Custom Websites VS Template Websites

DING, DING, DING

The first question we get hit with is “why would we pay for a developer to custom make a website when we can just buy a template website?” 

Now before you make the decision the pros and cons need to be looked into in order to decide which one works best for you and your business. 

• CUSTOM WEBSITES

PROS

1. 1. Custom websites are a blank canvas which are completely customisable to suit what your vision is and how you want your business to be presented. 
2. 2. Due to its customisable aspect this allows your site to stand-out against the crowd which is vital these days with saturated online environments. 
3. 3. Gives you a competitive advantage as your website has higher potential to deliver unique educational information and visual designs.
4. 4. Search engine friendly so they tend to rank higher – Helping your SEO strategy!
5. 5. Grows with your business! As there is a factor of scalability which allows the website to adapt to higher demand as you grow.
6. 6. Longer lifespan 
7. 7. Due to custom websites having unique coding, it makes them harder for hackers to access.

CONS

1. 1. Higher upfront costs in comparison to template websites.
2. 2. Takes a longer period of time to develop and go live.

• TEMPLATE WEBSITES

PROS

1. 1. Shorter period of time to be developed and go live. 
2. 2. Affordable as there is less work involved when developing a template website.
3. 3. Simple and easy to build as coding has already been developed.
4. 4. Set out planned and ready for your own content to be inserted. 

CONS

1. 1. Limited customisation with template websites as the design of these templates are fixed and unable to be changed. 
2. 2. Not original! Templates are usually available to download online meaning that there is a high possibility that you can come across other business websites which are similar if not identical to your website. In turn causing your business to appear to have the same value as your competitors which may have a negative impact on your brand image, especially if persuading a higher end image.  
3. 3. Not designed with search engines in mind meaning they tend to rank lower due to their poor support and browser compatibility. 
4. 4. Security issues are more predominant with template websites as hackers are familiar with the coding and structure causing them to be more vulnerable. 
5. 5. Shorter lifespan 

Identify what you are looking to achieve by having an online presence and assess the needs of your business. 

These are the popular questions we tend to ask our customers to make their decision-making process easier: 

• Do you value how your website is perceived by the customer and are specific on how you want it to look? 
• What do your customers require when visiting your website? (Are they purchasing products and making payments or are they just browsing to understand what your business has to offer) 
• Do you have a high volume of competitors online which all want to be ranking number one?
• How long do you want your website to last you?