Website Templates Vs Custom Web Design
February 24th, 2012In business and in life, presentation is everything. The web is no exception. Poorly designed and unattractive sites are easily forgotten by visitors and the professional and fresh appearance of a well designed website is remembered effortlessly. From the perspective of a website owner, there are two major choices that are involved when dealing with the design of a site. One choice involves using website templates with the alternative of developing a custom website design. Both offer benefits and disadvantages that must be taken into account before a decision is made.
Website Templates: Easy to use, Prepackaged, and Inexpensive
For a fast and simple solution to the issue of web design and development, the option of using a web template can provide a multitude of benefits. Templates are ready to go upon download and are quickly uploaded to the server, on which your site is hosted. Configuration is straight forward with the instructions that are sent along with the web template files. The ability to rapidly add a prepackaged and fully developed template to a server can mean that updates and modifications can be made in a short period of time, often within a day or two. The downside of utilizing a template is that other sites may have an identical or similar appearance to your site, leaving you without the advantage of individuality on the web.
There are many designers and developers that are offering their work through website templates. The marketplace is highly competitive and full of very talented individuals and groups. From the perspective of a website owner this means one thing; quality web templates can be purchased at a low-cost. Custom design work is an expensive and lengthy process full of potential complications and risks. Web templates can offer the similar quality work at a lower price. To keep costs down and to benefit from the rich marketplace, purchasing templates is an intelligent choice.
Custom Design: Flexible, Adaptable, and High Quality
Uniqueness is a valuable asset. In an environment that is full of similar looking sites, a custom and original look can be something that can make your site stand out from the crowd. A fresh and different look can be the difference between losing and retaining visitors and customers. Custom web design is one way that an individual site can break out of the mob and look good.
Custom web development takes place between a client and a developer. Through a series of questions and conversations, the foundations of a site can begin to take root. After this initial phase, a cycle of revisions and modifications eventually leads to the client signing off on the site and purchasing it. This process is very intimate as each detail of design and development is communicated between the client and developer. Along the way changes can be made to the original design and integrated quickly. This option involves high cost, long and intensive development time, and potential for communication errors and other issues. If all goes well, however, the result can be a fantastic web site that is owned exclusively by you.
Conclusion
Both approaches offer competitive advantages and disadvantages. The choice must be made by identifying the needs of the website and the ability to meet those needs. For a quick, simple, and low-cost solution that might leave you looking similar to others, web templates are the way to go. Where individuality and originality matter, custom web design is the superior choice.