When it comes to building a website, some business owners may be tempted to utilize a pre-built template in order to launch a website quickly and easily (maybe even for free). Even though templates may save time and can certainly be a cost-effective approach, the value a business can get out of building a templated website over a custom-built website can vary drastically. In this article, we will explore the top 4 reasons why custom web design is better than templates.
4 Reasons Why Custom Web Design Is Better Than Templates
1. Unique, Personal Appearance
Firstly, building a website using a custom web design approach allows you to build a unique website, that is geared to your specific needs, and properly reflects who you are as a company. When using a template, you will be limited to the pre-designed layout, colour/fonts, and overall aesthetic that the template provides. This means that it would be challenging to properly reflect who you are as a company through your website. You will also risk looking generic and similar to other businesses in your industry, which could have a big negative impact on your online presence.
Using a custom web design approach on the other hand allows you to create a website that is entirely unique and personalized to your business and brand. A professional web design company can work with you to understand your business and goals, and then build a website that accurately reflects your business and brand. This will help you both stand apart from competitors, and put forth a more professional and trustworthy representation to your target client base. You have mere seconds from when a website visitor to lands on your website, to convince them why they should choose you over competitors and remain on your website. By using a custom web design to create a unique and personal appearance, you are putting your website in a much better position to provide real results for your business.
2. Functionality and User Experience
Another benefit of taking a custom web design approach to building your website is the improved functionality and user experience you can create. Since templates are created in order to be used by a large number and variety of businesses, they likely will not have all the specific features and functionality your business needs for your website to provide real value. This can lead to both a frustrating and ultimately negative user experience on your website, which can further result in a a loss of traffic and weak user engagement rate.
However, with custom web design, your website will be tailor-made to fit your specific needs and goals. A great web design company will take the time to understand the goals your business has for the new website, and ensure that it is built with a user-journey in mind that drives your website visitors toward your preferred call-to-action. Having a functional, user-friendly website that is built with the target client base in mind is pivotal to increase user engagement and more importantly, increase conversions on your website.
3. Flexibility and Scalability
Additionally, custom web design allows for much greater flexibility and scalability than a templated website allows for. While a templated website may seems like a great solution for the short term, as your business grows and evolves, it can be difficult to grow and scale your website with it. This is because you will likely be limited to the pre-built layout and features the template incorporates. Therefore, if you need to add new sections, services, or features to your website, it may be challenging to update your website and for it to continue to fit your needs. Businesses are constantly evolving and changing and if your website is limited to the pre-built features you choose now, your overall online presence will have a hard time evolving and improving as well.
Custom-built websites on the other hand, allow for much greater flexibility and scalability. Even if you prefer the do-it-yourself method and wish to make updates and changes yourself, a good WordPress web designer can provide website training teaching you how to easily make changes and updates to your WordPress website. This will ensure that your website can continue to grow alongside your business and continue to properly reflect your brand and offerings.
4. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Capabilities
Furthermore, custom web design allows for greater search engine optimization (SEO) capabilities. Templates are often not optimized for SEO, which can hinder your website’s visibility and ranking in search engines like Google. For example, the template you fill in your content/images with may not look great responsively (on mobile or tablet devices). Non-responsive websites can be penalized by Google, negatively impacting your organic search rankings
A professional web design company will not only be able to build you a custom-designed website that works great on all devices, they should also offer on-site SEO services while building your website to ensure it is build with best practices in mind to set up your website to be SEO-friendly.
Get a Custom-Designed Website Today!
In conclusion, custom web design offers a number of advantages over using templates to design and build your website. Moving forward with a templated website may be a more cost-effective and time-saving solution in the short term. However, if the goal of your website is to bring value to your business and have a strong ROI (return on investment) in the long-term, then building your website with a custom web design approach is something you definitely want to consider.
If you’re looking for a web design company to help you build a website using custom web design & development, geared towards your specific needs and goals, Mendel Sites is here to help! We provide custom web design and development services, and work with a variety of clients in different industries – feel free to take a look at our web design portfolio. If you have any question or would like to discuss a potential project, contact us today!