5 reasons you need a custom-designed website

When you first set out in creating your website, you’ll have an important choice to make. I’m not talking about the choice to make your homepage a fullscreen video of babies laughing in slow-motion – though that is important. I’m talking about the choice you’ll have to make between custom-designing your site or going with a preset template. This choice obviously has a large impact on how your site looks and functions and on the user experience overall. Apart from that, it also has a great impact on the success of your site and of your business. Here are some of the primary reasons a custom-designed site is a far better option than a preset template.

Set yourself apart

A custom-designed site gives you so much more freedom to convey what is unique about your brand and your business. Freedom rocks. You’ll be able to differentiate yourself from your competitors and create a lasting impression on visitors that might otherwise be lacking within a templated design. Your business (hopefully) has characteristics that set it apart from everyone else, and your website should too. With a template, you’ll just look like everyone else. Your potential customers might even confuse you with your competitors – and give them the business instead. Going with a custom-design is the only way to fully show everything that makes you great.

Show professionalism

Having a custom-designed site is a clear indicator that you take your business and your image seriously. You’ve invested a lot of time and money into creating and maintaining what has become the most common visual representation of your business – and visitors pay attention to that. It especially stands out when they visit another site that looks cookie-cutter and boring. Utilizing a custom design boosts your credibility and can help solidify your brand as a trustworthy and high-quality source rather than an inexpensive, quickly thrown together alternative.

Target more effectively

Within a custom design, you’re able to tailor everything towards your target audience and demographic. You have more control over the look and functionality, both of which have a tremendous impact on user engagement and eventual conversion. Custom design allows you to craft layout and content to guide the user journey exactly the way you want. You also have the ability to maximize your website’s SEO, boosting your presence in search rankings and ensuring you’re reaching the right people with far greater ease than had you gone with a template design.

Get the functionality you need

One big issue with website templates is their limited functionality. You’re confined specifically to what the template will and won’t allow your site to do, which can keep you from being able to implement the functionality you really need for your website. Maybe you want to add an awesome portfolio page or integrate elements like testimonials or case studies into your relevant service pages. And what about that customer portal you’ve been talking about? There’s no website template that does everything you want it to — or everything it should. Using a custom design is the only way to achieve unlimited functionality to ensure you have the capability you need to bring all your ideas to life.

Your site grows with you

Another key strength of custom-designed sites is their scalability and flexibility to change and grow alongside your business. You have much more freedom and ability to update and add content or functionality to meet the increased needs of your site, whatever they may be. In most cases, a custom design also includes the presence of a professional developer who will be equipped to keep your site fresh and current far more easily than if you were managing it yourself.

Don’t go the easy route

While it is less expensive and less time-consuming to go with a cookie-cutter site out of the gate, you’ll only end up losing money in the long run as needs change and your competitors are more able to adapt without you. You’ll be losing money you should have made through the use of a custom-designed site. Don’t be that business.

Perrill is a full-service web design and development agency specializing in fully customized, responsive websites. Contact us today to discuss how we can give your site a boost and help your business reach its full potential.