Insider Information on Template vs. Custom-Designed Websites

With a limited marketing budget but the desire to include a website in your marketing plan, should you choose a professionally-developed or “do-it-yourself” website template, or spend the extra money for a custom design?

Written Oct 06, 2008, read 384 times since then.

If you are a new small business owner you are probably faced with a marketing dilemma. With a limited marketing budget but the desire to include a website in your marketing plan, do you choose a professionally-developed or “do-it-yourself” website template, or spend the additional money for a custom design?

There are so many web templates to choose from these days that finding a design that fits a particular business is not an issue. Adding your specific colors and images to a template make it yours and developers can produce a template website quickly and for an affordable price. Some business owners are even able to create template sites without professional help.

Drawbacks of “Do-it-Yourself” Templates
If you decide upon a template design, your next decision will be whether to have it developed by a professional or do it yourself using an online process.

It’s important to understand from the beginning that some website templates available though online hosting companies are not easily movable. In other words, if you build your site inside a particular hosting environment, you may find yourself rebuilding your site from scratch outside of the hosting environment down the line. This can come as a big shock to those who are unsuspecting fans of the do-it-yourself template.

To make an informed choice between hiring a professional to develop and host your website template and using a do-it-yourself template from a web-based company, use the following list of pros and cons:

Professionally-Developed Template
Pros

Modular design for future growth
Easy to move between hosting companies
Optimized for search engines
Unlimited design options
Includes professional marketing and graphic design consultation
24/7 tech support

Cons

Costs more than a do-it-yourself template

Do-it-Yourself Template
Pros

Less expensive than professionally-developed website template
Includes hosting
24/7 tech support

Cons

Difficult to add functionality
Not built for future growth
Blog integration not possible
Tied to one hosting company
Not optimized for search engines
Limited template choices
Lacks professional marketing and design

Major Differences between Custom and Template Websites

Both professionally-developed and do-it-yourself website templates have differences from custom built websites—mostly functionality and design.

If you’re selling a product and need the ability to conduct e-commerce or have a strong brand, a custom site is worth the investment. If your website is simply informational and you don’t have a strong brand, then you may want to go with a template.

Choose a custom website if:

Your site is going to include a shopping cart
Video or audio clip integration is desired
You must have a completely cohesive look between your online and offline marketing efforts
It’s important your web design captures your product or service exactly

Choose a template website if:

You have a limited budget
It’s vital your website is up and running extremely quickly

Whichever way you decide to go—professionally-developed template, do-it-yourself template or custom design—remember that websites are an extension of you and your business. Put your best foot forward and invest in the look of your website from the beginning. Leaving your visitors with a positive impression of your business is priceless.

Learn more about the author, Anna Hardy.

Comment on this article

Posted by Anna Goldsworthy, Kent, Washington | Oct 09, 2008

Nice, concise evaluation! I have been in communications for many years and until recently was unsure about the necessity of a website for sole proprietors or a small business applications. As I move into that arena myself, I’m finding the reality of our virtual business place makes it critical to show up in the cyber world in order for people to take the a business seriously in the real world.
Your clear and concise step by step comparison will make decisions easier for low budget beginners moving to implement their first website!!
Posted by Zita Gustin, Kirkland, Washington | Oct 09, 2008

Hi Anna,

This is a nicely written article that will help many folks see the differences between sources that are available to them.

I think the primary piece of information that you've shared here that will be helpful to folks is the fact that do-it-yourself templates are not easily transportable. That can be a huge piece of information as someone makes decisions based on the expected future growth of their business and their website.

Thanks for providing this helpful information!

The ABC's of Networking ... Always Be Connecting!
Posted by Karen Richards, Redmond, Washington | Oct 09, 2008

This is a great breakdown, thanks!

As a former techie, turned therapist, I often get questions from other therapists about how to make their website. Does anyone know what the good template sites are? Most therapists I talk to want a simple presence - template is fine, but also may want an hour or two consultation on how to really make it their own and take best advantage of their site.

I have a feeling there are a lot of biznikers out there who could help these folks. I'd love to pass your names on as I am happy to answer their questions, but am clear that I'm not in the website-for-others business anymore.
Posted by Karen Waddington, Renton, Washington | Oct 09, 2008

Thanks Anna for sharing your insights. It's hard for small businesses to justify spending money on things that are intangible. Your article offers clear and concise pros and cons without all the technical jargon.
Posted by Anna Hardy, Bellevue, Washington | Oct 10, 2008

Thanks to all the people who have posted a comment about my article.

To answer Karen Richards' question, we direct people to the following website to view templates: http://www.templatedemo.com/

I also want to point out something that Karen's therapist friends should know. Sometimes a couple of hours of consulting time comes out to be nearly the same immediate out-of-pocket cost as hiring a developer to create a template site!

With Webprodigy.com, the set-up fee for development of a template site is only $250, (which includes up to 5 pages and 16 images), whereas two hours of consulting time is $200. (I also want to be clear that Webprodigy.com also charges $45/month for 24 months which includes hosting and an interest-free payment that goes towards the development of the site).

My point is though, that if you factor in consulting time and your own time, sometimes it's not that much more to hire someone to create a template site for you!
Posted by Anita Elder, Seattle, Washington | Oct 11, 2008

I'm bookmarking this article so I can share it with my own potential clients when they ask me my opinion.

Anita L. Elder / Lolalu Design
Posted by Karen Richards, Redmond, Washington | Oct 13, 2008

Thanks for the reminder Anita! I had totally forgotten about bookmarks. Perfect!
Posted by Karen Richards, Redmond, Washington | Oct 13, 2008

Thanks, Anna, for the helpful comments about consulting time vs. template dev time.

So, to be clear, when you're talking about developing a "template site", are you talking about choosing a basic template off of templatedemo.com, constructing it for the client, and then helping them get independent hosting? This is in comparison to helping them develop a template site at webprodigy.com, where they host the site as well, and you have less control. Is that right?

I'm finding the term "template site" confusing. As I understand it, it can mean anything between you start wth a literal one-page template and then do all the coding yourself to meaning a site where they walk you through creating your site, you do no coding, just enter text, choose colors etc, and then voila! it's done but "stuck" being hosted at that particular place. Am I right? Could "template site" mean either of those things?
Posted by Adam Helweh, Newark, California | Oct 13, 2008

Anna, I was initially worried when reading the title of this article. I have experienced a great deal of small business owners who are "pro-template" strictly due to the cost issue and nothing else.

You bring up some great pros and cons. As someone who provides custom web services I feel strongly justified to steer my clients towards a custom solution for most of the reasons you mention.

If ever a web site is viewed as an expense rather than an investment, similar to all other marketing, then you need to second guess your intentions.
Posted by Anna Hardy, Bellevue, Washington | Oct 14, 2008

Karen-

I think I understand what you're asking, so let me know if this doesn't answer your questions...

When small business owners come to webprodigy.com and request a template site, we start with a professionally-designed template, then change color schemes and images and add their copy. In the end, the site often looks very different than the original template. At webprodigy.com, we think of the template as more of a wireframe.

Our template files become independant files that are transferable to any hosting company and owned by the client. (However, we do also host sites for our clients if they so choose.)

Yes, you are right, a "template site" is a general term and could mean a site was developed using one of the "online wizards" which requires a monthly subscription through an online hosting company and is not transferable, or by taking a template file from a company like templatedemo.com and saving it as your own and adapting it as needed.

The template term is confusing. Thanks for asking for clarification!
Posted by Anna Hardy, Bellevue, Washington | Oct 14, 2008

Adam-

Thanks for your comment. I agree with you.
Posted by Bill Henderson, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Oct 15, 2008

This is a great article clearing out the cloud of ambiguity that lingers on the topic of websites. I found it much easier to build my own through research and experience considering the low cost (as mentioned) and the comfort knowing that all is in your control. Overall great article!