What a template based website actually is
A template is a pre-built design that many businesses use, customised with your own logo, colours, and content. It's a fast, cost effective way to get a professional looking website live quickly.
The trade-off: the same template is available to anyone, including potentially a direct competitor in your area. A visitor who has seen the same layout on another business's site before may notice, even subconsciously, that your site isn't unique to you.
What a bespoke design actually is
A bespoke design is built from scratch specifically for your business, its brand, its customers, and what it needs the website to achieve, rather than adapted from an existing layout.
The trade-off: it typically costs more and takes somewhat longer to build than starting from a template, since more design and development work goes into it from the ground up.
When a template genuinely makes sense
- You need a website live quickly and cost is a significant factor
- Your business doesn't rely heavily on visual distinctiveness to win customers
- You're testing whether a website is worthwhile for your business before investing more
When bespoke design is worth the extra cost
- Your business competes in a market where looking professional and distinct genuinely matters to winning trust
- You want the website to reflect specific brand elements that a template can't accommodate well
- You're building for the long term and want a site that won't feel dated or generic as your business grows
A middle ground worth knowing about
Not every choice is a strict either or. Some web designers, including Red Cherry IT, build fixed price websites using a structured but genuinely tailored approach, giving much of the cost efficiency of a templated process while still producing a result that looks and feels specific to your business, rather than an off the shelf template with your logo swapped in.
FAQs
Can I tell if a website is template based just by looking at it?
Sometimes, particularly if you've seen the same layout used by other businesses. A well customised template can be harder to spot, but very generic looking sites are often a sign of minimal customisation.
Is bespoke design always significantly more expensive?
It depends on the agency and approach. The gap between a well built fixed price site and a fully bespoke one is often smaller than assumed, particularly compared to a fully custom design agency charging by the hour.
Does template versus bespoke affect my website's search engine rankings?
Not directly. What matters for rankings is site speed, content quality, and technical setup, all of which can be done well or poorly on either a template or bespoke site.