Bespoke Website vs Template Website: Which Is Right for Your Business?

Before I discuss which one could be better for your business I want to define what I actually mean when I say Template and Bespoke. These descriptions are mostly going to be true across the board but I am specifically referring to the differences between my templates and my bespoke websites here.

What’s the Difference?

A Showit template is a pre-designed website that you purchase and customise yourself using the Showit platform. Think of it as a professionally designed framework: the structure, layout, and strategic foundation are already built. You personalise it by adding your own branding, content, photography, and business information to make it yours.

A bespoke website is a completely custom design created from scratch specifically for your business. Nothing is pre-designed or templated. Every element, from the layout structure to the visual design to the user journey, is strategically designed by me around your specific brand, target audience and business goals.

Now let me walk you through how to decide which investment makes sense for where you are in your business.

01. Time Commitment: What to Expect

Templates require a fair amount of time commitment from you. You’ll need to follow the video tutorials, learn how to use Showit and work through customising each page with your content and branding. How long this takes depends entirely on how quickly you choose to work through it and how much you already understand about website design.

Bespoke projects run for 6-8 weeks from when we start working together. There are a few things I will need from you before I can get started such as your branding, photos and your copy but during this time, I’m managing your strategy, design and build while you provide feedback and approve directions. Your time commitment is significantly lower because I’m doing the heavy lifting.

Who Should Choose a Template?

Templates work well if you’re:

✦  Just starting your business and need a cost-effective way to establish your online presence
✦ Comfortable learning new platforms and following detailed tutorials
✦ Happy to invest your own time into building your website
✦ Working with a limited budget but still want a professionally designed foundation
✦ Willing to have a site that shares design similarities with others using the same template

The biggest advantage of a template is the lower financial investment. The trade-off is your time and the fact that while you’ll customise it with your own branding, the underlying design structure will look similar to others who’ve purchased the same template.

Who Should Choose Bespoke?

Bespoke design is the right choice if you:

✦ Have more complex website needs that require custom functionality
✦ Don’t have the time to build and learn a platform yourself
✦ Want an expert guiding the entire process to ensure everything is done strategically
✦ Need a completely unique design that stands out from competitors
✦ Want SEO optimisation handled professionally from the start
✦ Are building for longevity and want a website that grows with your business
✦ Value having a designer who understands your brand strategy, not just the visual design

The investment is higher, but you’re paying for expertise, strategy, and a truly custom result that’s built specifically for your business goals.

The Investment: What You’re Actually Paying For

Templates:

• Minimum 8 professionally designed pages
• Strategically structured layouts
• Comprehensive video tutorials
• Email support from me
• Access to Showit’s live chat support and design articles
• Your time investment to customise

Bespoke websites:

• Complete brand and website strategy
• Copywriting guidance and support
• Fully custom design tailored to your business
• SEO optimisation built in
• Expert implementation of any complex functionalities
• 6-8 week timeline from project start
• Ongoing support throughout the process

The Deciding Factors of Bespoke Website vs Template Website

Budget: Often the primary consideration and that’s completely valid. If £250 is what your budget allows right now, a template gives you a professional foundation to start with.

Expertise is a significant advantage of bespoke design. When you choose a custom website, you’re not just getting a design, you’re getting me as the expert managing your entire project. I handle the strategy, ensure best practices are followed, troubleshoot technical issues and make decisions based on years of experience. With a template, you’re relying on tutorials and your own research to make those decisions. If having an expert guide the process matters to you, that’s what bespoke provides.

Time: When do you actually need your website live? If you need it quickly and have time to dedicate to learning and customising, a template could work. If you need it done properly within a specific timeframe without the learning curve, bespoke is more reliable.

SEO: While my template tutorials touch on SEO and you can research it yourself, a bespoke website includes professional SEO optimisation from the start. 

Complexity: If you need special functionalities or integrations that are more complex to set up, having a professional handle this ensures it’s done correctly and doesn’t break your site later.

Uniqueness: If your brand absolutely must stand out and look completely different from competitors, bespoke is the only way to guarantee that. Templates, even when customised, will share design similarities with others using the same foundation.

The question to ask yourself is: where is my business right now, what do I actually need my website to do, and what investment makes sense for that reality?

And I’m always here to help – if you’re not sure what you need then book a free enquiry call with me and I’ll guide you towards what’s best for your business. Or take a look at my website to explore all of my services.