Template vs Bespoke Websites: Which Is Right for Your Business?

When building a new website, it can be tempting to take shortcuts. Templates promise a quicker launch, lower costs, and an easy route to getting your business online. For many startups and growing businesses, that can sound like the perfect solution.

However, while templated websites can work well in the short term, they can sometimes create limitations further down the line. Performance issues, restricted functionality and ongoing costs can quickly turn an initially “cheap” website into a more expensive long-term option

So, should you choose a templated website or invest in a bespoke build?

What is a templated site?

A templated website is built using a pre-designed theme that already includes layout, styling and core functionality. These are commonly available through platforms like WordPress, Shopify, Wix and Squarespace. You simply choose a design and customise it with your branding and content.

Templates are popular because they reduce development time and cost. Much of the technical work has already been completed, meaning the focus is mainly on changes such as adjusting colours, logos and page content.

However, while templates can be convenient, they’re also available to anyone. This means your website may end up looking similar to other businesses, making it harder to stand out and build a strong brand identity.

What Is a Bespoke Site?

Bespoke websites are tailor-made from scratch to meet specific brand requirements, providing greater control over design, features and user experience.

Want a unicorn flying through the middle of your site? Or a pension calculator? The ability to have literally what you want, where you want it? Consider it done.

A bespoke website is designed and developed from scratch to meet the specific needs of your business. Every detail can be tailored to your brand, from the layout and user journey to animations and functionality.

This means you’re not restricted by what a template allows, giving your brand more flexibility to be original in a crowded market.

More importantly, bespoke websites can be built with your long-term growth in mind. As your business evolves, your website can adapt with it.

Why Businesses Choose Templated Websites

If you have a limited budget, you might opt for a templated site. Something like Wix, or Squarespace.

Templated websites can be a good starting point, particularly for startups or businesses with limited budgets. They offer a quick way to get online and begin building a digital presence.

Common benefits include:

• Lower upfront costs
• Faster launch times
• Pre-designed layouts and user journeys
• Large selection of themes and styles
• Minimal development time required

One of these sites will save you time and money as the core of its layout and functionality is already built, with the time mainly involved in building out the pages and changing the branding colours and logos. If you’re short on time, these sites take a lot less time to build, too.

For smaller businesses or short-term projects, these advantages can make templates an attractive option. However, the limitations often become more noticeable as your business grows.

Templated Website Cons

Despite the advantages, there are several reasons why templated websites may not be such a good idea for your brand:

• Unoriginality. As previously mentioned, anyone can buy the same template. If it’s a template, it’s not distinctly you, which could dilute your brand’s identity.
• Unused features can affect performance. WordPress themes can be packed with features and functionality that you are unlikely ever to use. A slow site can be frustrating for users and may also affect your website’s performance in search.
• Template customisations can become difficult. Adding bespoke functionality on top of a website theme can be more complicated and time consuming than building the functionality into the website from the beginning. Developers may also struggle to adapt to the theme’s coding structure, leading to increased costs for future development work.
• Ongoing costs can be deceptively expensive. Some templated themes require annual payments for updates and support. These additional expenses can accumulate over time, making a templated website less cost-effective in the long run.

Why Bespoke Websites Offer Long-Term Value

If you’ve not realised by now, we’re all for bespoke sites. But why? What are the main reasons we prefer to build from scratch?

Bespoke websites are designed specifically for your business, which creates a stronger foundation for growth. From a branding perspective, this ensures every element of the site reflects your identity and communicates your message clearly.

• From a branding perspective, we can ensure that the brand, motion and design are all reflective of the brand and the exact needs of the business. It will be uniquely you, from the way that it moves to the way your users navigate from page to page. When we talk about branding, we tell people that every single touchpoint is a reflection of your brand, and your website is no exception.
• Speed. If your site is built with only the elements you need, there is less unnecessary code and functionality that could affect performance, ultimately helping to make the website quicker.
• Control. Bespoke development gives you greater control over the codebase, hosting setup and integrations, making it easier to manage how the website is maintained and secured.

Performance can also be improved. Because bespoke websites can be built around the functionality actually required, there is less need for unnecessary features that can affect performance. This can contribute to faster load times and a better user experience, while supporting wider SEO performance.

Most importantly, bespoke websites are designed to evolve. As your business grows, new features and functionality can be added without needing a complete rebuild or a brand new template.

Editability of Templated Websites

With a new website, it’s not a case of “launch it and leave it”. It’s going to be changing and adapting all the time.

A bespoke site can grow and adapt with your business, as it will have been built with change in mind. A more generic website might need replacing completely at key points in your business development. Over time this can become costly.

So even if the initial costs of bespoke website design are higher than you might pay for a template design, it’s likely to be more cost effective over the medium to long-term.

Remember what your dad used to say… buy cheap, buy twice? Turns out he was right…

Bespoke WordPress web development

WordPress gives us the building blocks to build upon a CMS, which allows the client to edit their website going forward.

It is often used as the foundation for bespoke websites, offering flexibility while keeping the site easy to manage.

Key benefits of bespoke WordPress development include:

• Fully custom design and functionality
• User-friendly content management system
• Regular security updates
• A wide range of plugins to extend functionality
• Easy scalability as your business grows

WordPress is open-source, with a large developer community maintaining and extending the platform. Its familiar admin area also means clients can manage their own content with relatively little training, while developers can add new sections and functionality as the website evolves.

How Much Does a Bespoke Website Cost?

The cost of a bespoke website can vary widely depending on how many pages you require and what you require those pages to do.

The cost of a bespoke website varies depending on the size, complexity and functionality required. A simple brochure-style website with a few pages will cost significantly less than a complex e-commerce platform or custom web application.

As a general guideline, basic bespoke websites typically start from around £5,000. Mid-range business websites often fall between £8,000 and £20,000, while more complex builds with advanced functionality can range from £20,000 to £30,000 or more. Large-scale websites for national or international brands may even require six-figure budgets.

If your website doesn’t contain many pages and only contains basic content such as text and images and perhaps video or basic animation, it will be towards the lower end of the price scale.

Larger, more complex websites, particularly those featuring bespoke e-commerce platforms, will cost considerably more. For the website of a national or international brand, costs may even begin in six figures.

Who you choose to create your website will also impact on the price. Freelancers operating on their own are likely to charge less than a comprehensive web design agency. The latter will, however, have a range of specialist professionals available to help create the best possible website for your business.

While the upfront investment is higher than a template, bespoke websites can deliver better long-term value. They are built to last, adapt and grow alongside your business, potentially reducing the need for costly rebuilds in the future.

It’s worth remembering that your website represents a considerable investment for your business and it will play a key part in its overall success. It’s therefore worth considering if it’s really wise cutting corners for the sake of a relatively small sum of money.

Getting Started With a Bespoke Website

If you’ve decided that a bespoke business website is the right option for your business then you might be wondering where you go from here.

If you’re considering a bespoke website, you need to think about what you want your website to achieve.

Consider:

• Business goals: What you want to achieve
• Target audience: Who do you want to reach
• Functionality: What you may need now and in the future for scalability
• Competitor examples: Identifying what works well, and what doesn’t

To help build a cost for your bespoke website, we have created a web brief template which is available here.

Download Web Brief Template

Once you have a clear idea, the next step is choosing a web design agency you feel comfortable working with. Reviewing their portfolio, understanding their process and ensuring there is room for collaboration during development are all important considerations.