Database Development
Often someone in business wanting a website must answer the question:
Should you create a custom-built or choose a pre-designed website?
There seems to be an advantage to the quick and inexpensive pre-designed websites; however, are they the best option for the long-run?
This blog compares custom-built websites to pre-designed websites, and highlights their pros, cons, and costs, along with which is the best choice for a business.
Pre-Designed Website
A pre-designed website (Also known as a template or website builder) comes with an already existing layout that can then be customized with a company’s information.
Examples:
- WordPress Themes
- Shopify Templates
- Websites built with either Wix or Squarespace
Benefits:
- Fast set-up (1-3 days)
- Low start-up cost
- Easy to Use
Limitations:
- Restriction of customizing the website
- Base functionality relies heavily on plug-ins
- Becomes generic
Most businesses would start on pre-designed, however, most companies grow out of them very quickly.
Custom Made Website
A custom built website is built specifically for the company with their needs or requirements, goals, and Branding in mind.
Benefits:
- Website Built Specifically to You with a Custom Design
- Scalable Design
- Higher Performance
- Strong SEO Structure
Custom Built Websites are made for growing long-term and high-performance websites.
Key Differences Explained
1. Identity and Branding
When using a website that has pre-made templates, your design will likely be similar to someone else’s.
So for a website that is custom built, you can:
- Have a design that accurately represents your brand
- Create a unique customer interaction
By providing this information, you will be more competitive in your industry.
2. Site Speed and Performance
Because custom built websites have a cleaned up and optimized code base, they load faster.
According to research, custom websites:
- Load faster than template sites
- Show a lower bounce rate than template websites
- Have an improved user experience compared to template-based websites
The majority of templates contain a lot of extra unused code, which affects loading speed and performance.
3. Search Engine Optimization
If you are going to get traffic from Google, make sure you have your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) setup correctly.
With a custom website, you will have:
- Improved technical and on-page SEO
- Faster load speeds
- Clean URL structure
These things can help you rank higher in Google and get more traffic.
According to some research, custom sites would have even higher conversion rates and organic traffic than template sites would.
4. Security
Ready-made sites are more likely to be hacked because multiple sites use the same template and/or because of the security issues from certain plugins.
Custom sites not only have advanced measures in place to protect against hackers, but will also greatly reduce the chance of being hacked.
5. Scalability
As your business grows, your website will need to be able to grow along with your company as well.
A custom website would allow for:
- More features to be added easily
- More traffic to be handled
- More integration options to take advantage of
With template built websites, you will likely need to start over with a complete redesign in a couple of years.
6. Cost (Short vs Long Term)
A ready-made website will be less expensive than a custom-built website initially, but, over the long term, a custom-built site will allow for more growth and give you a better ongoing return on investment than a ready-made website.
Custom websites can reduce maintenance costs and improve ROI over time
When to Use a Pre-Made Site?
Use pre-made if:
- You’re on a very tight budget
- You need a quick website
- Advanced features aren’t required.
Who Needs a Pre-Made Site?
- Small Startups
- Blogs for Personal Use.
- Temporary Sites.
When to Use a Custom Site?
Use custom development if:
- You plan to scale your business
- You require unique features (i.e., nothing like existing solutions).
- You care about search engine optimized performance.
Who Needs a Custom Site?
- Businesses.
- E-commerce Sites.
- SaaS Platforms (Software As A Service).
- Agencies.
Actual Business Results From Custom Sites
The Right Custom Site:
- Will improve conversion rates by 82% compared to using templated solutions.
- Will enhance Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Rankings.
- Will improve User Experience.
Common Mistakes Businesses Make
Many businesses start with a template then must go back through time and improve again because they have problems with limitations.
This will waste time and cost you two times.
Best Way To Avoid Mistakes Is To Start With Scalable Solutions.
Why Choose Professional Web Development Services?
A professional team helps you:
- Build a high-performance website
- Optimize for SEO
- Improve conversions
- Scale your business
This is where expert companies make a difference.
Conclusion
- Ready-Made if Fast and Cheap
- Custom If Growing and High Performance
In most situations, an organization serious about growth will invest in their website using custom web development.
