Custom Website Design - Why Templates Don't Compare
Written by Bruce Klaic
| Sunday, April 17, 2022
Do you remember when the idea of having a website was foreign and mind-boggling, requiring hours of professional work to craft an outcome that was mediocre at best? Fast forward several years, where you can now find online templates and many pre-made websites which are easily and quickly turned into your website, marked with your branding and content. But new and easier, doesn't necessarily mean better.
In fact, when it comes to gaining customers from online conversion, template websites aren't really that great at all. Usually, quality custom web design beats template every time. It builds business, nurtures lead, and converts customers at a much more effective rate. Intrigued? Let's talk about this a little more:
Customised for the Customer
If you have heard of the customer journey, you will know that marketing in 2022 is at the most advanced level it's ever been, and keeping up is critical. The idea behind the customer journey is to offer an online experience for each consumer that is unique and personalised to them. It is catered to the needs of the individual and is not simply a blueprint digital marketing strategy or internet marketing scheme.
In doing this, a customised website option becomes a key piece of equipment as part of a business marketing strategy. When you create the right website, you can integrate it into your marketing plan and know that it is going to perform. And why wouldn't you? It is your outward-facing business persona and brand that is on display for the rest of the world, making it crucial that it is something consumers want to see and seek to find. A custom website also allows you to add any features or functionality that you need from the get-go instead of relying on Plugins that will slow down your site.
A Positive Experience
Picture this: you show up on a website that is difficult to navigate, underperforms, doesn't let you search for what you are looking for, and seems to go slower than when you had dial-up. From that initial experience are you going to be keen to continue to stay on the site and purchase products, read their blog, and pay for their services? Likely not. You will exit the site, complain a bit about it to your friends, and then take your business elsewhere. Online, the options and opportunities available to customers to fill their needs and serve their desires is endless and if your site isn't coming out on top, you won't stay at the top.
That scenario we started with is all too familiar with template design websites. Because of the high rate of use of the template, and (potentially) less than perfect backend creation, the site is slow, the options for how to set it up and the services it can include are limited, and what it can do is also limited. This means that if it is not quite the right setup for your business due to its limitations, your customers are going to find it cumbersome and difficult to use, and likely choose not to use it. And that means they won't be turning to your business for the products and services they need.
In the end, not only are you suffering in regard to market growth and development, but this isn't a positive experience for anyone: you didn't hold onto visitors and convert them to customers, and your customers were left feeling underserved and disappointed. In essence, despite your website marketing strategies and minimalistic page design, they didn't have a good experience. This means they probably won't be back, and they certainly won't be jumping up and down to buy something from you or recommend you to somebody else.
Contrast this to a custom-built website, where the story, the trajectory, and the outcome can look very different. On a custom-built website, customers come in and find what they are looking for with ease and professional guidance. Customers fall into line with your effective online marketing because you have leveraged the opportunity for the experience and customization of your website to do so. Suddenly, you find yourself with interested, customers. With continued service of this calibre, they keep coming back, and when they come back to a website that meets their needs, they stay and buy. And just like that, your customized website has made you a sale and brought in a customer instead of turning someone away who will never come back. If it seems too good to be true, think again: because we make it happen all the time.
Customized for your Brand
A website, just like your retail location, advertising material and even customer service should reflect the values and feel of your brand.
Instead of fitting your business into a one size fits all template, a custom website allows you control over every element of the design. This means that you can create a website that perfectly reflects your brand, rather than being limited by someone else's idea of what your website should look like.
It's About the Investment
The trick is that this success and positive outcome only happens to those people who make the investment. It's true: having a custom-built website instead of using a template or doing it yourself, is more expensive. But rather than think of it as expensive, think of it as an investment.
As a business owner, you are asking people to invest in you and your product or service. This only happens though when you are able to build trust with your future customers and show them that you are a reputable, authoritative brand that they want to buy from. And given that the only part of you and your business that they see is your website, you better believe that this is where trust comes from. If you want people to invest in you, you have to show them that you invest in yourself. You must show them that you care about the business, the products, and them as a consumer by crafting a unique website with care and attention to detail. Only then will customers trust you, and only then will they invest in you.
It Stands Out
A huge component of Marketing is being able to differentiate yourself from your competitors, you have a USP, unique offers, and a Secret Sauce! but a generic website? Something's not matching up! Don't get lumped in, since most people explore more than one option when looking for a solution to their problem, do you really want to blend in? A unique website is stickier in the minds of your customers, and it makes it harder to get lost in the herd.
Looking to create a more unique experience for your customers and provide them with the best experience that leads to conversions instead of bounces? Reach Out!
Are you a Franchise or a business with multiple locations? Looking for an alternative to your current CMS? We built a CMS just for you!
OOC CMS gives you complete control of your brand messaging and content across all your business locations. Make it easy to uphold your content standards and launch a peak performance site for a new location in minutes instead of weeks - Start dictating the pace of your growth instead of being subdued by technology that can't keep up.