Website templates have made the lives of so many people so much easier. Setting up a website isn’t a developer’s secret magic trick anymore— anyone can do it, thanks to the birth of templates. Big names in the industry (like Moz) are hailing templates to be the harbingers of the obsoletion of custom web design. With that said, certain characteristics of your traditional website — some functionalities that only coding can offer — are lost to templates.
Here are a few more compelling reasons that make templates a thing to thoroughly consider before you deploy them for your website:
Cookie Cutter Websites
Sure, you may have unique brand colors, identity, and voice, but do you have a corresponding website? Templates are universal, meaning anyone can buy, download, and use them. It shouldn’t come as a surprise if you discover another website looking the same as yours in different clothing. The convenience of using ready templates takes away the singularity of a website; they all look the same.
The Coding Conundrum
If you look online, you will discover a plethora of template libraries with a multitude of free downloadable templates available. They all look and feel good, intuitive; the templates are responsive too. However, you never know who has coded them. The coding may be neat and efficient, but then again, it may be problematic and something that creates trouble with other elements you try to customize for your website. You may encounter glitches or compatibility issues with some plugins or overall functionality.
Limited Creativity
The biggest trouble with templates is the restricted hand when it comes to design. Apart from the freedom coded into the template, there is pretty much nothing you can do about the design. For example, while you can change colors, fonts, sectional elements, widgets, etc., you may not be able to tweak the architecture to suit your brand requirement.
Security Issues
Websites created from scratch carry a solid, robust security protocol, making them reliable and trustworthy for customers. On the other hand, with templates, you never know. Iffy security and infrequent updates translate into a questionable template that you may want to avoid if your website deals with payments or other sensitive information.
Lack of a Support System
Developers creating templates are busy people. They don’t have the time to be available for support should you face any issues with the template. More often than not, the only form of support available is a FAQs page or a conversation thread on their forum or website. If you encounter a bug that is hard to pin down, you’re pretty much on your own.
Businesses and Templates
Templates are, no doubt, a boon for people who know little about coding but need a quick website to publish their work or create a quick online portfolio. For full-fledged businesses, however, more functionality and flexibility are needed. Templates can’t scale— you are going to need a professional developer sooner or later. Why not hire one from the get-go, and save yourself the headache?
Looking for such a developer to get your business up and running? Contact us at StealthEnomics and let’s get you a website you’ll be proud to call yours.