I get this question a lot. Usually from someone who just looked at Squarespace or Wix and thought, "If I can pick a template and swap in my logo, why would I pay someone to build a site from scratch?"
Fair question. Here's my honest answer.
Templates make everyone look the same
Go to any template marketplace and search "restaurant." You'll see the same layout repeated fifty times. Big hero image, three feature cards, a menu section, a footer. The fonts change. The colors shift. But the bones are identical.
That's the whole point of a template — it works for anyone. Which means it wasn't designed for anyone specific. Your barber shop gets the same structure as a dentist in Phoenix. Your pizza place looks like a yoga studio with different photos.
When I build a site, the layout, the spacing, the way the page flows — all of it is built around what THIS business actually needs. A barber shop doesn't need the same page structure as a hotel. So why would I give them one?
You're locked into someone else's code
Templates come with thousands of lines of code you didn't write and don't need. That "multipurpose theme" with 40 page layouts? All 40 are loaded whether you use them or not. The CSS file alone can be 200KB — for a site that has five pages.
That extra code slows your site down. It makes things harder to change later. And if the template creator stops updating it, you're stuck with whatever they left behind.
When I write the code myself, every line has a reason. Nothing extra. Nothing borrowed from a framework I don't need. If something needs to change in two years, I know exactly where to find it because I put it there.
The "customization" trap
Template builders love the word "customizable." And sure, you can change the header color, swap the font, move a section up or down. But try to do something the template wasn't designed for and you hit a wall fast.
Want the gallery to open differently? Can't. Want the contact form in a sidebar instead of a full page? Not without a workaround. Want the hours to display next to the map instead of below it? That'll require custom CSS that might break the next time the theme updates.
Starting from scratch means there's no wall to hit. If a layout makes sense for the business, I build it. No workarounds. No compromises because the template said so.
Speed is a feature, not a bonus
I talked about this in my WordPress article, but it applies here too. Templates carry weight. Extra JavaScript libraries, unused CSS, fonts you didn't pick, analytics scripts baked in. It adds up.
The sites I build from scratch typically load in under a second. A template site doing the same job — showing hours, services, photos, and a contact form — often takes 3-5 seconds. That's the difference between someone seeing your page and someone hitting the back button.
It doesn't cost what you think
Here's the part that surprises people. A Squarespace site costs $16-33/month. After a year, that's $192-396. After two years, $384-792. And you still don't own the code — you're renting it.
My sites start at $250. One payment. You own the files. Hosting is free on Cloudflare. The only recurring cost is your domain — about $10 a year. After 18 months, the hand-coded site is cheaper. And it's faster. And it's yours.
When a template is fine
I'm not going to pretend templates are always the wrong choice. If you need a quick portfolio to apply for jobs next week, a Squarespace template gets you there. If you're testing a business idea and don't want to invest yet, a free template works.
But if you're running a real business, serving real customers, and you want people to find you on Google — a custom-built site does the job better for less money over time.
That's why I write every line myself. Not because templates are bad. Because my clients deserve something that was actually built for them.
If you want to see what a custom site looks like for your business, text me — (607) 221-5678.