Custom Website VS Template Website

Growing up we’ve always been told not to judge a book by its cover. Sometimes it’s very difficult to follow such advice, especially when visiting a company’s website. In today’s day and age we tend to go online to research a company prior to visiting the store or even making a phone call, meaning your website may be the one and only chance you get of transforming a lead to a sale. People are quick to judge and have short attention spans. Your website must be eye-friendly and easy to navigate.

When looking to redesign your website, there will be two main factors to consider: should you get a custom designed site or a premade template design? Quality vs. cost?

Templates have one big benefit; They’re cheap! Unfortunately, you usually do get what you pay for. The main disadvantage is the fact that there are potentially 100+ other websites with the same design as you. People look for characteristics in a company that stand out. If your site has the same color scheme and layout of numerous other schools they searched, they are likely to hit “x” on the browser the same way they did the others. Another disadvantage of templates is the lack of SEO. By hiring the right professional, you’ll be able to increase your Search Engine Optimization results and rankings. Customized web-designs also allow you the ability to create brand consistency amongst all your design efforts. You are typically not allowed to use material from the templates in other designs as it breaches the licensing agreement. Also, web templates are not specific to your target demographic or even your industry. Their color codes and structures are generic and consistently the same amongst all industries.

All and all the main questions returns, are you looking for cost or quality? Customized web services will ultimately provide you with a higher R.O.I and will separate you from your competitors, Template web-designs are cheap, and that’s really the only benefit they have. One should have a website that effectively reflects their business’s professionalism and a template just won’t cut it. You are better off not having a website that will poorly reflect your image and change prospects views on your company. F your website is not generating the traffic you desire, maybe your current site is too outdated, too generic or too unorganized.