Custom Website Development

Businesses of all different sizes are choosing custom web development over cookie-cutter-type templates. When a company decides to build a platform for customer information or e-commerce, custom builds provide a variety of benefits. Even those with an existing website are upgrading to a tailored version for a better user experience. A few benefits of a custom site are clean and optimized code, new technologies, and updated tools and development. Your custom-built site will not only look its best, but it’ll have the performance to match.

 

What is Custom Website Development?

Custom website development refers to the individualized code written specifically for the site. While drag and drop templates have an existing code, custom builds are created from the ground up. This code can be written to match the needs of the client and the service. The level of modification from site to site can vary depending on the project. While some companies have a few specific elements, others are made up almost entirely of custom elements. This entire website customization is referred to as a ground-up build. It has no predetermined infrastructure to build on. In some cases, this could make your site so unique it’s never been done before. No matter the level of customization, adding custom code creates something new.

 

What are the alternatives to custom web development?

If you don’t want a custom build, there are other options. There are site builders, auto builders, free templates, paid templates, and a slew of different services at your disposal. Many need just an email to sign up. Some popular options include WordPress, Wix, and GoDaddy. While these platforms offer a bit of personalization, you can only do so much.

 

Why Choose Custom Web Development Over Template Sites?

Websites are useful points of contact for potential consumers. They offer a place to store important, frequently asked information. No matter the size of the company, having a website is critical to success. While pre-made templates offer some room for inputting information, images, and maps, their features are limited. Custom builds offer the opportunities to get just about everything you’d want. Whether it’s personalized icons, maps, drop-downs, or any other feature, custom sites make that possible.

 

Unique to your brand and customers

 

A custom website brings with it absolute flexibility in design. And with this flexibility comes many options to deliver a brand to the website visitor. Branding is important in the world of online sales. You want your website to reflect the nature of your brand. If your brand identity is sleek and modern, a clunky old-school site will not do. When branding is on point and delivered properly, customers are more likely to take action. Creating a site that is tailored to the user experience can increase conversions.

 

Leaner, Faster Site: Better Customer Experience

 

Website building platforms offer many pre-made templates and themes. And while this seems great, pre-built sites come with a lot of excesses. In order to make so many features possible, there needs to be a lot of code. But even if you opt-out of using a certain set of elements, the code remains. This extra stored information can slow down your site and make it glitchy and hard to use. Slow websites with long loading times are deterrents for customers. No buyer wants to sit around and wait for a platform to respond, especially if they’re making a purchase.

Custom website development teams take a totally different approach to design and development. When a business works with a custom designer, the specific needs of a business will be addressed before the design process begins. The designer will identify what is possible and how it can be implemented. The code is then written by the website developer to reflect exactly what was requested. By only coding the elements needed, the website stays lean. This helps deliver a powerful platform free of unwanted clutter.

 

Enhanced Security with Custom Work

 

Extra code makes room for extra problems. Because custom websites have only the code needed to reflect their active functions, there is little to no excess. By limiting the amount of code used, you can limit the potential holes for cybercrime. Cybercrimes often happen through hackers breaching data stores and stealing private information. This is particularly problematic when it comes to e-commerce and stored credit card numbers. Fine-tuning the code, hopefully, allows for a site to be better equipped against vulnerability. Custom-built websites are far superior when it comes to security.

 

Optimized for your business model

 

Different business sectors have different business models. Thus, they all need their own websites to match. Specific industries attract different kinds of customers and require elements that reflect that. A custom website development team works with you to understand how to best optimize your website. Whether it’s the content on the site, the CTAs, or the metadata, custom sites are built to encourage the user to do what you want.

 

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

 

Custom builds will not only give you a great-looking site but they will be developed to rank well in Google. How a page ranks on a search engine is important for traffic and conversion purposes. The higher you rank on the search page, the more likely it is that your website will be clicked on. The main process used to achieve this is called Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

Search Engine Optimization is the process of adding elements, both on-page and off-page, to help it rank better. This can include adding commonly used keywords, hyperlinks, and other items that help in the ranking process. Good custom website development teams are knowledgeable about SEO and are up to date on best practices.

 

Conclusion

Every company has different needs when building a website. It could be specifics in design, elements, and/or functions. Whatever it may be, a custom website can deliver. For the best conversions, you want a website that is fast, useful, and nice to look at. Ultimately, the common goal is to create a platform that reaches consumers and incentivizes action. If you’re interested in upgrading your page, consider speaking to an agency that offers custom web design. And if it’s a good fit, get ready for the site of your dreams.

 

You know that awkward moment when you show up to a social event and you’re wearing the same thing as someone else in the room? At that point, you have three options: you either own it and act confident about the fact that you now have a twin, try to be sneaky and avoid that person the rest of the evening, or just flat out leave the party.

Now, luckily things on the Internet don’t get that awkward when you use the same template website as another person, but it definitely doesn’t make you feel special. A custom built website can provide a uniqueness that your business just might need. Below, are five reasons why you should consider a custom website.

Tailored to Your Company

Template websites can be easy to set up, but there are often features that you might want included that aren’t available to you. Custom websites are built to your liking. The design of the website should be created with your competitors in mind. You’ll want to ensure that you’ll be able to compete with them and, ideally, outperform them. Because custom websites are built from the ground up, customer satisfaction and user interface are prioritized.

Additionally, you can create and have a number of unique designs. This process adds time, which can increase cost, but this makes it more of what you want.

Leaner, Faster

Websites aren’t just what you see. Behind every website is a string of complex code in the back end. The custom features that are put onto the website effect and create the face of the website. It’s like an iceberg. We only see about 10% of the iceberg above the surface, but most of the mass is below. Websites are similar. The part that we see is only a fraction of what is actually going on.

A custom website’s back end is typically a lot cleaner than a template. For example, on a template website, there may be 60 different features, but you only want/need to use 10 of them. The remaining 50 features are still there and will slow down your website. Especially if there are a lot of other things going on in the back end. A custom website will only have what you program it to have. If you want those 10 features, then you’ll only have those 10 features, making your website lean and fast.

Depending on the programming and hosting, you could have a fast template website or a slow custom website. Generally speaking, websites built from templates have a lot more “bloat” because they have to cater to many different situations instead of including only what is necessary.

Edits are Easier to Maintain

If you buy a theme, there’s a good chance that theme will be updated. That update could lead to features on your website breaking. Although it may surprise you, a broken website isn’t a functional website.

Maintenance may be easier with a custom theme. If you don’t update the site, the code stays the same and doesn’t break. You don’t have to worry about anyone changing what you have done to your site.

Custom Code

Template websites can be great if your business is just getting started, but if you want any custom features, then a template website might hurt you more than benefit you.

With custom code, each page is created exactly how you want it. If you want to build a unique tool that nobody else has (including your competitors), then it’s easier to do on a custom site.

Mobile First

In 2018, statistics show that 52.2% of all website traffic was attributed to mobile devices. With that amount of traffic, it’s important that your website is mobile-friendly. Additionally, when a website is custom coded, you have the opportunity to customize the way you present your site to different devices.

Although custom coding gives you more control over how the website looks, that isn’t to say that templates are bad. Template websites are cost-effective and can help achieve your business objectives.

This all being said, there are advantages to having a template website. They’re easy to create, so even those with little experience creating websites can do it. With this simplicity comes a lower cost. It’s much more cost-effective to purchase website hosting, purchase a URL, create the website and let it run. That can cost a couple hundred dollars, whereas a custom built website will cost thousands, depending on where your website is being made. Atilus provides a great list of the pros and cons of using custom and template websites.

Businesses that can afford to build a custom site should do it. A custom website creates a uniqueness that other companies won’t have, and the navigation and features can be tailor-made to what works with your business’s brand. When designed and implemented well, it will create a great user experience that leaves potential clients happy with a desire to return. Plus, you can’t forget about the fact that you have a one in about 1.94 billion unique, website.