Custom WordPress Design: is WordPress still king?

It’s no secret that to compete in business, you have to stand out. That means having a website every bit as special as your product or service. 

The good news is, it’s never been easier to build an online presence – with a plethora of DIY website builders fighting tooth and nail for your business. 

So is that the end of WordPress as we know it? Not quite. 

Millions of businesses still pay agencies like ours to build custom WordPress websites, despite the ability to build a perfectly serviceable website for a few hundred pounds. But why?

Like most questions, there’s more than one answer. In this blog, we’ll share five big ones, and you can decide whether going custom is the right move for you and your business.

Tl;dr

It’s because:

• WordPress (believe it or not) still dominates
• Good strategy demands it
• Control over UX prints money
• It’s an investment, not a cost 
• You’re worth it 

WordPress (believe it or not) still dominates

As of June 2024, over 810 million websites use WordPress, which is about 43.2% of all websites on the internet. This means roughly two out of every five websites you visit use WordPress. 

And it’s not just microsites and passion projects. Sony, eBay, GM, UPS, Forbes, CNN, Reuters, The NYT, Samsung, IBM, and TechCrunch are all built on WordPress.

With its extensive plugin library, custom code support and user-friendly interface, WordPress allows you to build and scale a website for just about anything.

And because it’s open-source and widely adopted, development costs are lower, the community is thriving, and regular updates ensure sites are kept safe and secure.

Good strategy demands it

Brands with a unique and well-thought-out business strategy need their website to reflect it.

Think about your website like a shop window. If yours is evidently off the shelf with a widely used template, what does that say about your business to your customers?

That you’re not ready to invest in your idea? You like to cut corners? You’re just like everyone else? 

For small projects and personal blogs, a template is a quick and cost-effective solution, but the trade-off is bespoke functionality, flexibility, and ultimately – uniqueness.

A custom WordPress site breaks free from these restrictions, offering more ways to bring your brand to life with custom features and a more polished user experience.

Control over UX prints money

User experience is about much more than intuitive navigation, faster load times, and mobile responsiveness. These things are important but don’t fully illustrate the advantages of design with the user in mind. 

When you have control over every element of your website, you can fine-tune the experience in ways that don’t always make logical sense but can have a dramatic impact on your bottom line.

For example, The Labour Illusion Effect reveals how sometimes people prefer things to take more time, not less. 

The progress bars you see when comparing car insurance have no bearing on the actual time it takes to retrieve the best deals. This is because you’re more likely to think favourably about the options when it appears that some effort has been made to find them. 

These anomalies can be a goldmine, converting thousands more customers with a few simple changes – but if you have no control over your user experience, you may never uncover them.

It’s an investment, not a cost 

A piece of machinery in a manufacturing firm pays for itself by creating value for the business over time. The expectation of future returns through profit, appreciation, or savings sets it apart from a cost like utilities, wages, or rent. 

This is how you should view your website. 

Over time, the return on investment (ROI) from a custom WordPress site by way of improved user experience, SEO performance, and brand loyalty – can significantly outweigh the savings from opting for a cheaper, less functional template.

And because WordPress is scalable, the ceiling for brand growth is much higher. 

As your business evolves, you can adapt, expand, or restructure your site with less effort than replacing it altogether. Whether you’re rebranding, expanding into eCommerce, or launching a new service line, you’re covered.

Because you’re worth it 

L’Oréal puns aside, high-value businesses do high-value things. Investing in your brand signals to customers, employees, and stakeholders that you have skin in the game. You care about the success of the business and believe in what you do.

It might sound materialistic, but image matters. It’s a common human behaviour to assign more value to things that appear to have taken great resources to put together.

“If they put this much effort into their online shop window – just imagine how much effort they put into looking after their clients?”

Is a custom WordPress site right for you?

If you’re serious about building a brand, a custom WordPress site can be a smart investment – but it’s not your only choice.

For eCommerce brands, Shopify is becoming an adopted standard. At Zeal, we are experts at both – building bespoke, people-friendly experiences that work beautifully and grow with you.

To find out more about Zeal and what we can do for you, get in touch.