Bespoke vs Template websites
It’s all about assessing what’s right for you and your business.Ready for a truth bomb? Your website is your most powerful online marketing tool. So it deserves to shine. It should run smoothly, look amazing, and speak your brand’s truth.
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But how do you achieve that? Do you invest in bespoke website design, crafted just for you – or do you opt for a template website that gets the job done quickly and easily?
Both template websites and bespoke websites have their merits and pitfalls. It’s all about assessing what’s right for you and your business.
So let’s take a look…
What is bespoke website design?
A bespoke website is designed and built specifically for you. Think of it like a well-fitted suit. This means it’s the opposite of a ‘cookie-cutter’ design or ‘off-the-shelf’ website and instead is a highly customised and personal approach.
In other words, your website will be unique, tailored to fit your brand’s identity, and designed to meet your specific needs and goals. Bespoke websites offer flexibility in terms of layout, functionality, and aesthetics. They let you put your ‘stamp’ on things. They feel like ‘you’.
With bespoke website design, you can integrate unique features and functionalities that are specific to your business, ensuring that your site stands out and actually engages with your audience.
What is a template website?
On the other hand, a template website is essentially a pre-designed, generic theme that you can overlay with your brand elements like logo, colours, and visuals. They can typically be downloaded for free or bought off the internet, and they offer a quicker and cheaper solution for getting your business online. Templates can be ideal for businesses with limited budgets or those needing a website up and running quickly.
What are the benefits of bespoke website design?
The numerous benefits of opting for a custom-built website instead of a generic template website include:
- Brand consistency
- Increased site speed and SEO
- Greater site security
- Enhanced customer experience
Let’s take a look at some of these advantages in a little more depth…
1. Brand consistency
The beauty of a custom-built website is that it allows for complete brand consistency. Every single element, from the colour scheme and typography to the layout and imagery, can be aligned with your brand’s identity.
This coherence helps build trust and recognition among your audience, making your brand memorable and distinct. Unlike template websites, where preset themes and designs often constrain you, a bespoke website ensures that every aspect of your site reflects your brand’s unique voice and values.
Not sure why brand consistency matters? Explore our previous articles to discover the importance of branding and how to get b2b branding right.
2. Site speed and SEO
Secondly, it’s 2024, and the need for speed is going nowhere. Studies show that websites that load within one second achieve the highest conversion rates. Conversely, for every additional second of loading time, those rates significantly drop.
Additionally, bounce rates increase by a staggering 32% if your page takes three seconds or more to load. High bounce rates and slow site speed tell search engines that your website isn’t providing value, and your rankings will likely suffer.
But what does this have to do with bespoke websites vs. template themes? Well, custom-built websites are designed and coded specifically for your needs, resulting in cleaner and more efficient code compared to template themes.
Template website themes are often jam-packed with code for features that you’re never going to use or utilise, as they need to appeal to a varied audience. This can lead to slower site speed as the pages struggle to load efficiently.
Meanwhile, custom-built websites are usually built with ‘cleaner’ code – leading to faster load times, reduced bounce rates, higher rankings and a better user experience.
3. Security
Finally, custom website design offers greater security as the website is built entirely scratch and with security in mind. Quite often, generic template websites have security vulnerabilities that can be exploited by hackers.
Meanwhile, bespoke websites are typically developed with the latest security protocols and practices, tailored specifically to your business needs. This proactive approach reduces the risk of common vulnerabilities found in template websites and helps safeguard your site against potential threats.
Prioritising site security does wonders for your brand’s credibility as it demonstrates your commitment to protecting your customers’ data and maintaining their trust.
What are the disadvantages of template website designs?
While the advantages of custom-built sites are clear, it’s equally important to consider the disadvantages of template website designs. Despite the low cost and quick set-up time for template websites, they aren’t without their compromises. Template websites often have:
- Less flexible design
- Diluted brand identity
- Slower site speed
- Decreased Google rankings
- Weaker site security
Bespoke website design vs. template sites – which is right for you?
If you couldn’t tell by now, we prefer the artistry, practicality, security and uniqueness of custom-built websites.
In fact, it’s what we do best here at Root Fifty Two.
However, that doesn’t mean that a custom-built site is right for everyone.
If you are a solopreneur with a limited budget, a start-up business, or an organisation that simply needs a functional site quickly and is working within tight financial constraints, a template website can serve as a practical starting point.
However, a custom-built website is undoubtedly the better choice for businesses wanting to stand out from the crowd, value their brand identity, and offer a unique customer experience.
Choose Root Fifty-Two for bespoke website design…
So there we have it. If you’re looking for a unique and top-of-the-range website for your business, then our team of creative web designers and talented web developers here in Lancashire are ready to get to work.
Remember, your website is often the first interaction potential customers have with your brand. Make it count.