Looking to increase your bottom line?

Your website needs to take centre stage! The beating heart of your online existence needs to be a cut above the millions of other websites roaming the internet.

When it comes to the crunch, you have the option of building upon an existing website theme or creating a unique custom coded website.

A themed website is an already built and coded website layout which can then be customised, based on the limitations of the theme. For example, WordPress offers thousands of different themes to choose from, with a range of industry categories, making it an ‘easier’ choice. Developers simply need to insert images and content into a theme and the website can be up and running in no time.

Pros of Themed Websites

Cut Costs

Aside from the free themes, which are usually only light versions of the paid themes, themes can vary from a few euros to a hundred euros, making it a cost-effective choice for small businesses and individuals wanting to get out in the world.

Less Time Waiting

Opting for an existing template allows you to skip the time-consuming phases of design and front-end coding, making it a much quicker option for getting setup.

Easy Peasy

The use of a themed website, generally, means that it has been developed in a way that is easy to use, so can be set up with limited programming knowledge. If further functionalities are needed, then third party plugins can be used to do the job. Although simple, if you are looking for a more professional look, you will need to hire an agency or developer to get your website on point.

Cons of Themed Websites

Not Unique

Nothing is stopping your competitors from having the exact same template as you. If they are searching in the same industry as you, chances are another company will definitely have the same website. Not cool by any means.

Limitations

Even the most beautiful website templates come tasked with difficult to manage and update. When working with a template you may come across complications with layout, photos and text, page insertion and lots more. Modifying an existing template can become complicated and frustrating and you may end up having to pay a developer to fix it anyway.

Code, lots of code + Plugins

Most theme options do allow for extensive modifications to suit a variety of different styles and page designs. The more the better as it essentially allows each user to choose a unique layout per page from many different templates or page styles. The problem with this is that every small thing that you are given the chance to change as you see fit, requires lots of coding. This means even if you choose 2 out of 100 possible layouts, your site is essentially packed with the code of the remaining 98 templates and possible layouts.

Additionally, to achieve this, most themes come with required plugin installs often over 10 which you may not even need. This means more to update and more possibilities of things going wrong or incompatibilities later on.

Hidden Costs

So all good; you’ve purchased a template for just $50. But what happens when you need to purchase third party features which cost money? Where do you go when it needs an update? The support isn’t sufficient when it comes to templates.

Cheap can turn expensive pretty quickly when you are not sticking to the exact limitations of the theme.

Now onto coded websites. If you want a tailored, unique website, then the coding is the way to go. Custom coded websites allow you to create, from scratch, a fully responsive, one-of-a-kind website, adapted to your businesses specific needs and goals.

Pros of Coded Websites

Purely Unique

Opting for a coded website allows you to run wild. Customise your layout, design and functionalities to suit your specific needs. Your website will be able to reflect your brand perfectly without having to sacrifice any functionalities. This way you can stand out from the crowd and really have that competitive edge over your competitors.

Be Found

Coded websites perform much better for SEO than existing themed ones. The long-term advantages on this are unbeatable, and your business will appear on Google, in turn bringing business your way! They are faster, lighter and built exactly for what you need from it.

Light, coded for exactly what is needed.

Custom coded websites are unique to you. They are coded exactly for what you need and for your purposes.

Full Support

When investing in a custom-coded website, your developer will be there to support anything that needs updating or issues that need fixing. In addition, as your business grows, as will your website, so it is important to have the necessary on-going support.

Cons of a Custom Coded Website – just a mere 2

Costs a Pretty Penny

Although not extortionate, a custom website will cost more than a themed one. Your developer will be building the website according to your specifications, and inevitably will be pricier than a bog-standard template – but damn it may be worth it in the end.

Waiting around

Time is a big factor that hinders businesses from opting for a custom coded website. Unlike a template, custom sites need to be intricately set up, with every feature being custom coded to your needs. Therefore it will be taking a little longer to get your website out to the masses.

Whatever your choice, it is vital that you build upon a user-friendly website that will aid in reaching your business goals. An agency is a way to go if you really want to create a website that will turn heads.