Should You Choose A Custom-Built Website Or A WordPress Theme?

Many people look forward to creating their own websites or look for opportunities to change it completely. They are often posed with a common question- which site should they choose for their website? Should they opt for a personalized website or select an existing WordPress theme?

Obviously, both options are available to the website owner. A personalized website requires a significant time and energy investment. You will have to build each aspect of the website from scratch. While this is a valid option, it may be difficult for people who have minimal to no idea about Website design. For the greater masses, WordPress themes are highly convenient. Either way, an elaborate discussion regarding the features of each option will provide readers with better insights into the intricacies of both.

What are the features of custom-built websites?

As the name suggests, a custom-built website is generated from scratch, so there are plenty of advantages that you get to enjoy here.

• The greatest advantage is that you can create each aspect of your website exactly as you want it to be
  
• You can include both basic and advanced features as per your specific requirements. There are no templates or molds for you to follow that restrict the degree of customization.
  
• You can optimize your website for search engines by striking up effective collaborations with the top for professional expertise or you can do it yourself. Building a custom website from scratch requires acute technical know-how, so if you’re not sure about how to build the websites yourself, you can always hire a to assist you in the process.

Custom-built websites have certainly got their own appeal, but for novel investors, they can pose certain problems.

• First and foremost, custom websites are quite expensive. There are several metrics associated with a web designer's profession that legitimize their high charges. The primary expenses you incur in making a website are significantly higher than the price of pre-made WordPress templates.
• Also, you must note that custom websites are quite time-consuming to create. It can easily take months to put everything in order, and even then, the room for human error persists.

What are WordPress Themes?

For smaller businesses, bloggers, and creators who do not require a custom-built website to establish their online presence, using WordPress themes is a smarter option. WordPress themes are actually as efficient as custom-built websites, and oftentimes, there are no noticeable differences at all. You can also customize the pre-existing template to suit your needs, thereby creating a high-performance, lead-generating website.

Why are WordPress themes so popular nowadays?

The recent trend of WordPress themes was triggered by the multiple themes that are now available on the platform. Earlier, people shied away from using WordPress themes for fear of similarity. However, since the numbers and types of themes increased manifold, more and more people are finding this option particularly lucrative. Here are some reasons why WordPress themes have scaled the popularity chart:

1. Affordability

WordPress themes are quite inexpensive, and particularly so when you compare them with the cost of creating a website from scratch. Many non-profit companies and start-ups may not have the capital investment required to hire a web design agency. Premium themes on WordPress, on the other handed, are accessible to everyone. Plus, you also get free WordPress themes that are also marvelously designed to look as good as custom-built websites. All in all, WordPress themes are cost-effective and quite easy to maintain, requiring no special maintenance services.

2. Mobile Friendliness

Nowadays, almost everyone accesses the internet primarily through their mobile devices. To reach out to these users, you need to have a website that has a mobile-friendly mode. In terms of custom-built websites, you will have to pay more to get a website that is readily available to mobile users. There are certain templates that have been designed for mobile websites, and employ special coding systems to adjust the resolution of the website according to the screen size. Thereby, you will no longer require two versions of the same website. You need to have a mobile-friendly site if you want your website to show up high in Google’s search ranks, and WordPress themes offer the best option to achieve that. WordPress themes are designed to be highly SEO-friendly, which is the reason why these are in such demand today.

3. Personalization Options

The best thing about these free templates is that despite using free templates, you still have the option of customizing your website. This prevents the site from looking identical to other websites that use the same platform. Most of the themes can be customized, allowing you to mold and shape them according to your liking. If you aren't confident about customizing the template yourself, you can do so by hiring a designer on your behalf- unlike customizing a website, this will not burn a hole in your pocket. WordPress provides plug-ins to change the functional attributes of your website with ease. These simple plug-ins make it possible for you to revamp your website completely. If you want to change certain aspects of the given template to suit the needs of your business, you are welcome to do that by modifying the given code.

4. It is easier to manage content

WordPress themes come with highly sophisticated content management systems that use smart codes to analyze your content and structure it in the form of a website. All this is done without any coding on your part. All you need to do is provide your texts and pictures as required, and let the system work its magic.

5. Better to use

You can access every advantage when choosing a WordPress template. Not only is it affordable, customizable, and better to use, but the WordPress platform is created to aid people in their quest to create remarkable websites. You do not need advanced coding skills to create your website anymore- you can leave the task to the platform. Now, not all WordPress themes can be perfect; some commonly observed drawbacks include things like:

• Unnecessarily stuffed features that hamper the speed of your website
• Poor or improper coding standards behind an amazing design, which lead to compatibility issues with website plugins. A stringent review process helps to eliminate such problems

A Quick Look At The Pros and Cons

While it all depends on precise business requirements, there are some general positives and drawbacks for both custom-built websites and WordPress themes. Let us take a quick look at a comparison below.

Important considerations while creating a website

No matter which option you choose, to make your website truly splendid, here are some vital considerations:

• Make sure your custom-built or WordPress website reflects your brand value. For that, make use of appropriate images, color codes, and other content elements that predominate its look and feel.
• You must keep your business niche and target audience in mind and design the layout accordingly.
• Now, very important! You need a mobile-friendly website at all costs, to thrive in today’s competition. Going for an SEO-friendly website that performs brilliantly even on mobile devices is absolutely non-negotiable.
• Keep updating your website with newer content and keep seeking viewer feedback to make continuous improvements. Every successful website is flexible in accommodating changes and modifying continually.

Conclusion

For the new creator, a WordPress website is far better than a customized one. This is mainly because WordPress is slowly overtaking custom design with its sophistication and ease of use, rendering the latter completely unnecessary. WordPress allows you to pump great content on an automatically mobile-friendly site that more people will be able to access.