Room to grow – is a bespoke, custom-built web portal better than a template design?

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A website is a formidable asset to your business; it strengthens and reinforces the quality of your brand. But a website is so much more than an online shop window – it is a portal that serves as a projection of your business, your ethos and your values.

When it comes to design, there are two main choices: bespoke, custom-built web portals or ones created from a template.

Both options can result in creative-looking web portals but in order to influence customers’ buying decisions, a web portal that is tailored to your business needs and those of your audience can give your brand a sense of sophistication that will set you apart.

However, this does come at a cost with bespoke, custom-built web portals ranging from anything between £5,000 and £30,000 compared to the £500 it may cost for a template design.

While dramatically disparate in price, a bespoke, custom-built web portal is constructed from the ground up. Its functionality is created through code rather than using plug-ins which template designs use. 

Photo by Hal Gatewood on Unsplash

It is this bespoke coding which can create anything you dream of in terms of design, customer experience and functionality. Whatever you envisage your web portal achieving, bespoke coding can deliver. 

It also means your website can grow as your business develops. It can adapt to your needs and be made to work across a number of platforms, so you are never limited in terms of the audience you wish to reach.

Professional advice and help will always be on hand if ever a problem arises and as the coding has been specifically designed for your site, it can be easily fixed unlike template designs using plug-ins developed by third parties.

Custom-built web portals will have the ability to integrate any future online technologies as and when they become available, meaning your portal will never be dated and will therefore continue to enhance your business ethos and values, placing your company above the competition. 

“A truly bespoke design will be created by a team responsible for the coding and not just the aesthetics. It will be contemporary, scalable and there will be no limitations to what it can do.”

That said, template designs could be more appropriate for companies just starting out and that quickly want to establish a presence online. But while they are cheaper and perfectly adequate, they will never be unique.  It could look like hundreds of sites out there and the cheap price tag does run the risk of cheapening your brand. You will always be limited by what the template offers and a few years down the line, you may have to invest in a complete redesign which is where the old adage ‘buy cheap buy twice’ really comes into its own.

Although some designers may believe they are designing custom-built web portals, they are in fact creating bespoke designs using a limited, template system so choose carefully. A truly bespoke design will be created by a team responsible for the coding and not just the aesthetics. It will be contemporary, scalable and there will be no limitations to what it can do.

It will be distinguished. It will be original. It will be an investment. 

While it will not be cheap, it will pay for itself in the long term and ensure your business is portrayed in the best possible light.

Cover photo by Daniel Hjalmarsson on Unsplash