When you’re ready to launch a website, one of the first decisions you’ll need to make is whether to go with a pre-designed template or to build a completely custom design from scratch. Both options come with their own pros and cons, so it’s important to understand what each choice entails and how it impacts your website’s look, functionality, and budget.
At Barefoot Build, we specialize in creating fully customized websites that reflect your unique brand identity, but we also understand that the design process can feel daunting. Here’s a breakdown of the two options and how we approach website design for our clients.
What’s the Difference Between Templates and Custom Designs?
Templates:
A template is a pre-designed website layout that you can customize to some degree. Many website platforms, like WordPress, Wix, and Shopify, offer a wide variety of templates designed for different industries and business types.
Templates are fast and affordable since they come with a ready-made structure. However, the customization options may be limited in terms of layout, content arrangement, and features.
Using a template can be a great way to launch a simple site quickly, but you may run into limitations if you need more advanced features or a unique look.
Custom Designs:
A custom design involves creating a website from scratch, built specifically for your business. This approach gives you complete control over the design, layout, functionality, and user experience.
Custom designs are tailored to your exact needs and brand identity, but they typically take longer to create and may come at a higher cost due to the additional time and expertise required.
A fully custom-built site will be unique to your business and can incorporate advanced features, custom functionalities, and a design that sets you apart from competitors.
Which Option is Right for You?
The choice between a template and a custom design largely depends on your business’s needs, timeline, and budget. Here’s a quick rundown of when to consider each:
Choose a template if:
You’re on a tight budget and need a website up and running quickly.
Your business has basic website needs (like a simple portfolio or informational site).
You don’t need highly customized functionality or design elements.
Choose a custom design if:
You want a website that fully reflects your brand and stands out from the crowd.
You have specific functionality or features in mind (like a custom booking system or e-commerce platform).
Your business needs a scalable, long-term solution that can grow with you.
Barefoot Build’s Approach: Templates + Customization
At Barefoot Build, we understand that finding the right balance between templates and custom designs can be tricky. That’s why we use template/build kits as a starting point for our web design process. But don’t worry—we don’t rely on templates for the final look of your site.
Here’s how we use templates to help us create a fully customized website for you:
Initial Design Structure: We use templates to get an idea of the basic layout, structure, and navigation flow. This helps us understand the type of design and features you like and gives us a good foundation to build on.
Custom Branding: All of our websites are fully customized with your fonts, colors, and brand identity. From the very start, we ensure your brand’s personality shines through in every aspect of the design.
Time-Saving: Using a template/build kit helps us save time by giving us a framework to work with. This means we can focus more on fine-tuning the details and customizing the design, rather than starting from scratch.
Vision Alignment: By using a template as a guide, we ensure that the direction of the design matches your vision for the site. It’s a helpful tool for getting the basic “skeleton” of the site right before diving into the detailed customizations.
In short, we use templates as a way to speed up the process and ensure we’re on the same page when it comes to the overall look and feel of your website. From there, we build out a completely custom design that aligns with your business goals, audience, and branding.
Ready to Get Started?
At Barefoot Build, our goal is to create a website that not only looks great but also performs well and represents your business’s values. Whether you choose a template-based approach or a fully custom design, we’re here to help guide you through the process and make sure your website matches your vision.
If you’re ready to start building your website, or if you have any questions about the process, feel free to reach out to us—we’d love to chat!
