So you’re standing at the website crossroads: template or custom design? Maybe you’ve been Googling this at midnight with a cart full of Showit templates open in seventeen tabs. Maybe a friend just told you custom design costs more than your rent. Either way, you’re here, and you want the real answer, not a sales pitch.

Here’s the thing: I sell both. Templates and custom builds. So I don’t have a dog in this fight. I just want you to pick the right one for where your business is right now.

Full honesty: I’ve been designing since I was 16 (and trust me, you do not want to see those early designs). So whatever stage you’re in, I’ve been there too, figuring it out as I go and hoping it looked legit.

Let’s break down the real pros and cons of using a website template, no fluff.

What a website template actually is

Quick definition before we dive in: a website template is a pre-designed layout, created by a designer and sold to multiple business owners, that you customize with your own photos, copy, colors, and fonts. On Showit (my platform of choice and the one I design all my templates on), templates are fully drag-and-drop, so you’re not touching a single line of code.

It’s not “one-size-fits-all” the way a lot of people assume. It’s more like a really good blazer. The cut is done for you, you just tailor it to fit.

The pros of using a website template

Lower upfront cost. This is the big one. A quality Showit template runs a fraction of what a custom build costs, since you’re paying for design work that’s already done, split across everyone who buys that template.

Faster launch time. Custom sites take weeks. A template, once you’ve got your content ready, can be live in days.

Professionally designed foundation. You’re not starting from a blank canvas or a drag-and-drop builder default. Someone who does this for a living already made the hard layout and design decisions, so you’re building on good bones.

Easy to customize. Swapping colors, fonts, images, and copy on a well-built template is simple, even if “not a website person” is your whole personality.

Want proof a template doesn’t have to look like a template? Some of my favorite recent projects started as customizations: Mikah Wonders (a voice coach), Haus of Horizon (a Pinterest manager), and West Coast Creatives (a wedding planner). Haus of Horizon ended up practical, simple, and coastal. West Coast Creatives landed elegant and feminine. Three different businesses, three totally different vibes, and you’d never guess they started from a layout someone else could buy.

The cons of using a website template

Limited uniqueness. Templates are sold to more than one person. If you’re in a saturated niche, there’s a real chance a competitor is using the exact same layout.

Structural limits. You can change colors and swap images, but you can’t always get the exact custom functionality, animation, or layout quirk you’re picturing in your head.

It still takes a design eye. A template is a head start, not a finish line. Customizing one well enough that it doesn’t look like a template still takes some intentionality. (I wrote a whole post on the DIY-vs-hiring version of this decision if you want to go deeper: Showit Template Customization: DIY vs. Hiring.)

Real talk: the “generic template” look almost always comes down to skipping the little details. On a recent project, I added tiny butterflies above a sticky booking button, because if you can book your session from anywhere on the page, why can’t it be cute? When I shared it, the replies came in fast: “Wait that’s genius.” “This is BRILLIANT!!!” That’s the kind of detail that makes a site feel like yours, and it’s exactly what gets skipped when a template goes live straight out of the box.

Who a template is right for

Templates make the most sense if:

• You’re newer in business and don’t have $5,000+ set aside for a fully custom build yet
• You’re comfortable (or willing to get comfortable) doing some of the customization yourself
• Your brand and offers are fairly established, so you know what pages and content you need

If that’s you, my guide to choosing the right Showit template walks through exactly what to look for before you buy.

Who should consider custom design instead

Custom might be the better call if:

• You’ve outgrown your current site and it’s actively working against you (here are 5 signs you’ve outgrown your DIY website if you’re not sure)
• You need advanced functionality a template can’t flex to fit
• You want something built around your brand from the ground up, with zero chance of someone else’s site looking like yours

I broke down this exact comparison in more detail here: Website Templates vs. Custom Design.

Here’s what that looks like in real life. Brinna of Photos by Brinna B came to me right after having a baby, while she was shifting her photography business toward more home-based services. Her business was changing, and she needed a brand and website that could keep up. We went with full custom branding and web design, and since launch, her conversion rate has gone from 5 to 10% up to 33%. In her words: “She knew everything I wanted for my website and branding even better than I did.”

That’s what I’m listening for on discovery calls: not just what you want your site to look like, but where your business is headed. If a template can get you there, I’ll tell you. If you’ve outgrown it, I’ll tell you that too.

How to get the best of both worlds

Here’s what I tell clients who are stuck between the two: you don’t have to choose “cheap and generic” or “expensive and bespoke.” That’s a false choice.

My Showit Website Template Customization package is designed for exactly this in-between spot: a professionally selected template, fully customized to look and feel like your brand, not the person who bought the same template last week. You get:

• A 5-page Showit site (Home, About, Services, Portfolio, Contact)
• SEO blog setup
• Email capture embed
• A copywriting strategy guide
• Curated stock images + Showit video tutorials
• 2 weeks of post-launch support

Starting at $1,750, with most projects wrapping in about a week.

If you’re nodding along right now, let’s chat. And don’t worry if your ideas feel a little jumbled. As my client Michelle of Colson House put it: “Build an inspo Pinterest because even if you don’t know how to explain what you want, Abi will take one look and figure it out for you.”

The bottom line

There’s no universal right answer here, only the right answer for where your business is right now. If you’re earlier on, a template gets you live fast without sacrificing quality. If you’ve outgrown the template phase, custom might be worth the investment.

Not sure which camp you’re in? Book a call and we’ll figure it out together. No pressure, no generic sales pitch, promise.

Clarity looks good on you, friend.