Website templates vs custom design

When planning your new website, you'll face an important choice: should you use a proven pre-made layout, or pay for a completely custom design from scratch?

The hidden costs of fully custom design

A completely custom build sounds great, but it can mean many hours of design mock-ups, wireframes and custom programming. That usually means a bigger upfront invoice, longer delays and a site that depends on one agency for even simple changes.

Why proven layouts are the best business move

For most local service businesses, a website built on a clean, proven layout is the best path:

• You know what you'll get: the page structure is already proven, so you can picture the finished site before building starts, and you still see it on a preview link before launch.
• Real savings: because the foundations are already in place, you aren't paying for layout engineering from scratch.
• Tested performance: proven layouts have already been checked on phones, tablets and computers, so buttons are easy to tap and text doesn't break.

We build your site from our own proven, lightweight layouts, then tailor the wording, photos and colours to your business. It keeps your project fast, secure and affordable, at a fixed £350.

Got more questions? See our Website cost & pricing FAQs or the £350 website package.

Last reviewed 2026-10-05 by the Iceworks team.