Bespoke, which means “Made to Order”, is a term used by website professionals and one that may or may not be as familiar to businesses. The important questions to answer are what is bespoke web design? Why is it important? And how would it help you and your business?
Inder Nagra, who runs a Surrey web design business (Surrey, British Columbia), tells us that “Bespoke web design is not as complicated as it sounds. Basically, it refers to the designing and building of websites that are custom made to meet the precise requirements of your business. In other words, you can have a custom site built with unique functions that meet your business needs.”
I will go into more detail on some of the benefits of using bespoke web design. This should also give you a better understanding of what it is and how it works.
The ability to design a website that fits your needs
Designers and developers will custom make a site based on your specific requirements. You can put together a brief outlining exactly what you want and professionals can work with you to achieve it. Creating a bespoke site also usually means that you will have someone on hand to help you with any technical problems you might have along the way.
Professionals and businesses that design bespoke websites usually offer this as an ongoing service and not a ‘once off deal’. They will ensure that your website is compatible with all platforms; such as desktops, laptops, and mobiles. They will also check that it works in all different types of browsers.
It’s as easy to use as a template site
A bespoke site is no more complicated to use than a template website. It’s also developed in a way that will allow your website to grow with your business. You can adapt your website to your changing business needs over time. As many of you are aware, plugins are developed for template sites. The problem is that third parties develop these and they are not guaranteed to work together with other plugins that you may need. This often results in problems such as an unresponsive or unreliable site, bugs and could even make your site insecure. Bespoke sites are designed to adapt to changes so it’s hassle-free to integrate your systems along the way.
There are no limitations in bespoke website design
When it comes to bespoke web design, all aspects of the website could be adapted by your web designer to suit your needs. This is because the designer is the person who has actually developed the system. The developer is the creator of the coding used for the website. This means that they have the ability to create or change anything on the site.
On the contrary, template sites are very limited in their functions. Aspects such as theme, color scheme, and layout can be adjusted but you don’t have the freedom to make advanced changes. This is because you are not dealing directly with the designer who has developed the system but using a site created with a ‘one size fits all’ purpose. It’s almost impossible to create anything new that is not part of the original coding that the template has been developed with. Andrew Baxter goes into more detail in his article about the main differences between bespoke and template web design.
A bespoke website design is a way to enhance your brand identity
Your website can be designed in such a way to represent your brand image, core values, logo, color scheme, and fonts. This can be done in a very personable and accurate way in terms of how your business is portrayed. It’s vital to have a clear understanding of your brand and ensure that this image is reflected on your website. Read more here in this informative LinkedIn article regarding the importance of web design.
A bespoke web design not easy to replicate
When it comes to competing in your market it’s very important to stand out and have a competitive advantage. According to Daniel Hawksworth who is an IT and web specialist, having a bespoke web design ensures that there will be no other site quite like yours. The great thing about Bespoke web design is that it is not easy to replicate. This is due to it being individually coded and created specifically for your brand. This means that it is very tough for competitors to have the same look and feel as it’s not a one size fit all site as with template design sites.
Conclusion
As you might have guessed, bespoke web design is considerably more expensive than template design sites. Thus, many businesses, especially start-ups, opt for the template design options initially.
Template designs can be great for people starting out online and new businesses since they are less costly and easy to set up. This is especially true for start-up businesses that are not yet sure what their specific needs are. The point of a bespoke website is to customize it to fit your brand image and you may still be on the path to discovering your true brand identity. Over time it may become more beneficial for you to move over to a bespoke site that can be customized to your every need.
