In today’s digital age, a quality website is pretty much a necessity for any business or organization. Your website is the face of your brand and the first impression that potential customers will have of your business. Much like an online reception lobby. It’s an opportunity for new visitors to quickly learn more about your services or products without the risk of dealing with a pushy and time consuming salesperson. Your website should build trust and create value for the visitor. If it does that, there’s a far better chance that they can be converted into a lead, client, or customer. A website that is custom designed however, can offer numerous benefits to your business or organization that a template website simply cannot. In this article, we will explore nine reasons why a custom designed website is better.
1) Tailored to Your Business Needs
One of the most significant advantages of a custom designed website is that it can be tailored to your specific needs and brand. When you work with an actual web designer, they will work with you to understand your business goals, target audience, and branding. Based on this information, they will create a website that is tailored to your specific needs. This can help you stand out from your competitors and convert more visitors into customers. The best part is that you can keep working on growing your business rather than spending hours of your valuable time learning how to populate a predesigned template and with only mediocre results.
2) Unique Design
You’ll have complete control over the design. You can create a unique website that is tailored to your brand and is not going to be just another cookie-cutter website that at least 100+ others will already be using. A custom website will be designed to match your unique branding, including color schemes, fonts, and logos. This customization can help you establish a strong brand identity and create a lasting impression on your audience that builds familiarity and trust over the long haul. Also, most templates are designed with trending and popular concepts that have little to no longevity only a year later.
3) Better User Experience
A custom designed website can offer a far better user experience compared to template websites. Most templates come with a ton of useless bells and whistles that will slow down your load times and make the user experience more clunky. An actual web designer can design the website layout, navigation, and functionality that meet your user’s needs. They can ensure that your website is easy to use, intuitive, and engaging. A better user experience can lead to increased user engagement, better conversion rates, and higher customer satisfaction.
4) Scalability and Flexibility
As your business grows, you may need to add new features or functionalities to your website. A custom designed website can accommodate these changes, ensuring that your website remains relevant and effective. Most template websites are basically prebuilt into a one-size-fits-all type of framework. If you try to build beyond that, conflicts and bugs can begin to arise and then you’ll eventually find yourself in a rabbithole of time consuming troubleshooting. With a custom website, you won’t need to worry about switching out template designs or themes simply because you want to add an e-commerce store or implement some other needed process.
5) Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
This is crucial for any website that wants to rank on search engine results pages (SERPs). A custom designed website should be optimized with onsite SEO from the beginning, ensuring that it is designed with the best SEO practices in mind. SEO can help your website rank higher on search engines, which can lead to increased visibility and traffic. A template design will often contain the tools and ingredients needed to set up your own onsite SEO however, most DIY users are unaware of how or where to even begin with this and often skip it only to later realize that they’re not being ranked at all in Google and other search engines. A professional web designer will not only make sure you begin ranking as soon as your new custom website is launched but will also index you with search engines, set you up with Google Analytics and can also provide full traffic analytics within your WordPress dashboard.
6) Mobile Responsiveness
With the increasing use of mobile devices, it’s essential to have a website that is mobile responsive. While many DIY templates provide this option, their design is more often very bland because it’s designed as a one-size-fits-all. Which means that some elements may not display well once populated with your own unique content. A custom designed website should be optimized for all mobile devices. This ensures that your website looks and works great on all devices, including desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones. This means that users won’t need to be zooming in and out on a mobile phone to see the content. You will also have a custom designed mobile dropdown menu that is styled for your brand much like an app. Custom designed mobile optimization leads to better user experiences which also leads to better engagement.
7) Integration with Third-Party Tools
A custom designed website can be more easily integrated with third-party tools such as analytics, email marketing software, and social media platforms. This integration can help you track your website’s performance, automate your marketing efforts, and connect with your audience on social media platforms. Integration with third-party tools can save time and increase efficiency. When using a DIY template website, you will only be limited to the tools they allow on their platform and those are not always the best ones.
8) Security
Security is crucial for any website, especially for e-commerce websites that handle sensitive customer information. An actual web designer can insure that you are set up with all of the latest and greatest security methods. They can also set you up with a maintenance plan that assures your website is always up to date and secure. A custom designed website can be built with advanced security features to protect your website from cyber-attacks and ensure the safety of your customers’ data. These security features can give your website visitors peace of mind and increase their trust in your business as well as provide less headaches for you.
9) Competitive Advantage
Finally, a custom designed website can give you a competitive advantage over your competitors. It can (and should) accentuate your brand, load more quickly than bulky template websites, rank better in search engines, stand out as unique and professional. Your website is often the first point of contact between your business and your potential customers. A custom designed website can help you make a great first impression, outshine your competitors, and establish yourself as an industry leader. It also says that you don’t cut corners and that you’re truly invested in what you do.
A custom designed website can offer so many benefits for your business. It can be tailored to your business needs, provide a unique design, offer a better user experience, be scalable and flexible, optimized for SEO, be mobile responsive, integrate with third-party tools, provide advanced security features, and give you a competitive advantage. While a template website may be more affordable and easier to set up, it generally will not offer the same level of sustainability, security, customization and functionality that a custom designed website can provide. If you’re looking to establish a strong online presence, stand out from your competitors, and create a lasting impression on your potential customers, a custom designed website is the way to go.
If you would like to discuss your next website project with us, we would love to hear from you!
