In the morden age, your website is your business’s online storefront, making the first impression on potential customers. No matter if you are a startup based in Dublin or an established company in Galway, your website is usually the first introduction that potential customers have of your brand. Perhaps one of the major decisions you’ll make when designing or redrawing your site will be between a custom built website and a template based website.
Both options have their benefits and challenges. The best choice depends on your business goals, budget, and future plans. In this guide we’ll identify the strengths and weaknesses of each to help you make an educated choice – and make sure your online presence pays off for your business.
What Is a Template Website?
A template website features ready-made layouts and designs that offer limited customization options. There are hundreds or even thousands of templates available on Wix, WordPress or Shopify, and businesses can use them to publish their websites very fast.
Pros of Template Websites:
- Cost-Effective: Templates are cheap compared to custom designs making them suitable for startups and small businesses with a tight budget.
- Quick to Launch: Since a lot of the work has already been done (design), you can get your site live in days, weeks.
- User-Friendly: A lot of templates have drag and drop features which make it easy for non-technical users to update content.
Cons of Template Websites:
- Limited Customisation: Your site may resemble one of dozens of others with the same template, which can make it hard to be unique.
- Scalability Issues: Templates are not always flexible to grow to meet your business needs.
- Performance and SEO Limitations: Numerous templates are bundled with bloated code which can slow down your site negatively affecting your search engine rankings.
What Is a Custom Website?
A custom website is created from scratch by expert designers and developers to align perfectly with your brand, objectives, and user requirements. Flo Web Design specialise in building custom websites for real results for Irish business.
Pros of Custom Websites:
- Unique Design: Your website will be unique in itself, perfectly matching your brand identity.
- Tailored Functionality: You receive exactly those features and integrations that you require – whether that’s an intelligent booking system, client portal or custom eCommerce features.
- Optimised for SEO and Speed: Clean code and best practice are used to build custom sites that enhance performance and search engine visibility.
- Scalability: As your business expands, your custom site can develop new features and grow.
Cons of Custom Websites:
- Higher Initial Investment: Custom websites are expensive up front due to design and development.
- Longer Development Time: Developing a tailored site is time consuming – typically several weeks or months.
- Requires Professional Support: Unlike DIY templates, Custom sites usually need continuous support from web agency or developer.
What is Best for Your Business?
Having made a comparison of both options, let’s see how to make the best decision depending on your business situation.
Template Websites Are Best If:
- You need to go online fast and you have a small budget.
- You are operating a small local business and you do not need advanced features.
- The first thing you have to do is to create a web presence with minimal customisation.
Custom Websites Are Best If:
- You want your business to be different with a unique professional design.
- You intend to expand your website as your business expands.
- SEO, speed of the site and user experience are the most important for you.
Your business needs specific features or integrations that templates simply can’t accommodate.
The Reasons Why Irish Businesses Are Increasingly Relying on Custom Websites
In Ireland’s competitive online environment, it is becoming increasingly obvious for more businesses that custom websites are a worthwhile expense. Today users expect speedy-loading, mobile-optimised and visually engaging sites. A template will help you get started, but a custom website will allow you to have the flexibility, the performance and the uniqueness required to expand your online presence.
At Flo Web Design we collaborate with Irish SMEs in Dublin, Cork, and Galway among others, assisting them in migration from generic templates to complete custom solutions that increase leads, sales and customer trust. Our custom websites are designed according to both your brand and your business targets.
Still Unsure? Let’s Chat!
If you’re considering between a template and a custom website, the best thing to do is to consult an expert. At Flo Web Design our team provides free consultations so that you can assess what is best for your business now and in the future.
- Looking to design a website that can work as hard as you do?
- Call Flo Web Design now for your free consultation and let’s make your vision a reality!
Final Thoughts
Your site is an investment – and it is a question of the right choice between custom and a template, depending on where your business is now and where you want it to be.
If you need something quick and not expensive, then perhaps a template website is the place to begin.
