When making a website for your business it’s all too tempting to go for template-style websites, where you simply input your information to a pre-made layout. These cookie-cutter sites are quick, easy and cheap, so why are they a bad idea?
In this blog post, we’ll look at some of the key reasons to avoid template sites and choose a unique design for your website, tailored to showcase your business at its best.
1 – They’re generic. Template websites are cheap, and that means there are countless other people using them. If you’ve spent hundreds of hours on your business idea, it’s a mistake to have the consumer-facing aspect look like hundreds of other sites. If you’re passionate about your business, make it stand out from the crowd with an original website with a design of its own.
2 – They’re inflexible. You might be able to change the colours or the font, but beyond these superficial elements most template sites are exactly that – a basic template with little room for flourish or individuality. For example, you might want to add half a dozen images, but the template will only allow for three, or the word limit can restrict what you want to get across to visitors to your site. A template site means having to compromise on a whole range of key factors.
3 – Hard to personalise. Template sites often work with static pages only, so if you want to add dynamic elements, such as a constantly updating database or a calendar, you’ll run into trouble and have to bring in back end support, who might struggle to deal with the limitations of these basic layouts.
4 – Difficult to update. Most template sites come straight out of the box and don’t offer ongoing support, meaning updates are difficult to apply. This might not seem like an issue at first, but the internet is an ever-developing space and it’s all too easy for your site to break over time. Similarly, it won’t be long before the site looks dated and old-fashioned – a red flag for potential customers.
5 – Limited SEO tools. A typical template site will offer a few very basic search engine optimisation tools, but they won’t be anywhere near as effective as a professional optimising your site for you. These robotic tools miss the human touch – you won’t get any forward-thinking ideas for content to raise your profile and attract people to your site.
Template sites have their place on the internet. They’re fine for personal blogs and pet projects, but if you’re serious about your business and want to showcase yourself and your services at their very best, don’t cut corners – a unique site is by far the better option. This is why Heavyweight only builds custom sites.
If you’re looking for the most effective website design for your business and you would like to chat about this, we’re more than happy to help.