The big question all new web owners face. Things like backing up your wordpress site, formatting your content to boost SEO scores, and adding high-quality photos are things that you do without question when it comes to building a site. But, when it comes to the actual build itself, choosing whether or not you should build from a theme or design from scratch is one of the first big questions you must face. So, let’s break it down and figure out which route is right for you.
Building From a Theme
Using a template gives you the power to instantly have a professional site with strong bones. All you do pick out your ideal template, add personalized content and media, make a few customizations where necessary and you have a fully functional site ready to go. Don’t be fooled and think that choosing template will lead to having a boring site that looks like everyone else’s. There are so many customizable features these days, by the end of your web building process, your finished product could end up looking completely different from the original.
Not only is building from a theme or template efficient, but it is also cost effective. You can have an attractive, professional site for as little as $30-$60. Having a web developer create a professional website for you from scratch could easily cost you a few thousand dollars, but with a quick look on Envato you can find a theme that covers the basics for your business.
Having a good look to your site is a key factor when attracting visitors. Perhaps you don’t have the greatest artistic eye, or the patience to create a perfectly aesthetic website. You can easily try out different themes and get a feel for what’s right for your company or organization. Once you find the perfect one, you select it and make customizations wherever you wish!
Another great thing about building your website from a theme is that most are extremely functional and user friendly. Visitors will have no issues navigating through your site and you will have no problem maintaining it. Most templates will come preloaded with your standard web pages on the menu. Having a stunning website has truly never been easier.
Though with all good things, comes the bad. Themes are great for speed, professional looks, cost, and functionality, but what are the setbacks?
A template can only be customized to a certain point. Rare circumstances like having a lot of content, but a template with limited space, you may have to pick out a new template. It is also important to take note that if you have a custom brand, you may want to stay away from using a theme, unless you can find one that can fit your brand or easily be adjusted to fit your brand. Otherwise, in this scenario, it would be much easier for you to create a site from scratch.
Another thing that people don’t realize about templates is that hackers are able to familiarize themselves more with template sites as opposed to custom sites. Which means you have a higher risk of being hacked. Hackers are able to create bots for popular templates that will track them and place malicious code if they find an opening. So, if you have a site built from a theme, be sure to stay on top of your website maintenance and have proper security measures to ensure your site has the best safety!
Creating A Site From Scratch
Some people much more prefer custom sites because they can be customized perfectly to their likings.When creating a website, some people approach the project with a clear vision in mind and hire a digital marketing agency to make it come to life. Another great thing that comes with a properly designed website from scratch is remarkable security. All good web designers create their sites with security in mind.
A big setback that comes with creating a website from scratch is time. A good website will take time to make. With themes and templates, you could create a website in hours if you wanted to. Of course, the more complex your site is, the longer it will take to make. But, if you have a decent amount of time to devote to building a site, then it is beyond worth it to start from scratch and ensure that your site runs flawlessly.
Another huge beneficial factor to creating your own site from scratch is that it can easily be designed to be mobile friendly. Oftentimes, templates do not have the best mobile friendly software, and you have to do a ton of editing and adjusting to get it right. And even then, it will still look kind of funny. With custom designs, you can make sure you have a responsive and mobile-friendly website that can be easily edited.
At the end of the day, templates are cheap, user friendly and professional looking. Building your site from scratch will ensure you end up with the website of your dreams, with the best security possible. If you are starting a business or a blog, maybe you want to go with the template and save some money! Then, once your business grows overtime – you can finally toss up the money to make a custom site. Templates are the perfect solution to having an affordable option for start-up businesses to have professional websites, giving them an all around better chance to be successful while competing in the market world!