Isn’t a custom WordPress theme the best way to create a website? Won’t it be good to build your dream website from scratch? And have control to maintain and modify it?
Well, that’s incorrect on many counts. As the world is getting better in the digital space, it’s a common notion that creating a website, app, or everything else is better to save money and give it a personal touch.
But it’s not always a good idea, especially when building your first website. Why? Because it’s a hassle. A custom WordPress site may allow you to bring your dream website to life. But the hurdles are limitless too.
Wondering why a custom WordPress theme is a bad idea for your website? This article outlines the top five reasons why hiring a web designer is not the best decision, after all.
Let’s delve into it!
#1 It Costs a A LOT
There is no denying that custom WordPress themes demand a hefty upfront investment. Some may cost more than the premium WordPress theme. However, what most people forget is that it stands true that a theme needs to include a variety of other items. And it requires all of them to be created from the ground up.
Also, you will be paying for development time to test and try what works and what doesn’t. After all, you are turning a vision into a reality. And at times, some designs you think look great on paper aren’t practical.
You can hire a designer and developer to do everything efficiently. And hiring skilled professionals always costs a lot. So, developing a website might become too expensive if you’re looking for a fully customized WordPress theme with decent functionalities and features.
A template design can quickly reduce the development cost, particularly if you’re a small business owner or a startup.
#2 Maintenance is an Uphill Battle
Even if you’re ready to compromise on the initial cost to build a custom website, it again incurs more costs for updates. Any website needs regular maintenance to keep it up and to run. If you ignore the maintenance, you’re making your website susceptible to bugs, errors and security vulnerabilities.
Moreover, compatibility issues may crop up now and then. If your website isn’t compatible with the latest versions of PHP, it may cause much trouble. And all these updates need the active participation of the developer to tweak the website code, which costs even more.
#3 Takes Time to Implement
Another reason you may want to steer clear of the custom WordPress theme is the time. You can expect a long wait for your web developer to code and implement all those templates and features for your website. And even before that, the design process involves many steps and rehashing before it’s ready for coding.
Even if you have a clear picture of what you want and how your website should look, it may take a couple of weeks to implement. And if not, it may take months of deliberation and time to get the initial pieces in place.
The more time it takes to design and develop the website, the more you pay for it. It all depends on how long you’re willing to wait and pay for the final results.
#4 Steep Learning Curve
Starting to work on a website from scratch is a lot of work. And for obvious reasons, it takes more time and effort to develop a website than to use and modify an existing one. No matter how skilled the developers are, the work required for your website will be extensive.
And you may end up wasting a lot of time and money on learning and retrying several features and customizations. On the contrary, prebuilt paid themes are easy to implement. It may require adding a few lines of coding for better customization, but takes a lot less time and effort.
Premium WordPress themes are more efficient and save you time and money.
#5 The Risk is Real
With the evolution of technologies, new security risks are prevalent more than ever. Websites face security breaches every day. From malware to bugs to viruses, websites must be able to prevent these risks on both the front end and back end.
To avoid all these from hampering your website, you need constant updates for site security. While commercial themes already include the support you need to keep your website safe from vulnerabilities. In fact, the price you pay for a licensed theme is mainly for updates and support. As the security issue gets identified, the developers update the code to fix it as soon as possible. However, when it comes to a custom-developed website, you may require hiring a developer each time there is a security risk.
Unless you’re ready to pay a hefty to the developer, your website may not work as you desire. Hence, many companies employ web developers to check and update the website as the risk arises regularly.
Getting a Custom WordPress Website? Think again!
Let’s face it! Not all websites get designed equally. And if you have requirements that only a custom website can fulfill, go for them (without hesitation). That said, most of the time, custom websites are unnecessary.
The custom theme comes with a high upfront cost. And not to forget, it also incurs hidden costs, as mentioned above. You may get all your requirements filled without taking extra pain and spending money. So, determine your business needs and check whether the custom website is essential.
Otherwise, finding a suitable prebuilt WordPress theme is pretty simple. You only need to scour the internet and research a bit to pick your best WordPress theme.
