Note: This is a guest post written by Blake Davies
After a while, your company’s website becomes obsolete and needs not only improvement but a complete makeover. Or you just need a website for your company, starting from scratch.
Whatever the case may be, nowadays it’s not that hard to find expert help on the matter but it does leave you with a question – should you use a template or go for custom web design? Reviewing these several facts about both might will help you decide which approach deserves your time and resources.
If you still need input, any top custom web design company can guide you through the process, and help you decide what the best option for your needs is.
Method of making
Although laymen may not know the difference, there’s a huge one when it comes to choosing the type of website you want for your company. But explaining this difference is easier through clarification of what templates and custom web design are.
A template is a predesigned set of web pages ready for use to anyone’s preferences, with just a few adjustments, while custom web design means starting to create a website from scratch, including the look, content and programming.
Time
Because of the above mentioned features, it’s easier to make a website from a template since it doesn’t require advanced knowledge of web development, and it wouldn’t take too much time to do it.
Due to its making process, custom web design will require not only time to develop from the programming aspect but also to create and agree on every step of development.
People
The number of people working on the creation of a website depends on the content and its complexity. Usually, if the company decides to use the template, one person might be enough if they possess the knowledge of photo and text editing.
Custom web design usually requires a whole team, starting from the graphic designer to the text content editor. You can observe these also in the sense of marketing.
Template-based websites can be used as marketing tools but are not as effective as the custom made ones, and among other reasons for that are the creative input and contributing team members. In a way, custom web design is more than a marketing tool, it can grow to become a marketing campaign and such endeavours require expert and skilled people.
Modern and innovative
These terms can both apply to each of the methods, but with significant differences in the end result. Predesigned templates are posted daily and keep up with all the newest trends in web development.
The only flaw is that there is not much space for uniqueness, and sooner or later your website will resemble some other on the Internet. Custom web design allows you to be free creatively and to be different from another company’s Internet portfolio.
Customisation
When it comes to templates, premium template designs from Temple Monster or Theme Forest could be a good start to search for the one appropriate for your company. There are, also, many others on the Internet from which you can choose, just look for them via a search engine.
We’ve already mentioned they are user-friendly, so they come with predefined parameters for mobile phones and tablets, as well as for using third party plug-ins. This may be a bit complicated so you can either hire someone temporarily if you don’t have an in-house web designer, or watch some tutorials online.
Custom web design is far more complicated and can’t be done as quickly, but the positive side is that you’ll own all the designs and that you’re not limited by predefined parameters, so you can do whatever your heart desires and is technically possible.
Budget
This one may have been clear considering the previous items, but there are still some advantages and disadvantages we should point out. Templates are either free or less pricey, and that can be very important if you’re running a smaller firm or have a small and restricting budget.
Custom websites will cost you more, but will be done professionally, they are your property, and every respectable company invests in them since they can be used as a marketing tool and to improve image.
To conclude
Now, with these facts presented to you, the best thing you can do is set your goals for the website, such as what you want to achieve and show to the public, what the purpose and intention for your online presence is. This will help you to have the clear vision of what kind of website you need and consequently the resources for its realisation. But whichever you choose, use it to its maximum.
