Custom Versus Theme Based Web Design Services
Your customers’ first impression of your business comes from your website, which can determine whether they follow through to conversion. If your website design doesn’t catch their attention, they will leave. In today’s marketplace, your website must communicate your best offers and information to stay ahead of the competition.
Lead generation fuels your growth, and your website should generate those leads consistently. Several considerations influence your decision to redesign your website. These key factors help you decide whether you need a redesign:
- Business growth has become stagnant
- Pages load too slowly
- You have low and underperforming conversions
- Website navigation has become confusing
- Your website no longer reflects your brand accurately.
Suppose you haven’t redesigned your website in a while. In that case, you may want to read our post, 5 Signs It’s Time for A Website Redesign. If your website needs a redesign, you must decide whether to have a completely custom website designed or a customizable website based on a theme.
In the past, developers built most sites, and these customized website designs took several months to complete. Creating a custom site is an expensive and work-intensive process. Recently, however, customizable theme-based websites have become more popular.
Themes use modules and templates to create your foundation by starting with a Content Management System (CMS) and layering a customizable design over the CMS to give you the website design you need. For example, the HubSpot CMS Hub offers several customizable themes to provide you with precisely what you need.
You will determine the type of website you need based on several factors.
- Complexity of site
- Availability of developers
- Timeframe for launch
- Budget
Form and function are equally important in redesigning your website. Therefore, website design and visual elements are crucial to attracting your customers to your site and guiding them quickly from arrival to conversion.
Custom Web Design
You may want to consider a custom build if you have a particularly complex site. However, once the developers complete your website, you must still update your site regularly. Unless you have a web developer on staff, you may need to outsource even the slightest change or learn to code.
Your website should draw your customers in and help them navigate your site. The drawback with these custom-built sites is that they require months of planning and preparation. In addition, you will often need developers to implement even minor changes making an already expensive option more costly.
Once your website is up and running, you not only need to make changes and updates, but you also need to monitor traffic, leads, and conversions. Because of this, more businesses are moving to theme-based websites rather than completely custom-built sites. Themes allow your site to evolve consistently.
Theme-based Website Design
Themes consist of bundles of modules, templates, and style settings you can customize to create consistent, scalable pages to help you grow. One of the myths about themes paints them as limited, small, and inflexible. In the past, this was true. However, unlike past “theme packages” that allowed little customization, today’s themes are fully customizable and provide the power for website acceleration.
Current themes enable businesses to get the customization they need, built on a solid foundation, more quickly and at a much more affordable price. They also allow you to update the site without the help of web developers.
Theme-based Websites:
- Customizable
- Consistent throughout all pages of your website
- Fast
- Scalable
- Growth Driven
- Reusable elements
Themes also have reusable components you can move around or add to your site without building new features. If you have in-house developers, themes make it easier for them to create consistent branding across your website. They can make changes to color and fonts, and the theme will apply to every page of your website.
Your sales team will also appreciate a theme-designed website that allows them to update offers and track leads. Themes ensure your ability to adhere to brand guidelines across all channels without requiring complicated updates. You can easily apply your changes, and the theme ensures consistency throughout your website and helps increase conversions.
If you decide to use a theme, you must choose whether to use a pre-built theme or create one yourself. If you have the support of a developer, you may want to consider building a custom theme, but you may prefer to customize a pre-built website design theme instead. A customized theme can give you a solid foundation for growth adapted to your company’s needs.
Build a Website that Increases Traffic
Once you decide which process you prefer, examine how your website currently functions and how it could work better. Understanding the functionality of your site will give you insight into what you need to keep your business geared for growth.
Check out our blog to know what you need to keep your business geared for growth Start Here Before Your B2B Website Redesign.
Does your site currently allow you to track leads and conversions? Do you have a chat available for your customers to contact you directly through the website? The easier your customers can reach out to you, the better your chance of closing the sale.
Do your CTAs convert effectively? Your CTAs make the difference between successful sales and lost customers. Do you give your customers value-added content in addition to sales pitches and product descriptions?
For example, do you offer your customers additional educational content such as White Papers, e-books, and blogs.? Does your current website design include forms? Forms gather information from your customers to help you close sales.
Successful websites have at least one form to get information. Your sales team can use that information to follow up with customers and finalize deals.
Examine the processes you use to capture leads and increase customer value. Using the right technology to smooth your operations can help you grow your revenue. Whether you choose a custom design or a customized theme, you want your website to be functional, easy to navigate and generate consistent leads that drive conversions.
Achieve Success with an Inbound-ready Website Built to Drive Your Growth
At TANK New Media, we can design the exact website you need, whether you choose a custom site or a theme-based site. As a HubSpot CMS Developer, TANK can help you create a website to your specifications that will enable you to use drag-and-drop functionality to add or move modules.to create a website that works for your business.
Call us for a web design audit when you’re ready to boost your web presence and level up your site. We take your web design and marketing personally and get to know your brand, needs, and budget. This allows us to create the website and marketing programs you need to drive your growth and move your business forward.
