These days having a strong online presence is essential to the success of any business. With the convenience of being able to do just about anything and everything online; it is important to have an established website in order to compete. If you are planning to build a new website or thinking of upgrading your current one, it’s beneficial to know whether you need a custom website design or template website built.
Below we take a look at the pros and cons of both:
Custom Website Design
Custom websites are built from scratch. The front-end design, navigation structures, functions, and the administrative back-end are all designed and developed based on your unique branding, guidelines and needs. Custom website solutions are perfect for larger companies with established branding or if custom features and functionality are required.
A customised site allows flexibility and control over additional functionality that elevates the website beyond professional graphics. Your custom built site may implement analytic tools and data reporting, search engine optimisation tools and social media integration just to name a few. Custom website designs make this possible.
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A Fireworks custom web design for Fetcher:
Template Websites
Whilst custom website design solutions allow for limitless design and development options, theyโre not necessary for all businesses. Template solutions are more suited for individuals, small businesses or start-ups that only need a simple landing page or modest online presence. Using pre-built templates would be the most logical choice here. Theyโre also ideal for clients with tight deadlines and a limited budget.
Template designs are considered more economical and quicker to launch as they are based on a pre-existing layout and usually only include the basic functions such as contact forms and social media integration. They are also easy to use and reusable to an extent. Most templates offer some measure of customisation for colours, font types, and graphics but usually within the given parameters of the theme.
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A Fireworks templated design for Riverside Adventist Christian School:
Conclusion
Whilst custom built websites offer the most flexibility and functionality, template based websites are a good alternative for individuals and companies trying to establish a web-presence quickly and affordably. They may not offer expandable functionalities and unique capabilities but they can be a great starting point for growth and make for an effective strategy for projects with limited scope.
If you already have a strong brand presence and online identity, building a custom solution is definitely the way to go. Your business will benefit greatly with a custom website. Finally, keep in mind that just as your business grows so too should your website! Whether you are opting for the custom or templated design route, by choosing the right underlying platform (such as WordPress) for you, you can easily and smoothly migrate to a more robust system over time.
With a strong emphasis on unique brand focused web design, Fireworks can deliver both customised website solutions and template websites to suit your needs. Call us on 1300 660 160 for an obligation free quote for your next website project.