If you are looking to create a website for your business or upgrade an existing website, one of the first things you will need to decide is if you are going to use a website template or if you want a custom web design. Depending on your business needs, both could be viable options, but we think that in the long-run a custom web design has several benefits and is a great investment for your company.

You’ll stand out!

A drawback of using a template for your website is that other companies can also use that same template. This means that your website could end up looking very similar to other sites. With a custom build, you can add special touches that will make your site easier to remember. This can increase conversion rates and strengthen the power of your brand.

It will work across devices

When using a template it may work really well on the device or browser that is used to set up the site, but functionality may be lost for other users. When working with someone to build a custom site, extensive testing will be done across browsers and devices to make sure that every visitor has the same, user-friendly experience. With more and more users doing the majority of their web browsing on mobile, this type of functionality is critical.

Customization allows you to bring your ideas to life

Every business is unique and that may mean that you have website needs that are unlike other businesses. With a website template, it might not be possible to build in all of the functionality you are looking for. As an example, we recently completed a project where the client needed a unique and interactive way to display their case studies, and they could not find a template that provided the user experience they were hoping for. Luckily, we were able to come onboard and help them create a page that works great for their business.

SEO benefits

With a customized website, the developer is able to optimize the website for SEO by ensuring that search engines can read the page to spot keywords. This ability allows engines to produce more relevant search results for clients, thus boosting your ranking.

Your site will grow with your company

As your company grows and changes, so will your website needs. If you are using a template there is little flexibility for your site to change without starting over with a new template. With a custom website, it is easy to add new features and pages to meet the evolving needs of your business.

You can add a content management system

Integrating a content management system into your website will make it easy for a staff member to update the information on the site from anywhere at anytime without the help of a developer. For example, our site uses Prismic so that our marketing team can change all of the copy on our website without waiting for our development team to have a free hour.

You can show off your branding

With a custom designed website you can truly integrate your branding and logos into the website creating a fully branded experience that embodies the vibe of your brand. Unique touches like animations can help to truly bring your branding to life on the page.

Increased security

Security can be an issue with web templates because they are often a major target for hackers.This is because one piece of code can be used to hack thousands of sites at one time. Since custom developed websites are unique, it takes more effort to hack them and as a result are targeted less often. Additionally, if you have more advanced security needs, a developer can help you address them during the build-out process.

Control the user experience

Ultimately, a custom web design will give you more control over the user-experience than a template. A better experience can lead to customers spending more time on your site and to higher conversions making it a worthy investment.

Long-term support

When you work with a website design and development firm, you have their support for the lifetime of your website. So if something suddenly breaks or you need to update a feature, you already have a relationship with the team making it easy for them to quickly assist you. We love staying in-touch with our clients for the long-term so we can see how their company and website develops over time.

We hope these reasons help inform your decision when deciding on which direction you want to take your website. Still not sure? Feel free to contact us! We would love to discuss your company’s individual needs to find a solution that is best for you.

Kuvio Creative is a full-service web design and development company committed to using innovation to help small businesses reach their goals.