Comparing custom VS. template websites: Which is better for you?

Creating a website from scratch doesn’t always involve detailed coding and the use of complicated technologies. You may have heard about website templates, which are nothing but pre-designed wireframes having a specific set of functionalities from which you can choose your preferred workflows and add the same to the website. Additionally, you can add custom content specific to your brand purpose and target audience to make a unique website. While it may not involve too much coding work, theme-based websites have numerous drawbacks, like lack of scalability and flexibility, minimal number of functional workflows, and many more. 

Another conventional option you can choose is hiring a custom web development agency and building the software from scratch. It will require specific skill sets so that all the technical and functional requirements can be implemented without fail. However, the budget will increase significantly and the time to market will also get extended as such a project involves too much groundwork. So, before you decide to create your business or personal website, knowing the differences between custom and template-based development processes will be beneficial. At least, then you can make a well-informed decision without compromising your ideation, vision, future goals and objectives, target audience preferences, and budget. 

Key features of custom-designed websites

With custom web development services, the website will be aligned with your business goals and objectives and made to cater to your specific requirements, be it in the UI design, branding, or functional workflows to be integrated. You won’t have to worry about the restrictions and limitations imposed by an off-the-shelf website in terms of uniqueness, scalability, and advanced features. Whether you want to make the website the virtual spokesperson of your brand or integrate modern business-specific functions like a payment gateway, shopping cart, user account creation portal, real-time order tracking, and others, custom web development is the most feasible choice. 

To help you understand better, we have mentioned a few key features of custom-designed websites. 

1. Unique branding and integration of all the Unique Selling Points
2. Better device responsiveness according to the preferences of your target audience
3. Highly scalable and flexible to support further enhancements as your business continues to grow
4. Optimized for the search engine with more focus on faster loading speed, cleaner and optimized code structures, and semantic HTML schemas
5. Enhanced security and encryption protocols to maintain optimal data privacy and prevent unauthorized access or malware attacks
6. Custom API development for integrating third-party tools and plugins

Salient characteristics of template-based websites

Template-based websites, on the other hand, are designed from pre-designed templates, also known as themes. You will get multifarious layout options, color codes, typographies, font styles, and many more with which making a visually appealing user interface won’t be difficult. As for the backend functionalities, you can choose from the feature list based on your website’s requirements. For instance, if you plan on building a theme-based eCommerce website, basic features like product and category pages, shopping cart, payment gateway, and user account portal will be automatically imported. Additionally, you can extend the website features using third-party plugins or API integrations according to your requirements. 

Below are some of the salient features of a template-based website you should know. 

1. Readymade designs are already available with varying Interface designing components.
2. Development time is significantly low along with the overall expenses to be allocated for the project. 
3. Users with little to no technical expertise can easily set up a website using the pre-designed templates. 
4. Most template-based websites come integrated with a CMS to manage and regulate on-page content. 
5. Mobile responsiveness is one of the key features of template-based designs. 
6. Most templates are optimized for SEO with basic features already implemented. 
7. Pre-defined widgets will be available, like news feed, Google Maps, and testimonials. 

When to choose a custom website development process?

1. If you have unique branding requirements or want to target audience groups with multifarious interests and preferences, it is better to outsource the project to a custom web development agency. This way you won’t have to worry about any benchmarked branding designs or layman visual looks. 
2. Complex functionalities like integration with existing software infrastructure, advanced search functionality, custom booking, and scheduling portal, and many more can only be developed with a custom website dev project cycle. 
3. If you are planning to make the website scalable to accommodate new features in the future, custom web development is the most feasible option. 
4. Also, with custom development, you can handle varying website traffic with proper optimization routines. 
5. Whether it’s to handle sensitive data like EHR or meet specific compliance requirements, a custom web development agency will be able to help you in this matter.  

When custom web development project won’t be feasible for you?

1. If you have limited resources or a tight budget, custom web development is not feasible. 
2. For simple websites with very basic and ground-level functionalities, you could opt for a theme-based website over custom development. 
3. Also, for a faster launch schedule with minimal customization requirements, do not spend effort and money on custom web development projects. 

Why opt for website development using templates?

1. The initial upfront costs involved in template-based website development is quite low and better for handling tighter budgets efficiently. 
2. Building the website will require minimal technical expertise as most of the core development work will already be done. 
3. If you have a tight launch schedule and need to quickly release the website in the market, templates will be the most feasible option to begin with. 
4. A lot of pre-built features will be available, which is why you won’t even have to worry about R&D. 
5. Several platforms offering pre-designed templates provide customization options so that the website can adhere to your brand purpose and meet your audience’s expectations. 
6. Basic SEO analysis will already be implemented in the template’s design, like faster image loading time, core web vital optimization, and many more. 

What conditions render theme-based web development non-compatible? 

1. If your website requires advanced features and complex underlying architectures, like higher demand for modularity, template-based development won’t be feasible. 
2. For websites with higher scalability needs for future upgrades, templates will not meet your expectations. 
3. Additionally, choosing pre-designed templates could also raise security concerns, especially if you deal with sensitive data.

Conclusion 

Now that we have discussed the pros and cons of both custom and template websites along with the situations that will be in favor and against your choice, deciding for the benefit of your future vision and website goals shouldn’t be a problem. If you opt for using templates, various platforms are already available like WordPress where you can find numerous themes, widgets, plugins, and other necessary components. However, if you choose the other option, ensure to hire the best custom web development agency that could leverage its expertise and past project knowledge to add more value to your business.