We  had an interesting conversation with a new client last week about the differences of investing in having a custom website created  for your business versus buying a template for $30 – $200 and trying to do it yourself.

Buying a Template Pros and Cons

premade template example

There are 100s of websites offering decent templates that you can buy and apply to your website, the cost is much cheaper, and most of them are instant downloads.

There are a couple of things to keep in mind, let’s say you buy a pre-made template… If you don’t have a good understanding of html code, and how to convert your website to use the new template,  applying it to your website will be a very difficult process, especially if your current website is static, or uses a custom content management. Chances are you will probably have to pay someone to help you, which could end up costing more money and time than if you hire a professional, and you run the risk of ending up with sloppy work.

On the other hand, if you are using popular content management platform like WordPress or Joomla, the task is pretty easy, especially if you buy a template or theme specifically for those platforms.

The one prominent con about using pre-made templates whether you are a novice or an expert, is that the same design is probably being used by 100s of other websites. Many sites that offer pre-made templates do offer some of their templates for unique use, meaning once it is purchased, it will no longer be available, however the price tag is around $2700,  a whole lot more than hiring a professional, and you would still need to edit your template your self.

Why you should invest in a custom website?

How many times have you searched for a specific website, but couldn’t remember the name or url, but yet you remembered the general layout and graphics around the content you were reading or browsing?

Custom Design:
If you are a small to mid-size business, an online presence is extremely important, with that comes website branding, making sure your visitors know what website they are on, and remembering it the the next time they come back.

Here’s an example of a custom website we’re currently working on, with a unique design based on the design of the store itself. The design integrates key elements such as the wood panels, and metal combination in the background, using golf balls for the social icons, and using the colors found in their existing Logo. The layout is also customized to display prominent information, and making sure the telephone and address information are always viewable regardless of what page the visitors are on.

Ready Golf Website - In production

Custom Layout and Structure:

Every business has a different strategy of how they want to sell their products and services, and even though there are millions of websites online, each website has different content, and a slightly different way of how that content is displayed. Having a custom layout and a sound structure, gives you more freedom to really communicate to your users.

Custom Pages:

Depending on your type of business and how far you want to integrate your services and products online, you will need custom pages to display specific information in a specific way. For example, your Company page which would mostly be text and maybe a few photographs would need to display information very differently than a gallery or a shopping cart page.

User Interactivity:

One of the most important aspects of integrating your business online, is not only providing information to your visitors, but also allowing them to easily interact with you and your business. Your web developer should provide you with different ideas on ways to make your website more interactive.

The little details:

Professional website developers/designers will listen to your needs, they will advice you on new technology, give you ideas on how to best present your specific business to the world in terms of design, layout, structure and content. I realize that many web agencies charge an arm and a leg for very basic work, however there are many of us that really care about making sure our clients are happy with our work, and that the final result will give our clients a thriving and successful online presence without breaking the bank.

Conclusion:

If your budget is under $500, and you know how to edit templates to suit your business needs, then buying a pre-made template may not be a bad idea at all.  However, if you need a website to handle specific content, or need a unique design, custom websites are the way to go!