Template or custom website? How to choose without regrets
Template website builders are a good fit for some businesses. For others, they cost more than they seem.
Some services let you build a site yourself by dragging blocks onto a template, for a monthly subscription. Others build a custom site where someone designs and writes it for you. Both can work.
A template makes sense if…
- You have time and enjoy doing it yourself.
- You already have good text and good photos.
- Your business needs few pages and few changes.
A custom site makes sense if…
- You don’t have time to write, choose photos and adjust the design.
- You want your site to look different from your competitors’.
- You care about it loading fast and working well on phones.
- You want someone to make changes for you.
What almost nobody mentions
A template doesn’t write for you. What makes a site convincing is clear text, real photos and complete information. That takes hours with either option. Before you choose, also check whether you can take your site and domain with you if you ever switch providers.
Put a price on your time: if building it yourself takes two weekends, what is that time worth to your business?