Template vs Custom
Custom vs Template Website: What's Best for a UK Small Business?
Templates are cheap and fast. Custom is expensive and slow. The right answer depends on what your website is supposed to do.
Template
Pre-built design, customised with your content.
Best for:
Brand-new businesses, MVPs, sites that just need to exist.
Pricing:
£500-2,500
Pros
- + Cheap (£500-2,500)
- + Live in 1-2 weeks
- + Tested + responsive
- + Easy to update yourself
Cons
- − Looks like 10,000 other sites
- − Limited differentiation
- − Bloated code
- − Hard to scale
Custom
Designed from scratch around your brand and goals.
Best for:
Established brands ready to invest in differentiation and conversion.
Pricing:
£3,000-15,000+
Pros
- + Stands out completely
- + Built around your conversion path
- + Lean, fast code
- + Scales as you grow
Cons
- − £3,000-15,000+
- − 6-12 weeks to build
- − Needs a clear brief
- − Bigger investment
The verdict
Templates are fine until they aren't. The day you outgrow it is the day you wish you'd gone custom from the start.
RIOT's take
Our £249 starter is a custom-look template hybrid — designed by us, built fast, but not the same as 50 other businesses. That's the sweet spot for most first websites.
FAQs
Can you customise a template heavily?
Yes, but past a certain point you've spent custom money for template DNA. Better to build properly.
Will Google rank a template site?
Yes, if it's fast and the content is good. SEO is mostly content + links, not template choice.
How long does a custom website take?
6-12 weeks for a small business site, longer for ecommerce or web apps.
Need help choosing?
We've built on every platform here. 15-minute call, no sales pitch.
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