Templates vs. Custom Built Websites

Have you decided to move forward with investing in a new website for your business? Once you have decided to move on, one question remains… Should I opt for a custom-built website or use a template for my site? Which path best suits my business? What are the differences?

Using Templates

The most common way to start a website is to set up a WordPress site and apply a template purchased from ThemeForest, TemplateMonster, or Elegant Themes. These websites provide a broad range of different types of website templates available for purchase. Not all of the themes/templates out there are 100% responsive.

There are also services like Wix or Squarespace that provide a theme and allow you to edit within the frame of the website. These can help you get a website up pretty fast and easily. However, there are limitations on the options that are available for more complex features such as forms or e-commerce functions.

One thing to keep in mind is that templates and themes normally come with built-in features so that the user can have more customizability, but this ultimately weighs down the website in terms of load speed and SEO performance. You’ll likely have to put up with features, designs, and functions that won’t necessarily fit your brand or business. You could pay a web development company to fix it, but that’s like asking a certified Ford mechanic to take a look at your Toyota since the site most likely wont be written in the same code format. And even if the developer does fix the site to your liking… Once an update comes out for WordPress or that theme itself, your website will run into some display issues because of a former customization made by a developer.

Pros/Cons of Using Templates

1. Lots of other businesses could be using the same template, which means your site won’t stand out as much.
2. You are limited in how much you can customize the site. What you see is what you get.
3. May not 100% work on all devices
4. Some templates are not built to be search engine-friendly. They need to be customized to fit your business.
5. Any custom or added technologies are not possible to be installed as templates run on a structured system.
6. Templates are great for a low budget. There is a cheaper upfront cost.
7. Templates have a shorter development time.
8. Template sites will most likely not have as good of a support system as a custom-built site.

Custom Built Websites

Custom-built websites involve a team behind your business. It starts with a creative process to understand who is your target audience is, who you want to reach, how you want/need the website to function, and how you want to look on the internet.

SEO plays a big role in the success of any website. There are rules to follow when building a site, and not all themes are capable of abiding by these rules. This is why custom-built websites are so much superior; the developer is able to optimize the site during creation to allow for Google and other search engines to read each page to give the end user a more relevant search result, thus giving custom-built sites naturally a better ranking on the system. This goes beyond keyword research.

Custom-built websites tend to take longer than themes, this is because everything is being built and catered to a particular business. It will save time in the long run because when it’s built from the ground up, it’s a lot easier to customize the site to ensure your site does exactly what you want it to do. Custom designs allow your site to be responsive across all devices (such as phones, tablets, laptops, etc.)  & browsers.

Pros/Cons of Custom-Built Websites

1. The website will have a completely unique design that will incorporate the company’s branding and will be based around the needs of your business.
2. A customized website is adaptable to your company’s needs
3. The site is tested to work across all browsers.
4. The site will be built to be search engine-friendly.
5. A customized website is more expensive than a template.
6. The process to create a custom site takes longer than a template site.
7. The site will grow with your business. If you know how you will need your site to operate in the future, a professional web developer will install technologies that will work with those ideas.
8. The company that built your site is there for support if you need it.

Would you rather spend your time figuring out how to make your website behave a certain way, or have professionals take care of your business’s online presence while you concentrate your attention on running your business?