Custom Websites vs Website Templates

Websites are made of code, so it’s important that the programming is neat and efficient. Templates and do-it-yourself builders come with heaps of extra code and server calls that slow down the rendering process. Why? The more customizable they are, the more code is needed to handle all of the options.

Here is an example of Google’s website speed score for a website that we custom developed vs an example of the speed score for a do-it-yourself website template.

Code efficiency has a direct impact on both search engine optimization (SEO) and website speed, and website speed has a further impact on both SEO and user experience.

A website needs solid SEO fundamentals in order for search engines to crawl it effectively, understand what they’re reading, and consider the site useful and relevant enough to rank in search results. It takes a knowledge of these rules, and experience in what works and what doesn’t in order to structure a website with effective SEO.

Our owner / developer has 10+ years of SEO experience, and has built hundreds of successful websites. We understand how important it is to generate as much free traffic as possible!

Business owners who are getting ready for a new website are often excited and full of ideas, and rightly so! Some of these ideas will be good, some will need experienced input, and others can be… not so great.

Working directly with a professional developer will ensure that your ideas are honed into an effective end product with no missed opportunities for a great user experience.

Using a website template or do-it-yourself builder enables a business owner to run with ideas without the input of an experienced team. It often results in a site with an amateur feel, and missed opportunities to capture leads.

Cheap at the beginning is often expensive in the long run.

Your company offers a better service or value than your competitors… after all, that’s why you went into business! But will this come across to your visitors? Will they get “a good feeling” about you, or will they see some cut corners?

Even premium website templates have a more generalized look, a slightly clumsier feel at best after being filled out, and they won’t do a great job focusing attention where it’s needed.

Our custom designs showcase what sets you apart, and flow your company’s branding and personality throughout the site. This establishes credibility through a strong and deliberate feel, and enhances the user’s experience. The visitor will have a better “feeling” about your company, and you will get more calls.

This has been proven time and again through before-and-after traffic Analytics.

Many business owners have, at one point or another, taken dozens of hours from an already strained schedule to try to get a website builder or template working. The time investment always ends up being greater than they think going in.

It requires learning a new platform, filling out all of the options, outlining and writing the content, creating pages, and reading through tutorials and support articles. When the result will be a website that runs slowly, has little to no SEO value, and may not look great or capture leads, is that the best use of your time?

Consider the future of your online presence. With a template or do-it-yourself website builder, you get what comes with the template and no more. As you become more successful online, you’ll want to expand and incorporate new features.

With our custom websites, you can do all of this and more. Your website should drive you forward, not hold you back.