Custom Digital Design vs Templates: Which Offers Better ROI?

Both website templates and custom digital design have their pros and cons. However, one question matters most to any business: which gives a better return on investment (ROI)?

This article aims to answer this question by describing how each aligns with the major factors influencing returns. These are:

• Asset allocation.
• Time horizon.
• Market conditions.

Get ready to discuss these points below. Let’s go!

To learn how Digital Authority Partners can create a standout website for you, watch this video!

1. Asset Allocation

Even Fortune 500 companies have finite resources. However, the biggest differences between you and them are the availability and quantity of these assets. In 2023, the top 10 businesses will have posted over $3 trillion in annual revenues.

If you are a small or medium-sized enterprise, you have to manage assets more efficiently than your bigger counterparts. Walmart or Amazon could lose millions, but they also can afford it.

This is where premade templates become important. The frameworks and visual and interactive elements are already available when you purchase them. You only have to customize them to match your preferences.

Further, many of these tools incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) systems, which help in:

• Generating and analyzing content for smart layouts.
• Tagging images.
• Enabling dynamic personalization of templates.
• Assisting in developing content, such as WordPress.
• Making the pages responsive according to the screen size, device, and even browser.
• Automatically testing and optimizing design elements.

You will likely use fewer resources with templates, from labor to budget. However, custom digital design also has important pluses.

One of its biggest impacts is the concept of increasing returns to scale. This principle implies that as you scale your production, efficiency improves. Because you are more productive, the cost per unit declines, increasing investment returns.

How does this relate to bespoke web design? The answer lies in control. When you can be more creative, achieving scalability is easier. Limited features or coding requirements won't slow you down.

Using graphic design to build a brand identity that differentiates you from your competitors is also more convenient. This one alone gives you pricing power, the ability to retain customers, and the ability to attract qualified leads.

2. Time Horizon

Some studies suggest that building a website from scratch takes 30 to 120 days. It may take longer if you want to be the next colossal online retailer like Amazon.

However, this data barely touches the surface. If you plan to have an in-house team, recruitment can take 11 weeks. The latest surveys also point out the challenges of acquiring quality employees.

The time horizon refers to your future goals. What do you envision for your website in the next 12 months? How about in three, five, or ten years?

In digital marketing, the sooner you get your site up and running, the better. Otherwise, you keep delivering the traffic that could have been yours to your competitors.

That is why several businesses use ready-made templates, especially in the beginning months. However, later on, templates come with challenges. These include:

• Site updates and maintenance.
• Increased time to complete tasks.
• Technical errors, such as broken links, occur when you migrate content.
• Poor integration.

As long as you consider these factors when hiring the best web developer, you can still work with an efficient team. They can launch your pages within your ideal timeline.

If not, they can use their expertise to offer realistic expectations. They can also recommend techniques to speed up the development without compromising aesthetics or usability.

3. Market Conditions

Consumers change. These shifts can be gradual or sudden. A great example of a slow transition is aging. As people grow older, they might require more extensive healthcare services. If they buy life insurance, their focus might be more on asset protection than income substitution.

The changes can also be massive. For example, the COVID-19 pandemic forced thousands of businesses to undergo a digital transformation. As their target markets were at home because of lockdowns or remote jobs, businesses had to make adjustments to reach and keep them.

Either way, your website has to be capable of adapting to these shifts, regardless of whether they are permanent or temporary. Otherwise, your business may become the next Blockbuster or MySpace.

Customizing your pages has an edge over templates. For one, you get to choose among different types of graphic designs. At least one fits your industry's needs and market preferences. Additionally, with bespoke sites, you can:

• Update it faster. You are able to remove, modify, or add more pages to reflect changes in your products, goals, or messaging.
• Provide a consistent, satisfying customer experience. Designing your website to match your market’s behavior keeps your leads and customers happy. This makes conversions easier.
• Decrease bounce and abandonment rates. This happens when you develop sites that reduce or avoid common barriers to conversion.
• Be more innovative. Introduce features such as third-party integrations to enhance the user experience and make your system more efficient.

These points do not mean that you should not consider templates. Even if they have limited features, your choices have increased over the years.

Further, there is a concept called decreasing returns to scale. Your website requirements might become more complex as you scale and adapt to market changes. This increases your production costs.

Failing to work with the right team might result in you creating a less understandable website. This can drive away leads and customers, reducing your return on investment.

Summing Up

When discussing custom digital design versus templates, ask which is better for your bottom line. The answer depends on many factors.

As pointed out in the discussion above, if you want to quickly and conveniently create an inexpensive website, templates are your better choice. However, if differentiating your brand early in your digital marketing plan is key for your business, bespoke website designs have many advantages. They help you stand out, deliver sales-ready leads, and quickly adapt to changing times.

Digital Authority Partners (DAP) is a top-tier e-commerce firm with experts who are ready to help you decide between templates and custom digital designs. Contact us today to discuss your project requirements.