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Custom or Pre-Built Website - Which Way to Go?

 Tuesday, October 18, 2022

Advantages of custom websites over pre-built. 

A skilled craftsman builds cabinets for the best design, use and fit for the space, much like a custom built website and marketing platform. Whereas the modular cabinets are selected based off of the options available with zero flexibility. The cheaper, lower quality, pre-built cabinets will sell more and be an easier sell, but those that know the difference understand the added time, cost and quality. Two different markets, you decide which one is yours. 

If you’re serious about your business, you should be serious about your website. Your website is the single most valuable marketing item within your business. It’s the hub for all marketing and where your potential clients will go to research you or your business prior to making a decision. 

Do you know there are about 2 billion websites in the world? It’s unbelievable. And amazing! It also means that websites have a lot of competition. So your digital presence needs to be as unique as possible. 

Website design is a complex and ever-evolving field, with many factors to consider when creating a website. One of the most important decisions is using a custom website or a premade template.  

Small businesses often opt for premade templates because they are less expensive and easier to set up. However, custom built websites offer several advantages that can be essential for small businesses. 

This quick guide explains why you should choose custom web development over pre-built websites. 

Six Reason You Should Have a Custom Website 

A Website that Works, Not a Passive Presence 

The word ‘website’ seems to represent what we see when we visit a site, an online business card. This is true for most, but the real value in a website are those that have just as much, if not more, activity on the backend; the side the public visitors don’t see.  

We’re not talking about just a CMS or Content Management System, but a robust Client, Lead, Campaign, Activity, Email, Call & Text Message Tracking and more Management System; that’s packed full of Marketing Automation features. Plus a live, reporting and analytics portal, keeping you up to date on traffic and trends in real-time at anytime. 
 
If your site is just collecting form data and sending you an email alert, it’s time to look into other options and up your online game. 

Must Read: Web Design Service | Professionally Designed Websites 

Your Brand is Not Limited 

Pre-built websites follow a one-size-fits-all format. Even if they allow you to add functionalities, they have limited features compared to custom websites. Also, they might not be scalable. As your business grows, you will need to upgrade your template. 

The most convenient advantage of custom sites is that they allow you to build virtually any functionality or feature you need. 

Tailored Look and Feel 

Let’s address it — website templates are generic. They don’t cater to your brand or your customers’ needs. Neither do they reflect your brand voice. 

A custom made website is excellent because it allows you to make your website personalized or professional. From functionalities to brand design to content layout, they provide the means you need to attract your audience. 

Provides Search Engine Friendliness 

Pre-built websites are great if you want a quick and easy site, but they're not always optimized for search engines. You'll need to do some of the work yourself! 

If you’re unfamiliar with SEO optimization, note that pre-built websites don’t provide much help in this category. They offer web designs you can modify to a certain extent, but you can’t optimize their build. 

On the other hand, custom web designers optimize your CSS and HTML codes. Since their builds are SEO-friendly, you get a head start on your Google search rankings. 

Evolves With Business Changes 

One major downside is that premade templates don't change and evolve with the business. Your website will need to evolve as your business grows and changes.  

With a custom web template, you can make changes to your business website whenever necessary. Your website will always be up-to-date and accurate, giving potential customers the best possible impression of your business.  

In addition, custom web templates are also more likely to be responsive and mobile-friendly, two essential features in today's market. For these reasons, custom web templates are usually the better option for small businesses. 

Less Vulnerability – Safer Against Hackers and Holes 

Free Templates like WordPress are not only free to you, but free to hackers too. And not just the WordPress but also the templates and plugins. Many of these free items are developed years ago and not maintained, which can leave vulnerabilities or holes that hackers can exploit, take over your site or even shut it down. Having a site with unique and more up-to-date programming languages can be a major advantage to your site’s security. 

Ultimately, deciding whether to use a custom or premade website template depends on your specific needs and goals. But for small businesses, custom website templates are often the best option.  

You are investing time and money into your website, so make sure it's worth the effort. Be intentional about what you want from a site before getting started—research how other companies have designed their sites to get inspiration or guidance. 

If you need a web designer to help with branding and SEO-optimizing your custom website, reach out to Walibu. You can call us at (916) 358-3950 and discuss your business needs. 

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