything. That is also why ionelnistor.ro is not a one-pager stuck on a theme. It has pages, languages, legal pages, a blog and an admin that holds the articles.

What I refuse at the start

I do not promise features that inflate a project and make it hard to maintain. If an idea is risky or useless, I say so. I prefer a clear, fast, indexable site over a carousel of effects. The website has to work after delivery, not only on launch night.