Confused Between Selecting Custom Theme or Readymade Theme for Your Business?? Check This Out
Foremost consideration is how your eCommerce store should look like. The first decision you will make is what your theme design should be. Here, the question arises if it’s readymade or a custom theme for your store. Both themes have different functions and outcomes and have their benefits. To help you out in the decision making process, we have outlined the pros and cons of both a ready-made theme and a custom theme to let you choose what suits best for your eCommerce store.
The first and very important thing you are interested in is the appearance of your page and its functionality. One of the first decisions you have to make is choosing a ready made WordPress theme or a fully customized website completely designed from scratch, specifically for your needs. Each of these options have their pros and cons — we will consider them below.
Readymade Theme
If you look at various online resources, you may find tons of website templates available online that can be customized according to your requirements and used quickly. Such readymade templates were designed by other designers who have already built them and uploaded them online to be downloaded by any user. Whoever wants to buy the template can download, modify and use it. Generally, readymade templates are used by several users already, and if you want to buy and customize, be ready to pay big bucks — it’s better to have your own customized template in that case.
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Pros of Readymade Themes
Affordable — Using a readymade website design renders the major benefit of saving the cost of hiring a developer to design it for you. You may start anytime with a readymade template, only paying for integrating the website. It’s a cost-effective way to step into the eCommerce world, mainly for small companies who have just started their business.
Support — As these website themes are designed by developers around the world, there is always support and troubleshooting guides provided by them. Even if you want to learn how to customize it, you’ll be able to find relevant information from its existing base code, plus reading material, forums, FAQs, blogs and other helpful information online.
User-Friendly — Whether you have a single or multiple product store, these website themes are designed to fit business requirements, making your website cater to business needs.
Add-ons — Even if a website theme lacks a few functionalities, it’s not a major problem as it’s usually paired with an add-on marketplace where you can find relevant services that perform the specific function you need. The biggest advantage of ready-made WordPress themes is the future — the best of them come with regular updates, good support and a large active community that can help with settings, problem solving and so on.
Cons of Readymade Themes
Limitations — The biggest disappointment you may experience is the lack of customization beyond a certain point. Designing these themes according to your business requirements can mean adding extra cost, and it possesses limitations to expand further if your eCommerce store is growing.
Brand Fit — Another drawback is its incapability to represent your brand online, since these themes embed general functionalities and have likely already been used by other businesses — possessing a high risk of your website looking the same as others.
Responsive — Devices in addition to desktop are in high demand, and lacking responsiveness leads to poor rankings. Google prefers responsive websites, so finding a genuinely responsive theme requires research.
In general, the disadvantages of choosing a ready-made theme depend on who you are buying it from — is the code clean? Did the developers follow WordPress’s recommendations when developing? The only disadvantage that will always persist, no matter what ready-made theme you choose, is a limited possibility of customization; in most cases, you’ll have to stay within the bounds set by the theme’s author and configure only simple things like color, fonts and images.
Customized Theme
When you decide to go for a website design without using any existing template or framework, the design is done from scratch — commonly starting with a sketch on paper or a wireframe tool to outline how your website should look, placing elements like navigation panels or blocks in their desired locations. On finalizing, designers convert this design to HTML to create your website template, giving a clear idea of how to place elements as shown in the original sketch.
Libra Web Solutions service include: Website Developers, Hire Website Developers, Hire Website Designer, Website Design, Website Designer.
Pros of Customized Themes
Functionality — Identifying and understanding business needs interprets the right way to design your website, restricting inexpensive modifications and tremendous changes before finalizing the end-product. Custom made designs fulfill customer needs by deploying designs that understand your unique business needs, giving you the freedom to make it as powerful as you want.
Unique — Recognizing your brand among competitors is better achieved with a unique website design. Custom made design reflects your identity and differentiates it from the rest, gaining potential customer attention and showing how serious you are about your products and services.
SEO Friendly — A custom designed website is SEO friendly, helping ensure top rankings and increased chances of ranking ahead of competitors, exposing you to more traffic and resulting in increased ROI.
Control — Utilizing a custom theme gives you complete control of your website — how it looks, how your brand is showcased to customers, and how to improve and make the site impressive for users.
The first bonus of a custom website is the exclusive design — considering millions of blogs and websites on WordPress, any ready-made theme is doomed to be used not by one, but by many. A custom website gives you the opportunity to immediately stand out from the crowd. The second big advantage is its functions — there are lots of plugins on WordPress, but it may be difficult to find exactly what you need, whereas with a custom website, developers can add all the needed functions and elements to help you succeed in your sphere.
Cons of Customized Themes
Maintenance — A custom designed website means being ready to add extra cost to its maintenance, whether you have an in-house developer or want to hire a professional. The cost may range depending on the complexity, size and type of the website.
Expensive — A custom designed website requires developing according to business demands, which will be expensive if you don’t know how to code it or don’t have in-house developers. Only a professionally skilled developer will be able to manage it the right way.
Obviously, the biggest disadvantage of developing your own website is its price — it can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars, depending on your budget. On the other hand, it is important to invest in your online representation, since all that’s spent to make your site attractive and effective is a good investment. We’ve listed the pros and cons of both readymade and customized themes to help you take the right decision for your business — as “one size does not fit all,” consider all requirements including budget and urgency before deciding. And what do you prefer — custom design or ready-made themes?
Libra Web Solutions – Digital Transformation Company Mumbai India, with 100+ customers from 15+ countries, delivered 200+ projects. Please get in touch with us at info@librawebsolutions.com for Web development, Web Design Company, Agency, Responsive websites design & development, UI/UX, Website redesign, Website Maintenance.
Sharmila specializes in business development, lead generation, and customer service. She has an interest in bringing traditional businesses online, and currently handles business development and customer support at Libra Web Solutions.