You visit a website and think, “This looks like every other site I’ve seen.” Or maybe you think, “Wow, this feels different.” But how do you tell if that difference is intentional? Is it a truly custom design or just a polished template?
In today’s Design to Dollars, I’ll break down the key differences between template-based websites and a custom design — and why it matters for your business.
What is a template?
A template is a pre-built design — think of it as a one-size-fits-all website layout. You choose a template, swap in your images and text, and maybe adjust a few colors. These are popular in DIY site builders and with off-the-shelf WordPress themes you can plug-and-play.
Templates come with trade-offs:
- Limited flexibility for uniqueness
- Generic design that may not suit your brand
- Potential performance and scalability issues
What’s custom design?
A custom design starts from scratch — tailored to your brand’s look, feel, and functionality. Every element, from the layout to interactions to visual identity, is intentional for your website’s goals.
Custom design is beneficial for these reasons:
- Unique layouts and components
- Well thought out user experience for your visitors
- Built to scale, integrate, and adapt as your business grows
How to spot a templated vs custom designed website
Now, there isn’t a 100% fool-proof method for spotting the difference. There are times where a template can become so manipulated that it’s unrecognizable, but it’s definitely uncommon.
Here’s some ways you can spot the difference:
- Visual cues: With a template, you’ll often see similar layouts and stock images. It usually is lacking an identity, and feels basic. A custom design, however, showcases distinctive elements that are on-brand and unique.
- User Experience: A template will often disregard user experience, and just focus on looking “good” — whereas, a custom design balances both great design and a seamless user experience that feels natural.
- Layout Inconsistencies: When you use a template, it’s almost a guarantee your actual copy won’t fit the provided layout. So with a templated website, you’ll often see very inconsistent layouts where copy is light, imagery is heavy, and everything feels unbalanced. A custom design will have a layout that caters to the copy, so everything is balanced and works in harmony.
Why this all matters
At the end of the day, your website is your single most valuable business asset. It lives online 24/7, helping you attract new customers every day. So, how do you want your digital presence to represent you?
A custom design sets you apart — you’re able to communicate your brand’s personality, focus on your specific audience and engagement, and continue to adapt it to your needs.
A template is a quick and cost-effective way to get online, but they often result in slower performance, limitations in customization and scalability, and make it incredibly difficult to standout from your competitors.
So next time you’re browsing a site, see if you can tell if you think it’s a template or custom design.
But more importantly, take a look at your own website — does it uniquely reflect your brand, or is it blending in with the crowd?
If you’re interested in moving beyond a template into a custom design, I’d love to have a chat.
Until next time,
