When designing your organisation’s website, it’s easy to be tempted into choosing one of the many ready-made themes available for website platforms such as WordPress or Squarespace.

However, opting for one of these “cookie-cutter” templates will present you with a raft of issues relating to your web design and online presence, as we shall now explain.

Template Themes Are Often Riddled with Bloatware

If you’re unfamiliar, bloatware basically refers to software, lines of code, or other features that you don’t actually need to run your website. And these ready-made sites are often full of it.

The reason that so many web developers can offer “premium” templates for free (or very little) is because they have agreed paid partnerships with numerous software vendors to include their products within their theme.

As the site owner, the problem for you is that your site will run much slower than competitors on well-designed custom websites. Given that speed is a vital search engine ranking factor under the umbrella of Core Web Vitals, the slower your site, the more likely it is to lose out on the top spots to optimised competitors.

You’re Reliant on the Developer Who Created the Theme

Even the sleekest of ready-made theme templates need tweaks here and there to best suit your specific needs. The problem is, to continue making those changes, you’ll need to lean on the original creator of the theme to gain help, support, and advice.

For example, if you want to learn more about why something is hard-coded into the theme and whether you can remove it, you’ll need to contact them. If you spot a bug and need it fixed, you’ll need to report it to them and hope they get around to remedying the problem.

The issue is that these developers don’t owe you anything. Unless you are paying extra for dedicated support (another drawback), you could find yourself stuck when trying to make changes to the site.

Worse, suppose the developer who created your theme decides to leave the industry or retire. In that case, you’ll be left with a website that you can no longer customise without the help of an experienced (and expensive) outside web developer. In many cases, you’ll be better served to start again with a custom website that you can update and change whenever and however you want.

Your Company Website Will Look Like So Many Others

The reason you’re investing in creating an online presence is to stand out from the competitors in your industry. With a template theme, there are literally thousands of other websites using the exact same template. Even when you add your logo and branding, making your site look unique will be tough.

Your website needs to be memorable and distinct so that every time a visitor lands on the homepage, they instantly associate the site with your brand. If it looks similar to others in your industry, you’ll confuse potential customers, wondering if they’ve landed on the right site.

Invest In Web Design That Makes Your Business Stand Out

When designing your website, using a template theme should be one of the last things you consider. Not only are they often bloated with unnecessary features, but you’re also stuck with the developer who created it should you need any help down the line. Worse, your website will look similar to the hundreds, if not thousands, of other small businesses around the world using that same template.

That’s why you should opt for a custom-designed website for your business. It will allow you to create a unique online presence that will help you stand out from your competitors, and you can also control every aspect of your design, from the layout and navigation to the colours and fonts.

This means that you can create a site that perfectly reflects your brand identity and gives your customers the best possible experience. Better yet, a custom site will be designed specifically for your needs, ensuring that it is fully optimisable, updateable, and easy to use for you and your team.

So, whether you’re looking to boost sales or simply raise awareness of your brand, a custom-designed website is the best way to achieve your goals. Speak to the experienced Ctrl Alt Create web design team today regarding building your website from the ground up.