Custom Web Design
Working with a template can be a good strategy in some situations, but for creating a web presence that has lasting value, more directly appeals to your target audience, is more cost-effective over time, and produces greater returns for your investment, a custom website is your best approach.
Custom Website Design Offers Long-Term Success and a Positive Return on Investment
Many design firms and freelancers rely on pre-existing templates to build websites. While this approach may be cost-effective initially, it often falls short in the long run. A website that doesn’t resonate with your audience or align with your specific business goals can significantly affect your success.
A fully custom website, on the other hand, is tailored to your unique needs. This not only enhances user engagement but also creates a stronger connection with your visitors and delivers a much better return on investment. Every website I design is entirely custom, built around the unique needs and goals of each client.
From the Portfolio
Custom Design for Aerospace Tech Company
(Right) This website design and build features extensive image work to nicely integrate the supplied imagery, and numerous custom icons designed specifically for the site.
Zindrop Website Design
(Far Right) Custom design and coding for a web-based app. A simple design, but with plenty of attention paid to how imagery blends in with the page to make for a more fluid design.
Website Design for Non Profit
(Far Left) This website, for a non-profit in the aerospace sector highlights the impacts of their mission, scholarships, and provides important information about the organization.
Website for CCS
(Left) This custom home page design for a non profit features custom icons, graphics, and nicely integrated imagery.
Advantages of a Custom Website
Having a website custom-built to meet your specific needs offers numerous benefits, including improved conversion rates, reduced long-term costs, and easier maintenance.
Custom Websites are Designed Around Your Business, Not the Other Way Around
Your business is unique, as are your customers’ needs and your goals for them. The information you share, your branding, and your objectives are distinct to your company. Using a template forces you to fit your business into a predefined package that isn’t designed for your specific requirements, customers, or sales funnels. A website should be customized to reflect your business, not the other way around.
Designed to Accomplish Your Goals
With a custom-designed website, the focus is on your business and your objectives. Every aspect and page can be tailored to achieve your specific goals, whether it’s increasing product sales, encouraging submissions to a contact or interest form, or enhancing brand awareness and presence.
Less Bloat and Unnecessary Functionality that Negatively Affect User Experience and SEO
Templates often carry excess baggage–unnecessary code included to accommodate various types of companies and content. This surplus code can slow down your website and adversely impact your search engine optimization efforts.
A Sign of a More Experienced Designer and Developer
Templated design solutions are often chosen because a designer or developer may lack the experience or knowledge to create a website independently. While these solutions can yield a functional website initially, they come with long-term costs. This inexperience may also lead to websites that aren’t optimized for conversions and a lack of skills necessary to adapt the site to your future needs.
Easier to Modify Over Time as Your Needs Change
With a custom website, you aren’t tied to a set template, and as a result, your website can more easily change and evolve as your business needs change. With a custom site, it’s easy to implement new website sections and design optimized visitor journeys.
An Easier Editing Experience
Many templates require users to navigate cumbersome website page builders to edit their content, often leading to accidental mistakes that can disrupt the layout. This can be intimidating for website owners who simply want to update a few words. In contrast, a well-crafted custom website minimizes the risk of such issues while providing a user-friendly experience for content editing. With the websites I build, my clients enjoy the freedom to easily modify any text on their pages without the hassle of navigating complex page builders or worrying about inadvertently damaging their site.
Version Control
In many templated websites, design elements are stored within the database, making it difficult to revert to a previous version after changes are made. I prefer to maintain the design in the website’s codebase rather than the database. This approach allows for easier tracking of changes over the years, facilitates the re-implementation of website sections when needed, and provides the flexibility to undo or redo design adjustments as necessary.
Custom Websites: The Best Approach for Long-Term Growth
It can be tempting to implement a website template yourself, or to utilize web design companies who utilize them. The slightly faster initial development timelines and reduced-upfront expense sound good, especially if you have a limited budget, but over the medium and long-term, templated websites will be a larger source of headaches, greater maintenance expense, and less-than-ideal conversions and outcomes from your website.
