The world today is becoming increasingly digitalised. From government institutions to private offices and non-profit organisations, all are leveraging technology to enhance their efficiency and stay ahead of the curve.
Slowly but steadily, businesses are also embracing the change and getting their websites designed or revamped as per the latest industry standards. They are further using social media channels to market their websites and capture the attention of tech-savvy, ready-to-pay consumers.
While the decision to get a professional website isn’t a difficult one, choosing between custom web design and templates often confuses many.
Both options are effective; however, before finalising one, you must have complete clarity of your long-term business goals to ensure your success in the online arena. Project budget, customisation needs and scalability are some of the top factors that must determine your path ahead. Now, if you are in two minds and can’t decide between custom websites and template-based options, here’s everything conceptual and practical to help you ditch your digital dilemma.
What is a Custom Web Design?
A website developed from the ground up by considering the present and future business objectives is called a custom website.
These are ideal for businesses who aspire to stand out in the market with their high-performing, creatively branded websites and do not want pre-made templates to limit their strategic online vision. Not to forget, these also offer an excellent user experience that spikes up the chances of higher content engagement and lower bounce rates.
When designed by techies of a leading custom website design company, one can get almost every design feature and functionality they want in their digital assets.
What is a Template-Based Website?
A template website is a pre-designed template that many new businesses use to enter into the online realm faster and cheaper. These can be designed using Wix, Weebly and similar website builder tools and can be marginally customised to update the colour scheme, content presentation or site navigation.
Getting started with a template solution doesn’t require extensive tech knowledge and budget. In fact, in most cases, updating the images, brand logos and relevant text content can get you a well-functioning business website with which you can instantly kick-start their online presence and attract new leads.
Difference Between Custom Web Design and Template Websites
Here are the top 5 important factors that must be considered to choose between a custom web solution and a pre-designed, template-based website:
Project Budget
No matter if you run a logistics company, a tattoo clinic or own a large retail store, it’s important to remember that websites are a comprehensive representation of your brand in the digital space. Your initial investment can help you expand your brand awareness and engage with new customers, impacting your bottom line in the long term.
As aforementioned, custom web design delivers quality performance and helps you reflect your brand’s personality with flair. However, this also demands a higher upfront cost which may vary from as little as $1,000 to $50,000 depending upon the scope of your project. Any profitable business needing enhanced front-end appeal and higher control over its back-end should consider professional website design to engage its target audience and yield higher sales.
On the flip side, template-based solutions are relatively affordable, as the pre-packaged designs significantly reduce the website design fees. With a clean design and standard functionality, these empower growing brands to establish market credibility and showcase their portfolio of services. This means template websites are ideal for budding consultants, freelancers and small local businesses with limited marketing needs and budgets.
Branding
If brand positioning and personalisation matter a big deal to you, hiring a reputable web design company in Liverpool can be one of your best decisions. Creatives from these agencies know the art of designing a bespoke website that resonates with your brand’s essence and unique personality. Unlike off-the-shelf templates, these meticulously coded websites are persuasive, as every website aspect, including font type and text size, colours, layout etc. are carefully chosen to align with your branding needs. This results in a gratifying and memorable user experience, which positively impacts the business revenue.
Template websites, however, are pre-made themes where many design aspects are hard-coded. At some point, you’ll find it challenging to update or overwrite the predefined code and align the website components as per your unique vision. Further, template websites often look generic and sometimes outdated, which can be a bummer for dynamic businesses aiming to leave a positive first impression of their products and services.
Timelines
Time is money! Thus, when selecting between a custom web design and a template, it becomes unavoidable to consider timelines.
Custom web development is a professional endeavour – setting up website goals and objectives, sketching a sitemap, planning design and content, development, testing and launching are some of the critical milestones that must be checked to ensure online success. Moreover, there are several interdependent processes, and thus, any lag can stretch your project timeline. No wonder all this is time-intensive and may take anywhere between a few weeks to a few months to complete.
Businesses bound with a time constraint can safely consider using templates, as their simplistic nature and standard functionality make it easier to get them up and running in a matter of days. So, if you have a big event lined up or need to promote a discount sale or initiative that is time-bound, it’s good to settle with templates or single-page sites.
Customisation and Functionality
A custom web solution can be your online nirvana, giving you the flexibility and options to build a website that meets your exact needs and design preferences. You have full control over user experience, and you can get a clean-coded site that is fluid on all devices, loads fast and performs well on search engines. In addition, when hiring a leading web design agency in Liverpool, you can rest assured that you can count on a team of full-stack developers who can skillfully translate your idea into a fully functional digital asset.
While working with pre-built themes and drag-and-drop builders is easier, you can’t customise them beyond a certain extent. Template websites are a kind of ‘one-size-fits-all’ model, perfect for businesses who are looking for a set-and-forget effort, meaning they know they can be found on Google and other search engines and are satisfied with the returns they are getting. So, if you need a polished-looking website without delving into the technical know-how, choose template sites.
Scalability and Security
Custom-made websites are both scalable and more secure from cyber threats. Talking about scalability, you can always add more features to your custom website and get it ready to meet your growing demands. Similarly, as there are no inherent limitations, it’s easy to scale down when needed. Further, with a custom-coded website, you dealing with issues like data breaches, malware infections, and code injection are slim to none. Professional developers ensure that the site is regularly maintained and there are no vulnerabilities to prevent cyberattacks.
On the other hand, when trying to add new functions or elements, template-based websites often take a nosedive. The extra features lead to increased load times, and more often than not, pre-made templates do not perform well when there’s a rise in website traffic. To summarise, template solutions might be acceptable for your present situation but might not be a great fit to accommodate your growing business needs.
Custom Website vs Template Solution – Which Way to Go?
In conclusion, we believe it’s safe to say that using a template-based website is most suited for businesses that do not want to grow at a glacial pace but can’t invest in extensive custom website design services. In addition, using pre-made templates is also a practical solution for small local businesses that do not serve large audiences, expect a balanced website traffic and do not need heavy customisations.
On the flip side, thriving businesses with wider reach are most likely to benefit from a custom web design, as it brings room for unlimited customisation, unique features and enhanced security to cyber threats. Such websites leave a promising imprint and are more likely to bring higher engagement and ROI.
That said, if you need the assistance of a leading web design company in Liverpool, NSW, to build your website, get in touch with Netplanet Digital. We specialise in custom web design services where we promise to deliver bespoke solutions that are visually stunning, fully responsive and optimised for better search engine performance. We also offer comprehensive training to help you efficiently and confidently manage your website. To get started and convert your casual visitors to well-paying customers, contact Netplanet Digital today and discuss your project needs.
