You may already know that there are more than 1 billion websites on the internet, to date. But, did you know that over 70% of those websites are inactive? It’s difficult to maintain a website, to keep it active. What’s even more challenging for some companies is creating one. That’s because it diverts time and resources from other key activities — and there is more than one way to do it. Some businesses use templates, while others prefer custom websites. Each strategy brings unique pros and cons to companies working on new websites or website updates. Let’s discuss in detail to find out which one is most suitable for your company.
Custom Approach
Surprisingly, over 40% of businesses want to boost investment in website performance. One way to do this is through custom websites — i.e. building from scratch. This gives more control over the design, UX, and functionality of the site. It’s perfect for a company that wants a highly specific (brand-wise) and performance-driven website.
Pros of Custom Websites
To get a better understanding of what custom websites bring to the table, here are a few pros:
- Specialized SEO Architecture
Since you’re building from scratch, it is easy to maintain a clean code and mobile-first approach. Note that both are SEO factors that can significantly impact search engine rankings. The first result in Google gets the most clicks (around 27%). Moreover, businesses can use the custom approach to satisfy other SEO requirements to improve rankings.
- Long-Term Cost Efficiency
Going the “custom” route might lead to higher initial costs. That’s because you either have to hire dedicated web designers or outsource a team. However, in the long run, custom websites require less maintenance than template websites. Also, you don’t have to pay for costly redesigns or overhauls down the road.
- Brand Identity Alignment
When building custom websites, you can add branding elements right from the beginning. You can incorporate unique colour schemes, layouts, and functional designs to match your brand identity. It’s rarely that easy with the template approach.
- Scalability and Flexibility
Since you know the ins and outs of your custom website, it is way easier to scale it. So you can add new features, expand the existing design, or even improve the functionality without breaking into an unfamiliar codebase.
Cons of Custom Websites
As it turns out, every approach has cons to its pros.
- Longer Development Time
The first con is that custom websites take time. Writing from scratch is not an easy task, plus there are a lot of complexities surrounding it. Complying with initial requirements and standards, fixing bugs, and adding additional features — all this expands the timeline.
- Risk of Over-Engineering
Sometimes, businesses can go overboard with the features or design. They might add too much written or visual content that slows down the site. HubSpot reports that the average website load time was 2.5 seconds in 2023. Interestingly, nearly 47% of consumers want a site to load in just 2 seconds or less!
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Template Approach
Template websites allow businesses to save a lot of time or resources on building a website – initially. They are made of pre-designed templates (frameworks). Companies can customize a template website easily and launch it fairly quickly. It’s ideal for budding startups with limited resources.
Pros of Template Websites
Here, we will discuss some of the most notable advantages of template websites:
- Pre-Tested User Experience (UX)
Most templates come with pre-tested layouts and features. Designers incorporate extensive user feedback and employ best practices that match changing user preferences.
- Faster Time to Market
The best part of template websites is that they are quick to launch. You simply choose a template, make some modifications, and voila! It’s a great option for short-term projects that need a professional web identity.
- Enhanced Integration with Third-party Services
Lots of template websites come with third-party integration features. This is due to the extensive user feedback, which tells designers about users’ needs and third-party app preferences. Hence, you can connect your existing email marketing, CRM, or other tools easily to your template site.
- Lower Initial Costs
For the last, template websites are way cheaper than custom websites. They don’t require building a website from the ground up. Simply pick out a template you like, tweak it slightly, and it’s ready to launch.
Cons of Template Websites
Here are the most important cons of template websites:
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Security Vulnerabilities
You’re not the only one using that website template. And, that widespread use is what makes many websites an easy target for hackers. They can quickly scan and identify vulnerabilities in these ‘stock’ websites, which raises security concerns.
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Limited Customisation
Although you can change colours and fonts — sometimes, even the layout features — you rarely have the same level of control as in a custom website. You can’t fully align the template website to your brand or include as many features or functions as you want.
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Lack of Advanced Features
Even after getting a quick and easy website template, you might have to spend time on extensive custom development work. Although it might get you the advanced features you want, breaking into a pre-designed template’s codebase is complex work.
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Template Fatigue
Then, there’s a concept called “template fatigue.” Many businesses use the same website style and design. As a result, it becomes difficult for your site to stand out.
Conclusion
Consider your business needs, budget, and timeline. This will help you make the right call when choosing between template and custom websites. If you want a highly functional and scalable product, go for custom websites. That way, you can align the site with the brand’s identity and tone. However, it comes at the cost of longer development cycles and slightly higher initial costs. On the other hand, you can go for template websites if quick-to-launch is your immediate goal.
They require relatively low upfront investment and also have excellent integration capabilities. However, you might face potential security risks and limited customization. Whatever you do, the goal should be to trust a professional website design and development team. So you have the technical skills and expertise by your side, to make the right decision.
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