For most small businesses, price is one of the biggest determining factors when it comes to what type of web development business owners choose to invest in. Because the costs of developing a custom-coded website can range so widely – from a few thousand dollars to tens of thousands – businesses often steer clear of custom developers, opting instead for templated websites built on website platforms such as iBuilt or WordPress. Websites developed from templates may average lower costs than custom built websites, but what they gain in price point they often lack in capabilities and flexibility.
Custom websites offer more unique design.
Template websites force developers to work within a pre-determined layout and design features. Aside from the ability to change background color and perhaps text, template websites offer little room for developers to customize the website’s look, content placement and navigation. Websites custom built from code, on the other hand, offer a limitless range of design capabilities, and can be tailored to any look.
Think of the difference between plugging one’s business logo and contact information into a business card template, and having a business card designed just for that business. Like business cards, websites are a key visual representation of a company brand, and website templates tend to look like just that – templates. While there are many different website templates available, many of them tend to offer the same design features and functionality, and web-savvy users can spot a website template easily. Custom websites allow businesses to avoid that “cookie cutter” look with a one-of-a-kind unique design.
Custom coded websites offer more robust capabilities.
While template websites are confined to the navigation, structure and widget applications laid out in the template, custom developed websites’ functions are limited only by the developer’s imagination and skill. The reality is that most businesses don’t simply need a website; they need a website with custom applications capable of managing, analyzing and displaying data and/or content. For large scale business owners, template websites will never offer the functionality necessary to run the kind of custom-built applications that will help their websites – and businesses – run most efficiently. Website templates are only as flexible as the simple widgets which come with them.
Custom websites can offer more value at the same cost of template designs.
While custom developed websites may, overall, average higher in costs than template website design, not all custom websites cost more than template websites. Many WordPress designers who work from pre-purchased web templates charge just as much – if not more – than competitively priced freelance web developers. The truth is that website developers – whether custom programmers or template designers – range quite widely in how they price their services. If price is an important factor for your website, it’s best to shop around to see which developer offers the best price and quality. You might be surprised to find that custom web developers offer just as much – if not more – as their template designing counterparts, often at the same price or lower.