Bespoke Web Design Vs Standard Website Templates – Quick & Easy Guide

Does bespoke web design beat out templates?

It takes just 50 milliseconds for a user to form an opinion on your website.

This directly informs whether they’ll stay or leave. So, it goes without saying that the online presence a business has, regardless of industry, can have a huge impact on its success.

Whether you go for a custom WordPress theme or something standard and off the shelf completely depends on your core needs and the target audience you’re serving.

What is a ‘website design template’?

This is a basic off the shelf website theme which allows you to get something out there quickly. You’ll have the freedom to change the content (text and images) but won’t have any control over the layout or colours.

As far as websites go, a templated website is a ‘one size fits all’. It won’t be built with your company needs in mind and will need to rely on 3^rd party plugins for any extra functionality you need.

Standard Website Themes advantages:	The Disadvantages of using a Website Template:
As it’s just off the shelf it’s faster to market. It’ll be a lower cost option up front as it won’t need much developer time (if any).	Limited design options – can’t brand the website. Boxy theme which is difficult to support. You’ll need add-ons to provide functionality. These can dramatically slow a site. It isn’t built with organic SEO in the system, so it’ll likely take longer to start ranking organically.·       It’s less likely to be responsive for mobile devices.

Although an off-the-shelf website template is faster to market, you will likely outgrow it down the line. There’s a reason why larger companies choose custom designs rather than set themes.

What is a bespoke website design and build?

A custom website design is when a website is built for your company. This will usually include a briefing and initial design meeting to learn all about your business and industry (your challenges, goals and objectives etc).

It will have a design to promote your brand identity to mirror any existing company branding. Not only does this help you to stand out, but it also provides your customers with a sense of cohesion and continuity.

Bespoke Website Theme advantages:	The Disadvantages of having a Bespoke Web design:
More effective in generating business. Convey professionalism and quality. Coding is cleaner and written for you – more likely for your SEO to rank higher. Process is thorough. Looks at overall user experience (UX) and the user journey (UJ). Tested for all browser and device types so mobile users will have a better experience.	Requires more input from you. The agency needs to understand your company and its goals. Takes longer as it’s built for you and not something off the shelf. A higher up-front cost.

Overall, you need to think about what suits your business. If you’re looking for minimal functionality and are comfortable with aspects of maintenance coding then you may be fine with a templated website.

A bespoke website build will generally require less maintenance from your team and fewer 3^rd party plug ins. So this means less time struggling to make a ‘one size fits all’ website work for you.

The Copper Bay Difference

Although digital agencies may claim they can do custom website design and bespoke functionality builds – it’s important to remember not all providers will be ranked the same.

Here at Copper Bay, we pride ourselves on having a varied team of in-house experts who are invested in our customer’s success.

We have a history of delivering conversion-driven websites. We are proud to hold some of the reviews in our industry.

Let us help you make the right impression. Contact us now to book a quick no-obligation Zoom or telephone meeting now on 01792 293366 or by email on sales@copperbaydigital.co.uk.