There are so many modular pieces that fit together to create whatever website design you desire, creating a WordPress website is easier than designing a site from scratch. However, you do not have to use all of the pre-made components to create your ideal website. In fact, it’s often ideal to select precisely the correct components to make bespoke that will weave all of your other plugins and design aspects together. This is especially true with your WordPress theme.
There are thousands of WordPress themes available right now, either for free or for a fee. These can be eye-catching, high-quality themes with useful functionality, or they can be small, basic themes for placeholder web pages. Creating your own theme provides you with significantly more control and allows you to shape almost everything about your website. Let’s look at the top 9 reasons why you should commission a custom WordPress theme rather than buying one off the shelf.
- Updates and Customizations
One of the most significant benefits of a custom WordPress theme is that the content management system will be specifically tailored to your material. Most web design firms will ensure that the client may easily add, update, and modify all of the material on their WordPress website.
When it comes to commercial WordPress templates, you are obligated to employ the theme’s pre-built content sections. This not only makes adding additional sections to a website more complex, but it can also have an effect on the page’s design.
Assume you want to rearrange two parts while removing one from your home page. While you may be able to accomplish this using the theme editor, the end result may be unappealing. No one is happy if the website owner can’t make the design work.
- Differentiate Yourself From the Competition
It’s no secret that online competition is fierce, especially for small businesses and local services. If you want to differentiate yourself from the competition, the first thing you need to do is create a website that not only stands out but also effectively communicates your message.
In most circumstances, you will provide the same general services as your competitors, but what distinguishes you? Do you have lower rates, better customer service, or longer hours? A website that is developed with your message in mind will express your competitive advantage to your customers more clearly.
- Avoiding Bugs and Conflicts
The most critical aspect of a small business website is that it is always operational. Even if WordPress is incredibly user-friendly, using a commercial theme always puts you at danger of having too many problems and conflicts.
Commercial WordPress themes will almost always make use of a variety of Javascript libraries and third-party plugins. These plugins and libraries can add various functionalities to a WordPress theme, but they can also slow down a website and cause bugs.
The goal of a commercial theme developer is to offer as many bells and whistles as possible so that there is something for everyone. While this makes sense in theory, it frequently results in a lot of extra code running on your website’s frontend and backend.
- Customization is Simple
Nobody wants to be stuck with cookie-cutter websites, and if you use WordPress, you won’t be. The WordPress theme system refers to the process of easily implementing appealing designs. All you need to do is buy a one-time license for a premium theme, the finest of which comes with thorough documentation and pre-set layouts for a variety of use cases.
Furthermore, WordPress is the hub of a growing freelance developer community. That implies that whenever you need help, you’ll be able to find it quickly. All of the above-mentioned elements will be less expensive if you require assistance personalizing your site, and the process will be quick.
- Page Speed Should Not Be Ignored
The speed with which your website loads is a crucial consideration for any website owner. Not only does having a quick website provide a better overall user experience, but WordPress website performance is also incredibly significant when it comes to website rankings in Google.
Excessive Javascript and the use of large graphics are two of the most significant issues that might contribute to a website’s slowness. Unfortunately, the majority of commercial themes rely on both of these factors.
The average commercial theme will load between 15 and 20 additional third-party Javascript files. Because Javascript cannot load several files at the same time, each of these files must be loaded one at a time.
- WordPress Theme Customization
In comparison, the average custom WordPress theme will include 1 to 5 Javascript files. Our CSS and JS files are also minified and merged using development tools. This reduces the overall file size and saves a significant amount of time when loading the website.
As previously stated, commercial themes rely heavily on large editorial-style photos. While many website owners are unaware of this, photographs can get incredibly huge, often exceeding 20 gigabytes. When saving an image for the web, however, you should always attempt to keep the overall image size around 300kb – 400kb, depending on the dimensions.
- Support Updates & Management
When you purchase a custom WordPress theme you are also purchasing a different level of support. A typical web design firm will provide personal, prompt support, particularly within the first month or two after a website goes online.
When we work with a business to develop a custom WordPress theme, we also include multiple hours of training, warranty support, and ongoing support. We like to make sure that our clients understand how to manage their websites, and if something isn’t working as it should, we correct it right away.
- Element Arrangement Freedom
The theme can limit the user interfaces and the layout of those pieces in the same way that your sitemap can. Even if you locate the perfect theme for your existing design, many themes are more concrete than you believe. If you want to update the UI and rearrange the visual or functional aspects later, you may be unable to do so. With a one-of-a-kind and custom-built theme, you may organize the user interface elements and ensure that they are flexible for future rearrangement if your website design requirements alter.
- Site flawlessly integrates all APIs, features, and website uses
Another disadvantage of using off-the-shelf themes is that they may not be prepared to handle all of the features you want to include. Beautiful but constrained themes frequently lack an interface ready for any plugin and modular extension you want to develop. APIs that link non-WordPress applications into a WordPress site can be considerably more difficult to implement because the theme may lack reference or even plugin data to produce new pages that match the rest of your UI.
Final Words
It can be tempting to use a commercial WordPress theme if you want to get your business online as soon as possible for the least amount of money. In some cases, a commercial theme may be all that your company needs. However, as many website owners will tell you, this is almost always a horrible idea.
If you want to create a long-lasting, visually appealing online presence, investing in a custom WordPress theme is probably your best bet. Consult us today to schedule a free consultation if you’d like to learn more about our WordPress development services or see some of our custom WordPress work.