Websites
Template or custom website? How to choose without overspending
The honest trade-offs between a template-based website and a custom build, and a simple way to decide which one your business needs.
1 min read
We build both, so we do not have a horse in this race. Here is how we help clients decide.
Start with what the site has to do
Write down the three things the site must achieve. For most small businesses it is some version of: explain what we do, show we are credible, make it easy to get in touch. If that is the list, a well-tailored template does the job and you should not pay for custom.
Custom earns its cost when the list includes something specific. A quoting tool, a booking flow with rules, integration with software you already run, a catalogue with unusual structure, or a design that has to carry a strong brand.
Speed and search
Both can be fast. A template on a good platform will load quickly and rank fine for local searches. A custom static build will usually be faster still, which matters more as the site grows and if you are competing hard on search.
Editing
Templates come with a visual editor, which suits owners who want to change things themselves. Custom sites get a content management system set up for the pages you actually edit. Both work. The difference is that templates give you more freedom to move things around, and custom gives you more guardrails.
Cost
Custom costs more, usually by a third to a half, because every page is designed and built for you rather than adapted from a proven layout. Either way the price is a fixed quote after a short call, based on pages, integrations and how much copy you need help with.
| Template | Custom | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Getting a professional site live without a big outlay | Specific functionality, strong brand, long-term flexibility |
| Speed | Fast on a good platform, fine for local search | Faster still, and stays that way as the site grows |
| Editing | A visual editor, with freedom to move things around | A content management system set up for the pages you actually edit |
| Integrations | Forms, bookings, maps and the usual add-ons | Anything your business runs on, built in properly |
| Cost | The lower fixed quote | Usually a third to a half more |
The usual path
Plenty of businesses start on a template, prove the site brings in work, then move to a custom build a couple of years later when the business has grown. Domain, content and rankings carry across. That is a sensible path and we are happy to plan for it from the start.