A custom web design offers several advantages over using a template. No matter if you are a global corporation, a medium or small business or even a start-up – every business is unique. Therefore, every website should reflect that individuality. If you’re feeling limited by the features of a website builder and template, it may be time to consider upgrading to a custom web design and hosting solution. In this article, we will discuss why custom web design is better than templates and the key factors to consider when choosing between them. But first, let’s define what custom web design and templates are.
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What is a custom website design?
Custom web designs are unique design solutions that that smoothly blend your brand’s identity and personality into the website. Custom web designers create a web page from scratch without relying on templates or pre-made graphics. You get to decide everything – visual elements, layout, features, colour scheme, custom graphics and images. This process might take longer and cost more compared to using a template. If you have limited or no knowledge of website design and development, you will need to hire web design professionals to create your website.
What is a website template?
A website template is a pre-designed layout or framework that you can use to create your own site. When you use a template, you use a design and features already set up for you. You can change it slightly by dragging and dropping elements such as image blocks, photo galleries, logos and more into the template to make it your own. Template web design is ideal for a startup with a limited budget or time limitations because it offers a quicker and more cost-effective solution than custom web design. There are several platforms and website providers that offer themes and templates to help businesses design websites such as Wix, Webflow and WordPress.
Advantages of custom web design
In this section of the article, we will explore the advantages of custom web design. Going with a custom design web design brings many benefits that can significantly enhance your online presence and business success.
Tailored to your brand
A custom design lets you make your website match your brand’s style and personality, making you stand out from the crowd. It’s like starting with a blank canvas, allowing you to create a unique experience that resonates with your audience on a deeper level. Working with a professional designer means you can make sure your website reflects your brand’s personality and values. This is super important, especially if you are in a busy market and need to stand out from the crowd. A generic website template can’t capture what makes your business special and often limits how you can show off your brand.
Personalised user experience (UX)
Custom web design lets you create a user experience (UX) that is just right for your audience. Unlike generic templates, which take a one-size-fits-all approach, custom design allows you to tailor every aspect to fit your business. Before starting the project, web developers and designers will talk with you to learn about what you want to achieve and your business goals. By designing with your audience in mind, you can make sure your website not only looks good but also helps turn visitors into customers or clients.
Easier to update
When you choose a custom web design instead of a template, it is easier to tweak and expand your website as needed. Custom design lays a strong foundation from the start, making it simple to add new features as your business grows. For example the current trend of AI, pushing businesses to incorporate these technologies into their websites and apps. Making these kinds of changes with templates can be harder because you often can’t access the code, and if you do, there is the risk of errors if modified on your own. Plus, templates don’t always get updated regularly for fixes and improvements.
Performance
Custom web designs focus on performance. Developers can optimise the code, remove unnecessary features and simplify the website’s structure for fast loading times, easy navigation and improved user experience. In contrast, templates often include numerous pre-built elements that can slow your website down. You might think this isn’t a significant issue because it’s just a matter of a few seconds. But keep in mind, that one of the key factors Google considers when ranking websites is the site’s upload speed.
Support and maintenance
With custom design, you get personalised help tailored to your website’s exact needs. Unlike templates, where you are stuck with generic solutions, a custom-made website means you have experts who know your site. They can quickly fix problems, update things and ensure your website stays safe and works well. Plus, as your business grows, your custom website can change easily to fit your needs. You can add more products/services and special features like online forms, scheduling tools and e-commerce functions, giving you peace of mind for the future. If you depend on template updates, you have to wait for the company that made the template to fix problems, which might take a while.
Security
Securing your business website is important to prevent cyber attacks. Custom sites are generally more secure because they are uniquely developed. However, hackers often target template-based sites because one piece of malicious code can affect many sites at once. Moreover, if you choose a template that isn’t regularly updated, your site becomes more vulnerable to hackers.
Improved search engine optimisation (SEO)
With custom web design, you have full control over the creation process and get expert guidance from web developers, which can boost your small business’s search engine rankings. Unlike templates, custom designs offer flexibility in formatting, allowing you to tailor features like call-to-action sections to your needs. However, templates limit how much you can change structured data (schema), making it harder to optimise your content for search engines.
Better long-term investment
While custom websites may cost more initially and take longer to create compared to using templates, they offer greater value in the long run. They can adapt and grow along with your business, enhancing your brand’s performance and giving you the freedom to make updates whenever necessary. If you value having a unique, flexible, scalable, high-performing website that’s well-optimized for search engines, choosing a custom web design is usually seen as the best option. It can save you money in the long run
For all these reasons, we recommend spending a little bit of extra time and money to professionally build a custom website. For those companies that aren’t limited by budget and timeline, a custom website is nearly always the way to go. Website templates restrict your brand’s expression, functionality and scalability, often leading to hidden costs over time. On the other hand, a custom website is tailored to your needs, reflecting your brand’s identity and flexible for future growth.
Why settle for templates when custom web design can elevate your online presence? Interested in enhancing your website with a tailored touch? Contact us to explore the possibilities!
