Why Custom Website Design Is Worth Every Penny
With consumers able to find anything and everything online, not having a business website is no longer an option. Websites serve as the digital storefront of your business and give customers an excellent opportunity to browse through to discover what you offer.
Given the critical role that websites play, designing one shouldn’t be a decision to be taken lightly. After all, how you design your website can seal its fate when it comes to performance. Ultimately, it all boils down to whether you should opt for a custom website design or choose a stock template.
Even though it may feel tempting to opt for something easy like the template, here’s why a customized website design is worth every dollar you spend:
What Is a Custom Website Design?
As the name suggests, a custom web design is customized to the needs and specifications of the website owner. It is built from scratch using code, and the web designer has complete control over all aspects of designing the website.
In contrast to website templates, there are no readymade elements to work off or pre-packaged graphics that one can use.
Why Is a Custom Website Design Worth It?
A customized website design offers several advantages over one created using pre-made templates. Here’s a quick overview of why custom web designs stand out:
1. It Is Made for You and Is Unique to You
A premade template is available for different businesses, even though they may be operating in completely different industries.
Opting for a custom web design means you can reinforce your brand identity in every frame of the website. The design can incorporate the best practices for your industry, essential features that your competitor’s websites have, and other functionalities that your target audience is likely to expect. The chances of a potential customer mistaking a competitor’s website for yours with a custom design would be slim.
Before developing your website, the web design agency inquires about your business goals and what you would like to achieve through the website. They will want to understand the customer journey to ensure it is reflected within the design. For instance, if you are running a laptop repair business, ideally, your homepage should have a “request service” form to make it easier for customers to contact you. These seemingly insignificant yet essential elements can be fine-tuned per your requirements when you build the design from scratch.
To put it differently, a custom website design provides a chance to create a distinctive brand identity for any business. Just as you wouldn’t use a competitor’s brand name or other stylistic elements for marketing yourself, it is best to refrain from choosing a template design that anyone can copy.
2. Custom Designs Are Built to Scale
When you use a readymade template, there’s hardly any scope for changing the elements. Unless you opt for a complete web redesign, the existing one may not be able to handle traffic as your business grows. What’s worse is that as traffic increases, so does the likelihood of your website crashing.
In contrast, custom designs are created to keep in mind the industry’s best practices and deliver a solid user experience. They are built to scale, so a sudden traffic spurt won’t lead to your website crashing as your business expands. Since the entire website is designed to support the needs of your business, you can tweak elements to suit your needs. For instance, if your focus in the initial months is getting loyal followers, you can use the website to build your email list.
3. Custom Website Design Rank Better on Search Engines
Websites built using a template do not apply any code. Instead, a visual builder is used, which supports the drag-and-drop function. While this allows one to create a website within a few hours, it also compresses various elements, resulting in a long loading time.
On the other hand, customized website designs are created using code and are rendered immediately regardless of the type of screen you use. Since website speed is the key criterion used by search engines to determine rank, the chances of a custom-built site ranking higher than a template-built one are better.
4. You Receive Ongoing Support
Several things may go wrong with your website, necessitating immediate intervention. When you choose a premade theme, very little post-sales support is available. Even if your website crashes completely or has massive errors, you are unlikely to receive help in a timely manner. A poorly performing website can put the reputation of your business at risk.
When you work with designers to build your website from scratch, assistance is available when you need it. Before launch, web designers test the websites on different devices and browsers to check for quality issues. The designers can come to your rescue no matter what your needs are.
They can also work on future additions, such as security features and other elements to keep your website in sync with changing technology and trends.
5. You Have Complete Ownership and Control
The premade template is not your intellectual property, as it is created by designers and made available in the public domain.
On the flip side, the design of your custom-built website is owned by you since it is made for your business on your dollar. If you find out someone has copied your website design, you can initiate a suit for copyright infringement against them. You can also work with your lawyers to develop a broader intellectual property protection strategy to ensure that your competitor’s website doesn’t feature copyrighted intellectual property.
Need an Agency to Build a Custom Website for Your Business?
As you can see, the various advantages a custom website design offers make it worth every penny. At the same time, given how web design agencies are mushrooming every day in the market, selecting one who can translate your vision for your custom-built website into reality is vital.
If you are looking for an experienced and professional agency for a customized website design, contact InnoVision. Reach out to a team member and see how we can help.
