Custom web design vs website templates: What’s right for my business?

If you’ve been weighing up your options on whether to go with a website template or hire someone to do a custom web design for you, this is the blog for you. We get insight from KAYBE’s Creative Director Chris Oliver, who shares his expertise, and uncovers the key benefits of choosing a custom web design vs a website template. Choosing between custom web design and templates is important, because building a great website takes more than a template.

Help! How do I choose between a custom web design and a website template?

Whether you’re a start-up or a fully fledged company, trying to decide between a custom design website and a template can feel overwhelming, but it’s also one of the most important decisions you’ll face when building a website.

So, what do you do? When I asked KAYBE’s Creative Director Chris Oliver, “which one’s better? Custom web design or a web template?”, he explained: “I want to start by saying that there’s nothing wrong with templates; they serve a purpose. For instance, if you don’t have much in your budget, or you don’t have an eye for design but want something quick and simple, knock yourself out.”

But Chris did go on to explain several reasons why custom web design does often top a template design, depending on your individual circumstances. These can be broken down into: cost, creativity, and originality. Let’s break these down…

Custom web design vs template – factor 1: Cost

When it comes to cost, Chris says, “While having a template might be your initial mindset, once you see what your designer comes up with, it might start sparking ideas, making you think of other elements you want, which you probably wouldn’t have thought of if you hadn’t seen the template. But because you’re using a template design, while it’s possible to add more features, it will affect the pricing structure and how much you’ll potentially end up spending.”

So, while you think you’re going to save money with a template design, in the long run it could end up costing you far more. And that could leave you feeling disappointed if you do start seeing the design potential but don’t have the budget for them.

Custom web design vs template – factor 2: Input and flexibility

With a custom-designed website, you get to be more involved in the design process, giving your input from the off and expressing your thoughts on features the designer puts across. Whereas, Chris explains, “with a web design template, as it’s a set layout, you don’t have the flexibility to in feed in as many ideas or integrate new features. It’s certainly more restrictive than a custom web design.”

Custom web design vs template – factor 3: Creativity

Chris explains, “You can be so much more creative with a custom design. For instance, we recently worked with specialist hair salon Red Lime to create a new business website. There are tonnes of hair salon and barber templates out there, so businesses in this sector run the risk of their sites looking samey. But we helped them stand out from the crowd with the falling limes that travel down the page as you scroll. It’s elements like this, which you can only get from a custom-designed site (designed by a good designer), that really set you apart from the competition.

With a template, it’ll have your branding, your colour scheme and perhaps different fonts and images, but the layout, images and style won’t be unique. No doubt, there will be visitors out there that come to your site and think, ‘I’ve seen this before.’ It can still look professional and smart, but if you have something that looks more bespoke, it can also be a bit more fun, too. It helps it stand out more than a more generic-looking website.

Custom web designs just inject a bit more personality into a site so it’s creative and makes customers want to come back, even if they haven’t made their mind up just yet. If it stands out more than the others and is easy to navigate, it’ll stay in people’s minds more and frustrate them less.”

What to look for in a good custom web design

If you feel like a custom web design is the right fit for you, Chris says, “Speak to a reputable, experienced designer or web design agency to get their in put. You don’t need anything particularly gimmicky for it to stick in someone’s mind. As long as it’s a pleasure and not a challenge to be on the site, and is well-presented, neat, looks smart, and is easy to read, potential customers are likely to stick around to find out more.”

Considering updating your website or starting one from scratch? Find out how JY Candles owner Jay Yazici found working with KAYBE to get his dream custom-designed website.