Pre-made WordPress themes vs Bespoke themes

When it comes to creating a website for your business their is a large number of pre-made themes for WordPress. What is the difference between pre-made themes and bespoke themes?

Pre-made themes have been created by designers and developers to serve any purpose or business. This often leaves flaws with the design or coding because they have been made for no specific website.

Bespoke themes are a lot more specialised with only the function they have been created for and need coded into them. This makes them quicker and normally easier to edit.

Pros and cons of pre-made themes.

From my observations most pre-made WordPress themes are either good or bad. Until pre-made themes have been added to the WordPress backend its hard to tell if they are good or not. I normally rate themes on the following: –

Ease of customisation.

How hard is it to edit the features of the theme? This could include editing the logo, images, pages and colours.

Speed of the site.

Has the theme been optimised for speed and SEO? A free Google page speed test or a theme check plugin can be used to check the speed of the site.

How it’s been coded.

This may be hard to check. A basic theme check plugin could be used to see if the theme has been coded to the WordPress theme development guidelines. If you need help to assess the code a web developer could be used to accurately evaluate the theme.

Pros and cons of custom made WordPress themes.

Custom made WordPress themes are made to order for every website. Using designs approved by the client a theme can be created and optimised for the number of page designs and effects.

Every theme is made differently depending on the design and the web developer coding it. I would recommend the following when commissioning a web developer to create your bespoke WordPress theme: –

Its your theme!

Nobody else in the world will have your WordPress theme. Pre-made themes can be added to any website so you and your competition could end up with the same website.

Custom functionality.

Bespoke WordPress themes can be created with a wide range of custom functions and effects.

Speed & optimisation.

Depending on the developer and needs of the client bespoke websites are coded to the latest coding standards and optimised for speed on every theme.

Cost.

Bespoke themes can cost hundreds and thousands depending on the design and functions needed on the site.

What is right for you?

It’s entirely dependent on preference and budget. I would recommend searching through pre-made themes and seeing if any of them meet your requirements. Most pre-made themes are normally below $100 making them a definite for those with a tight budget.

Failing this contact a web designer or developer and get a quote or estimation for a bespoke website. It’s best to contact a few different designers and developers to see who is best suited to create your site as everyone has different preferences.

Contact me to find out how I could help you with your new website.