Building websites with a ready-made theme or a custom template? A crucial and difficult question at the same time that every entrepreneur is asked to answer when deciding on the construction of his new website or the reconstruction of his old one. These are two different paths, which offer respective advantages while one can also identify disadvantages, depending on the goals set by each brand. Building a website for a business and creating a strong online presence requires thorough study, proper organization and the use of modern tools and digital media. However, the decision as to which of the two paths a business should follow is certainly different for each brand and to arrive at the right choice
you must first define the needs, philosophy and vision of your business’s digital presence and then consider which option best suits them. Whether it is the design of a new website, or the redesign of a corporate website, it is certain that substantial study and research is required, before proceeding with the choice between a custom template and a ready-made theme.
1. What is a ready-made theme?
2. What is a custom template
3. What are the advantages of a ready-made theme
3.1. Fast design
3.2. Ready-made “architecture”
3.3. Low cost
4. What are the advantages of a custom template
4.1 Uniqueness and Authenticity
4.2 Design based on needs
4.3 Continuous Development
5. What to pay attention to in the redesign
6. How to make the right choice
Here is a detailed and practical guide that will help you better understand, and more fully, the benefits of each choice.
1. What is a ready-made theme?
A ready-made theme is a website template, which has already been built and is available either for free or for a fee. During the website construction stage, one can choose a ready-made template, which will have a predefined structure and architecture.
What the owner of such a website will practically need to add is only the content, such as photos and texts. There are hundreds of such ready-made themes available on the internet, depending on the platform a company chooses to manage its website. (see for example, (https://themeforest.net/)
In WordPress for example, which is one of the leading platforms for building and managing websites in the world, there is a special category with ready-made themes that are offered in corresponding subcategories. Each business, depending on the type of services it offers and the type of website it wants to “build”, can browse the corresponding category with ready-made templates and choose the one it likes best. Corresponding predefined templates exist on other platforms, while with a simple search on the internet one can even find websites that exclusively offer such templates, which one can buy and then use to build the website one is preparing .
2. What is a custom template
Unlike the ready-made theme, the custom template is built from scratch and exclusively for a specific business. It is a unique design, which is cut and sewn to the needs of each brand. Such templates can be obtained by using the website construction services offered by an agency. Practically, it is a project that a brand entrusts to a professional, who undertakes to design step by step and carefully a website that will have the form and structure that each business desires. A custom template can of course “reminisce” another website, if that is the goal of the business. However, it is a particularly important service which, if used correctly, enables every brand to build a strong digital presence and establish itself in the consciousness of its customers. In addition, a custom template precisely thanks to its flexibility, can be adapted at any time to new technological applications or to changes of the brand itself. A business can resort to the custom template solution, whichever web management platform it prefers to use. Consequently, even in the WordPress environment, one can build a website from scratch by entrusting an agency with the creation of a custom template.
3. What are the advantages of a ready-made theme
As with all business decisions, the choice between a ready-made and a custom template is combined with certain advantages and disadvantages that each brand must face. However, the more complete and clear a picture a company has of the advantages and disadvantages of its choice, the more it increases the chances of making the right decisions. In the case of choosing a ready-made template, the most important advantages enjoyed by a brand are summarized as follows:
3.1 Rapid design
Precisely because these are ready-made website templates, you can have a website for your business in a short time and immediately. However, the scope for flexibility is clearly limited. The texts, photos and general content of your website must be in complete harmony with the corresponding ready template, and fit into the predetermined mold. In practice, you very quickly have a website in your hands, but with little ability to adapt to the needs of your brand. Instead, your brands are the ones that need to adapt.
3.2 Ready-made “architecture”
There are many businesses that want to create a website, but they find it difficult to clarify what kind of categories their website should have and how they should configure its structure in order to be easy to use and functional. This is exactly where ready-made themes come in, which offer a predefined architecture and categorization of information. This way you don’t have to spend valuable time configuring the corresponding structure yourself. But again, precisely because everything is pre-defined, this practically means limited possibilities for customization. If your own business requires a corresponding structure and organization of information that cannot fit into predefined molds, then a ready-made template will certainly make it difficult for you.
3.3 Low cost
Usually ready-made themes are economical. Precisely because it is a template that follows the logic of “mass production” – since it is manufactured in a more industrialized way and is addressed to everyone interested – the price for obtaining ready-made themes is usually quite low. However, this means that anyone can get the same template as the one you use on your own website, and thus you end up with a website that falls short in terms of uniqueness and authenticity. Therefore, you need to factor in the price-quality ratio to decide whether a seemingly inexpensive ready-made template is really the smart choice for your brand. However, the advantages of ready-made themes must also include the fact that every now and then one can find such templates on offer and get them by paying a small amount of money.
4. What are the advantages of a custom template
4.1 Uniqueness and Authenticity
Undoubtedly one of the most important advantages that the custom template offers is the unique design. Practically, a professional undertakes to design your business website from scratch. Consequently, you end up with a design that no other website has, but yours. This gives you a significant advantage over your competitors, as you have the ability to build a strong brand name and have a website that will be a trademark of your own business and not resemble dozens – or even hundreds – of other businesses. However, building a website with a custom template takes time. Unlike the ready-made theme that you can use immediately, you will need to wait a reasonable period of time until the construction of your website is completed and you can use it. However, it is definitely an investment in time and money, from which you enjoy multiple benefits, and indeed not temporarily, but lasting for a long time.
4.2 Design based on needs
The advantages of the custom template certainly include the fact that you can design a website tailored to the needs of your brand. A ready-made theme definitely sets limitations for the size of the website, the way the menu and categories are displayed, but also where one can find the corresponding content that you want to transform. On the contrary, however, with a custom template you can choose from the beginning the structure that best suits the needs of your business and which seems more friendly to you. However, precisely because it is a website that is set up based on the needs of your brand – and not the other way around as in the case of ready-made themes – it automatically means that you will have to increase the available budget for such services. But this is a particularly important investment, and by evaluating the quality-price ratio you will undoubtedly win many times over.
4.3 Continuous Development
By choosing a custom template you enjoy greater freedom and flexibility to adapt to each new change or addition that the circumstances require. It is a template that you can adjust at any time, adding new applications and taking advantage of modern trends. In this way, you practically get a website that can be likened to a “living” organization, which is constantly evolving. By choosing an agency that will undertake the construction of your website, and by entrusting this work to professionals, you also enjoy constant support from experienced web developers. They are able to undertake any changes that will be required in the future, deal with malfunctioning problems and also provide solutions and answers to any problem or question you may have. The consulting support and guidance that comes with a custom template is undoubtedly invaluable for any brand that wants to strengthen its position in the modern digital world.
5. What to pay attention to in the redesign
Accordingly, if you already have a website and are thinking of making changes, redesigning it – which may be part of a more general rebranding – there are some factors that are worth taking into account. If you have a ready-made template, maybe it’s time to try switching to a custom template and design a website exclusively for your own business from scratch. For example, you can combine the redesign stage with a review of your website’s progress so far and see what is performing well and what is not. An agency can undertake such a study and direct you with a very detailed report on the performance of your website. Accordingly, if you have already invested in a custom template, the wisest thing is to continue with the same path during the redesign stage. After all, it is most likely that none of the available ready-made themes can be adapted to the high needs and demands that you – justifiably – have from the many years of using a custom template. Therefore, you can see the redesign as a good opportunity to upgrade the quality of your website, “refresh” its aesthetics and get a modern, easy-to-use and functional website. See also: Website Rebuild: When and Why You Need It
6. How to make the right choice
Having gained a clear picture of the pros and cons of both ready-made and custom templates, it’s time to make the big decision. To make sure you make the right choice you should definitely spend time, study and a lot of thought. It may be easier and cheaper to choose a ready-made theme, but if your goal is to create a strong brand name in the ever-changing digital world, then a custom template is definitely the way to go. However, if you find it difficult to decide on one of the two options and you do not feel 100% sure as to which one best serves the needs of your brand, you have no choice but to ask for the help of an experienced agency. A professional can undertake this difficult and demanding task for you, study the needs of your brand and propose the most reliable and efficient solution, which will definitely be in your favor. After all, the construction of websites requires the appropriate technical support, the necessary knowledge and skills and the appropriate experience, so that a brand can end up with a modern, user-friendly and quality website. Otherwise, any other “amateur” action certainly does not – and cannot – have the expected response, and even if it is an economical and easy alternative, what every brand must always prioritize is quality, duration and consistency over time.