Are website templates worth it?
Since I'm a web designer, it's a preconceived notion that I simply must have a grudge against pre-made templates on website builder sites. I'd be lying if I said I don't... at all. But my objection to website templates doesn't stem from my profession preferences, but from my knowledge. When you know what a custom designed website can do for small businesses, it's hard to rely on templates anymore.
If you’re an entrepreneur who relies on fulfilling your business' needs and sales through a web presence, a low budget may have you consider taking the template route. And that’s fine, I wouldn't want you to spend money that you don't have. The reality is that for a lot of small business owners, custom websites are not an option when they're starting out.
I want you to consider this DIY website as the interim option until you save enough to invest in custom website design for a brand new website.
I would love for you to choose a template that works for your initial business needs until you're ready for a custom site. To help with that, I’d vouch for the template shop, Big Cat Creative.
Here's why:
SLEEK TEMPLATES
They say you can't judge a book by its cover, but most businesses are judged by their website's look and feel. You're going to want to impress potential clients in just a few clicks. The team at Big Cat Creative offer Squarespace templates that hit the sweet spot between backend complexity and basic simplicity that leaves you needing more.
BROADLY CUSTOMIZABLE
Big Cat Creative understands that you want to tweak the templates they've got. The design details listed under each template tells you what you can change. There's room to make personalized changes that make their template yours just enough to pop from other businesses.
ATTENTIVE CUSTOMER SUPPORT
As independent as you are, you need some hand holding when you're creating your first website, even a DIY one. The Squarespace pros at Big Cat Creative provide you with resources, tools, and in-depth tutorials. If you still need extra help, their customer support is responsive within a business day of putting in your request. They offer extra support service for transferring blogs or custom coding.
If a website template design works and gets you results, why should you opt for custom web design which
A) is expensive
B) creates a website from scratch
I've elaborated on the pros of both custom website design vs template in my blog post linked here but I do want you to keep the following in mind. Your website may solve the 'today' problem of lending credibility, bringing in business leads, and help grow your audience. However, a templated site may not solve the 'tomorrow' challenge of scaling up your business and brand. Your website design should keep pace with how your business grows. Since you would most likely choose the template route, I advise DIY-ers to strongly opt for templates that keep things simple.
So back to our question in the title: are templates worth it?
It depends on where you are in branding your business, and how much of it you want seen on your website. As much as templates open up a world of business and digital marketing for you, the visual components of your brand strategy cannot unfold to their maximum potential within a pre-fixed template or a website theme.
The allowable tweaks on a website template are little pinpricks of customization that prevent your website from being an almost exact copy of someone else's website, especially when the template themes have unlimited downloads. Templates cannot do justice to your brand's true essence. At the end of the day, you're using a template that's been built to look good and appealing on the whole, but its functionality may not meet expectations.
Templates work if branding is not a priority to you, or you just need a website to get your business on its (digital) feet. As your company grows, you may find that you’ve outgrown what a templated website can do for you. Templates are a great start, but they’re not a permanent solution.
Web designers assigned to build your website can custom design existing templates and still use them as a canvas that aptly reflects your brand identity, and create a seamless experience for your website users.
If branding is your priority, and you want your business to look and be thoroughly unique, a custom website is the way to go, this allows your brand strategy to breathe and flourish to its best version.
But if you don’t have the means to invest in a custom web design just yet, I recommend booking a strategy call with me to make sure the template you purchased is laid out to strategically market your brand!
