Custom WordPress Build Vs. a Premium Theme

Over the years, WordPress has become one of the top choices of businesses. Over 40% of websites on the internet are developed using WordPress. Some of the WordPress services are free of cost, while other services need to be paid for. If you are on a hunt for a high-quality website platform, then we would recommend WordPress.

While developing a website, you’ll have two options. You can either buy a premium theme or get a professional developer to build a custom WordPress website based on your brand’s goal and needs.

The difference between the two is quite clear. Purchasing a premium theme is akin to buying a burger from McDonald’s; you can choose whether you want a chicken or beef burger. In contrast, there are huge benefits of a Bespoke WordPress theme; its like buying a sandwich from Subway; you can customise everything according to your taste, ranging from bread to sauces and veggies.

So, should you opt for a McDonald’s burger or a Subway sandwich? We have presented a detailed analysis below to help you decide!

What is a premium theme?

To put it simply, a premium WordPress theme is any theme that you cannot use for free. Any WordPress developer can design a theme and list it as a premium theme. There are no particular specifications or a set standard. The only purpose of a premium theme is to cater to a market willing to pay to avail of a better-quality product. Also, the most popular free WordPress themes also stick to this.

What is a custom WordPress theme?

Any WordPress theme that a graphic designer builds from scratch per an organization’s requirements is called a custom theme. In a custom theme, the client can choose all the nitty-gritty details. Such a custom-made website is unique and makes the organization stand out among its competitors.

Should you choose a premium theme?

Now, how should you decide which theme to opt for? We are here to help you decide. Each theme has its own set of pros and cons. It is only after carefully evaluating these that you can decide which one is worth opting for.

Pros of choosing a premium theme:

1. Premium themes have more customisation options than free themes have. For example, they have features such as drag and drop builders, shortcodes, multiple templates, and a lot of colour choices.
2. These themes have regular security updates and support systems. The sites built using premium themes get updated automatically, and therefore, you don’t need to put much effort into maintaining the site.
3. The layout of premium themes is user-friendly. Anyone can use them to create a new website.
4. The speed of page load as fast, which makes it convenient for visitors.
5. The coding of premium themes is such that they are compatible with almost all browsers.

Cons of choosing a premium theme:

1. Most of the time, developers add too many features to make their theme appealing and target multiple industries. That’s why many popular themes are called “multipurpose themes”. However, these make the website loading speed as slow as a snail, and the backend can be very messy. In addition, the website can break when you try to change something or upgrade the theme or plugins later because of so many codes and scripts.
2. Many people would like to use the most popular theme because they believe they must be popular for some good reasons. Some of them are clunky, and it can be challenging to customise them if you want to change them to suit your needs.
3. Some themes are actually very technical, and unless you are a pro at it, you cannot wrap your head around them.
4. As it is commonly said, looks are deceiving. The same goes for WordPress premium themes. People often choose premium themes based on their outlook and later realize that the selected theme had been poorly coded.
5. Imagine using a theme for your website only to find out a few months later that it has been discontinued and your money, as well as efforts, have gone down the drain? Horrible, I know!

Should you choose a custom theme?

A custom theme also has its own share of pros and cons. It’s a blessing for some while a curse for others, depending on the nature of use. It would help if you decided which category it will fall under after going through its pros and cons listed below.

Pros of choosing a custom theme:

1. Who doesn’t like to stand out? We are sure you do too. A custom theme guarantees precisely that. It is unique and exclusive to your business only. No one else can have the same theme with a different colour scheme.
2. It is designed to achieve your business goals, i.e. increase traffic, sales, build a trustworthy brand, look modern and professional, be creative etc. Every brand is different, and your goal is surely different from others. Building websites on WordPress custom development is the best way to achieve your business goals, track and optimise later.
3. A custom theme has no feature overload, which means that the website’s speed is not compromised. It is mostly built using fewer codes and plugins because it’s just built for you, not the mass market.
4. The present-day online space is all about SEO optimisation. The good news is that a Custom WordPress theme is SEO friendly as it relies on lean coding, which makes the website very light.
5. Plugins can be built in. This helps reduce dependency on third-party plugins as they do not have to be entered at the time of running.
6. A custom theme is more secure than a premium theme. This is because people usually use lesser features while designing their own theme. Also, you do not need to wait for a third party to remove a security bug. Instead, you can remove it yourself.

Cons of choosing a custom theme:

1. It’s costly as it requires experts, more time and resources.
2. Generally, it takes 4-6 weeks to build a custom-designed brochure website.
3. You need to find the right trustworthy and reliable partner to get it done.
4. You might need to go to the same partner to make it cost-effective and fast if you need support. Some companies offer ongoing maintenance and support if you are time-poor and focus on the business rather than the technical stuff.

Our Recommendation

Now the question here arises, should one opt for a pre-designed McDonald’s burger or a custom-made Subway sandwich? Of course, we recommend you choose a Subway sandwich over a McDonald’s burger any day. Hence, we suggest you use a custom WordPress theme rather than a premium theme because the benefits of using a custom theme far outweigh the benefits of using a premium theme.

Why should a large business opt for a custom theme?

There is nothing better than a custom theme for a large-scale business. The magnitude of a business needs to be reflected in its website. Therefore, only a custom-made website theme can truly depict and add further value to a large business’s brand image. In addition to this, custom-themed sites guarantee fast loading speed, which is essential for large businesses’ websites.

Why should a small business opt for a custom theme?

Even though small businesses are usually deterred from opting for a custom theme because of its cost, we will still highly recommend that small businesses opt for it. Small businesses have a lot of room for expansion, and custom themes are adaptable to changing business sizes. If, later on, you want to add or delete pages from your site built using a custom theme, you can easily do it. On the other hand, if you have used a premium theme, then the chances are that you will have to rebuild your website from scratch if you ever plan on making significant changes to it. Hence, if you are a small business but have expansion plans for the future, a custom theme is your best bet!

If reading this text has convinced you to design a custom-themed website for your business, but you feel lost regarding how to go about it, instantly comment below. We will be glad to offer you our assistance.

At WP Creative, we provide custom development solutions with handcrafted designs tailored to your business goal. WP Creative is a leading Company in WordPress Website Design.

Are you still thinking about whether to choose a custom development or a premium theme? Talk to our expert now.