Whether your small business wants to create a new WordPress website or update an existing one, the first question you are probably wondering is, should I create a custom WordPress or purchase a ready-made WordPress theme?
Unfortunately, the answer is not so straightforward as your company, your objectives, and (to be honest) your money all dictate the best choice for you. So, here is everything business owners need to know about the argument over bespoke WordPress themes vs. prebuilt WordPress themes.
But First, Why Should You Use WordPress?
WordPress continues to dominate the CMS (Content Management System) scene, with a market share of 61% that’s an estimated half a billion website owners. Consequently, this program now controls an astounding 35% of the Internet.
The ease of WordPress as your website’s content management system is one of its most significant benefits! Anybody may manage content with a basic understanding of the admin.
Adding content is as simple as typing into a text editor, and everything comes together to help you rank well on Google. WordPress gives you complete control over the look and feel of your website. It also features a fully flexible theme system, in keeping with the ‘keeping things simple’ attitude.
There are now many fantastic core WordPress site design alternatives to pick from. WordPress provides a handful to get you started, and while they are limited, you might get by with them. After all, a free WordPress theme is a good deal.
But the primary difference between the two is that you’ll have to start from scratch with a bespoke site, but with a WordPress theme, you’ll receive a site that’s virtually ready to go. However, WordPress has been chastised for the similarity of many of its sites.
Obviously, both alternatives have advantages and disadvantages. For some organisations, custom sites are a superior alternative, while WordPress themes are the most convenient option for others. We’ll weigh the pros and cons of both choices in this post and, hopefully, help you decide how to go with your website.
What is a Custom Web Design?
Custom-made websites are constructed from completely nothing, meaning you have all the control to check every box on your list of must-have characteristics since they are fully customised. There is no design, to begin with, so web designers are essentially constructing the design from scratch on a blank canvas, commonly in Adobe Photoshop. Most individuals hire a web design agency to do it for them since creating a bespoke website takes a significant amount of coding skills and creativity.
What are the Pros of a Custom Web Design?
1. Custom websites are one-of-a-kind
There will be no other website in the world that looks like yours (unless someone rips you off). However, uniqueness is a must-have quality for specific businesses; therefore, their only option is to hire a website design agency to create a bespoke site.
2. Incredibly customisable
Websites created just for your business are tailored to your company’s specific aesthetics and functional needs.
3. Search engine optimised
You can optimise a theme-based site as well, but you’ll be able to create your custom website search engine-friendly from the start to take advantage of search engine rankings fully. Any trusted SEO Agency will tell you that SEO is significantly more than just keywords; it’s about constructing a site so that crawlers can correctly scan each of your pages.
4. More scalable
Your bespoke website will need to develop and adapt as your company grows. The process will be easy and fluid if you or your web developer adopts the correct technology to allow for that expansion. However, it shouldn’t demand considerable expenditures in the future.
What are the Cons of a Custom Web Design?
1. The cost is higher
While the labour of a web developer and web designer is relatively expensive, as a result, making the prices of a bespoke website substantially more than those of a low-cost WordPress theme, which you usually only pay for once.
2. Longer process
However, in certain circumstances, it may take months to complete a new site and ensure that everything is in order, which is understandable given the amount of labour involved in starting from scratch.
3. What is a WordPress Theme?
Obviously, not every business or private blogger needs a custom-built website; here’s where a WordPress theme is an excellent choice! A WordPress theme is a collection of files, graphics, style sheets, and code that determines how your blog or website looks. Themes may govern anything from your site’s style to the colours of its hyperlinks. It’s easy to think of a theme as a “skin” for your website, but they’re so much more.
Although a WordPress theme doesn’t even come close to the quality and WOW factor of custom-built sites, you can moderately customise the theme to reflect your brand and meet your goals, resulting in a high-performing, lead-generating website.
What are the Pros of a WordPress Theme?
1. WordPress themes are more cost-effective
You may use free themes, but many premium themes are also reasonably priced. Many add-ons and plugins are also free, so that’s a money-saving bonus.
2. Development time is significantly reduced
For example, if you’re working on a tight deadline, a WordPress theme can help you save weeks or months. All codings are already in place; all you must do now is change the design and add your content, and your site will be ready to go.
3. WordPress themes do not necessitate any unique skills or knowledge
Anyone with a basic understanding of computers may manage a WordPress website based on a theme.
What are the Cons of a WordPress Theme?
1. Themes are less adaptable
Yes, you may alter your WordPress theme to some extent, but only to that amount. Furthermore, because themes are based on certain frameworks and organised systems that only support specific technologies, you won’t be able to integrate a bespoke technological solution or simply an add-on of your choosing.
2. support for web themes is generally limited
When you hire a web design agency, they will handle every part of your site, including troubleshooting, debugging, and addressing any difficulties that arise. Some themes come with fantastic 24/7 assistance, but they aren’t as prevalent, and you’ll have to make up with minimal help in most situations.
3. Most WordPress themes are not SEO-friendly by default
They may have some built-in SEO solutions, but they will require substantial tweaking to be utterly SEO-friendly in their structure.
How Much Does a WordPress Theme Cost?
Prebuilt WordPress themes are a good deal; some are free, while a good premium one can only cost $50. But the problem with prebuilt WordPress themes isn’t that they’re expensive up front (if you buy one).
Most themes have built-in editors for WYSIWYG (what-you-see-is-what-you-get); those editors are covered under licences. Some themes include the licence as part of the purchase price, while most do not. So, if you’re using WPBakery (previously Visual Composer), add $45 to your theme’s price. It isn’t simply editors that are affected.
Depending on the theme’s complexity, many users rely extensively on plugins that require their own licencing. For example, stock imagery, typeface licencing, and other expenses can all be factored in. Before you know it, that free or low-cost WordPress theme has skyrocketed in price. That’s not to mention when it comes to getting the theme to do what you want.
Plus, while WordPress is technically free for those who choose the “Free” plan. But on the other hand, most enterprises will require one of WordPress’s subscription plans. The costs for these WordPress plans range from a few dollars per month to over $1000 per month.
What Does a Custom WordPress Website Cost?
The cost of a custom WordPress website depends on whether your company creates it in-house or employs a freelancer or a web design agency. For example, the cost of designing a WordPress website in-house ranges from $0 to $300, while freelancers charge $500 to $5000 and agencies charge $3000 to $100,000.
WordPress website maintenance adds other necessary fees vary depending on who conducts the work. For example, website maintenance in-house costs $0 to $25 per month, whereas website maintenance by freelancers’ costs $50 to $100 per hour. In addition, an agency’s website maintenance services range from $119 to $449 per month.
The cost of building, designing, and launching a WordPress website ranges from $75 to $115,000, depending on the complexity of the site. Keep in mind that the price of your custom WordPress website may vary depending on your specific requirements.
The following WordPress expenditures should be factored into a company’s budget:
- Subscription to WordPress
- Hosting a website
- WordPress plugins for domain names, website security, and website management
- Storage space for additional files
Should You Purchase or Create Your Own Custom WordPress Theme?
The answer is contingent on what you want your business website to do. Both custom-built websites and WordPress themes, like everything else, have their own set of benefits and drawbacks.
If you don’t mind your online presence seeming a touch generic and money is tight, a prebuilt theme, whether free or purchased, can be a good fit for businesses who want a quick, straightforward, and dependable solution for a start-up website. However, you may still make minor changes to include your brand and colours and then go live with a functional site.
Conversely, if you want to stand out from the crowd and provide your consumers with a memorable brand experience, a bespoke WordPress site is the way to go. Users and companies with more complex demands that want a robust, highly customised site may benefit from a custom-built site if they are prepared to invest the time and money necessary to construct it.
Knowing all the advantages and disadvantages of both solutions, the choice is ultimately yours. You’ll know which approach is preferable if you carefully analyse your business needs and available resources.
If you are ready to launch or update your business website, get in touch with a reputable web design agency to learn more about how bespoke web design services can enhance the potential of your business brand and profits. Discover just how successful your brand can be by setting up a free consultation with an expert agency!