Custom website vs template
Same stories. Two websites. One built for what it holds.
A storytelling blog, built twice: first as the faithful copy of the reference site the author asked for, then as a design where every section and every story gets its own page. This is what that difference looks like in practice.
The short answer
What is the difference between a custom website and a template?
A template gives you one layout and fits your content into it. A custom website starts from the content and gives each kind of page the layout it needs. For a site where every page says something different, like a storytelling blog, you see the difference on every page. For a simple brochure site, a template is often enough.
| Aspect | Template | Custom |
|---|---|---|
| Starting point | A layout, then your content is fitted into it. | Your content, then a layout for each kind of page. |
| Pages | The same structure everywhere. | Each section and each story can have its own. |
| Look | Recognisable: other sites share it. | Yours: drawings, type and spacing made for the project. |
| Speed | Often carries features you never use. | Only what the pages need. |
| Cost and time | Lower and faster to start. | Higher to start; scope and price agreed before work begins. |
| Changes later | Limited to what the theme allows. | Anything the code can do. |
| Best for | Simple sites, tight budgets, a fast launch. | Sites where the content or the brand is the product. |
The project
The brief: copy the reference site exactly, then show what else is possible.
The author writes short personal stories about childhood, home, working life and the things that take years to understand. They already had a site and asked for the same thing: the same texts, the same photographs, the same look. I built exactly that, and built it properly: static, fast, readable on a phone and ready for search engines.
Then I built a second version of the same stories in a different spirit. Instead of fitting every story into one blog template, I asked what each section and each story is about, and gave each its own page.
Four sections, four drawings
Illustrations drawn in code, not downloaded.
Each sketch is generated with Rough.js when the site is built, so it ships as plain SVG. The strokes draw themselves as the section scrolls into view; afterwards each scene keeps one quiet motion of its own. None of it is a stock icon.
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Childhood and memory
A cottage with smoke curling from the chimney.
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Home and family
A heart held between two sprigs, tiny hearts drifting up.
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Working life
A desk: a laptop, a lamp that glows, a mug that steams.
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Reflection
A branch over still water, ripples spreading.
Every page made for what it holds
Four section pages. Four story pages. None alike.
Wireframes of the layouts, drawn by hand in the same way. Each section is arranged for what it is about, and so is each story. Inside the stories, the author's own short lines are grouped into stanzas, spoken lines are pulled out and the closing sentence is set large, without changing a word.
Sections
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Childhood
Photo album
Prints with a white border and a piece of tape, slightly crooked, each with a handwritten caption.
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Home
Letter
Stationery with a double frame and a stamp in the corner.
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Work
Register
Numbered rows and column headings, like an office ledger you scan.
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Reflection
Quiet essay
One sentence, a wide horizon and a lot of white space.
Stories
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A countryside memory
Full-bleed cover
The photograph is the page; the title sits over it.
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A story about a taste
Jar label
An arched picture stays in view while the text runs beside it.
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A first day at a corporate job
Office memo
A memo header, and the text on ruled notebook paper with the spoken lines highlighted.
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An essay about failure
Panorama
A wide horizon, centred lines and a reading-progress line along the top.
How I built it
From the content outward.
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Read the content first
Before any layout, I read what the stories are about and how they are written. The short lines, the spoken lines and the closing sentence all ask for something different.
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Choose a layout per kind of page
Each section and each story gets the arrangement that suits it, instead of one template stretched over everything.
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Draw it, don't download it
The illustrations are generated in code with Rough.js when the site is built. They ship as plain SVG, with no drawing library in the browser, and draw themselves as you scroll.
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Build it static
Astro, with pages that are plain HTML and CSS and only a little JavaScript, for search and sharing. Nothing loads that the page doesn't use.
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Measure it
Lighthouse runs on the production build, not the development server. On both versions accessibility and best practices score 100; the faithful copy scores 97–100 for performance on mobile and desktop.
Measured with Lighthouse on the production build, in lab conditions, in October 2026.
Template or custom?
When a template is the right call.
If you need a simple site quickly, on a tight budget, and the content doesn't need to be arranged differently from page to page, use a template. It would be wrong to sell you more.
Custom work earns its cost when the content or the brand is the product, when different pages need different arrangements, or when speed, accessibility and search visibility are part of the goal. If you're unsure which side you're on, tell me what the site has to do and I'll give you a straight answer.
The technical side of this is covered in custom web applications and technical SEO and security.
Questions
Asked before every project like this.
Is a custom website worth it compared to a template?
It depends on what the site is for. If the content or the brand is the product, such as a blog, a portfolio or a publication, a custom design pays off on every page. If you need a simple site quickly, a template is often the better choice, and I'll say so.
How much does a custom website cost compared to a template?
A template is cheaper and faster to start. A custom design costs more because the work is shaped around your content. It depends on the scope, and we agree on what's worth building and what it costs before any work starts, rather than fitting every project into a fixed package.
Can a custom website rank better than a template?
Not by being custom alone, and nobody can honestly guarantee rankings. What custom work can do is remove technical problems: slow pages, layout shifts, weak structure, missing structured data. The content and the authority of the site decide the rest.
Do I need a custom design for a blog?
Not always. A well-chosen template works for many blogs. A custom design earns its cost when each section or story should feel different, as in this case study.
Can you rebuild a site I already have exactly as it is?
Yes. The first version in this case study was exactly that: the same content and look as the reference site, rebuilt to be faster, accessible on a phone and ready for search engines.
05 Start
Have a problem worth solving?
You don't need the solution figured out. Tell me what's taking too much time, what isn't working, or what you'd like to improve, and we'll find the right approach from there.
or write to stefan@guwapi.com