Owning a business is more than just running it. Owning a business also means investing in a corporate website. Your presence on the internet cannot forever be in the form of your Facebook and Instagram pages. To have a solid following, your company must be “legitimate” enough to have its own website. Thus, enter the question: Do I need a custom web design or should I settle for a template-based website?

Template design

A template-based design offers you a pre-defined set of boxes that you can enter your content into. It matches what your website needs and allows you to customize little details such as the colors and the images. In many instances, you are not even allowed to change the font style or where the headings and subheadings go.

WordPress, for example, offers a variety of templates to choose from. Some are free. Others are expensive. Most people who are just starting with their businesses would choose to go with a template-based website because it is free or it is very cheap.

Pros: Template-based websites are mostly free or they cost very little. They are also pre-built, so it is easier to launch your website if you are using a template for the web design.

Cons: On the other hand, it can be hard to find a template that matches exactly what you want for your website. You may have to settle for a template that’s the closest match to the web design you have in mind. Your site, however, will look just like any other site on the internet. Remember that the template is not solely made for your website and others may choose it, too.

Custom web design

When your website uses a customized design, that means that every element was designed and crafted for the specific needs of your website. The strategy and the content come first before the design is actually built.

Pros: A custom web design allows you to wrap the design around your company’s goals and marketing strategy. Since the website is built to fit your needs, it will be more strategic in its structure and it will be easier to handle since you can manipulate every element in it.

Cons: Custom web designs are more expensive, of course, than templates. Since these are highly customizable web designs, it will take more time, too. Some marketing teams find that it’s too complicated to handle a custom web design because of the technicalities involved.