Custom Website Development vs WordPress Themes

When it comes to website development under WordPress, there is often a clash between two worlds: custom design versus templated design. In this article, I will explain the differences between using ready-to-go WordPress Themes and a custom design in web development.

Not Custom Made: WordPress Themes

One of the reasons why WordPress as a content management system (CMS) has become so popular is that it can be installed by anybody without technical knowledge in under 5 minutes. According to W3Techs, WordPress is by far the most popular content management system: Around 60% of all websites that use a known CMS run on WordPress, and its competitors are far behind. Individuals, small companies, and big corporations use WordPress for their day-to-day business. In fact, more than 40% of all websites on the internet run on WordPress.

One of the reasons why WordPress is so popular is because of its vast collection of the so-called WordPress Themes. Novice users can define the look and feel of their WordPress website simply by choosing one of the free themes offered at wordpress.org. Since WordPress is an open-source platform, all themes in the official theme directory are free. Installing a theme couldn’t be easier: Just log in to your WordPress installation, choose a theme, and click “Activate.” That’s it.

In web design, this kind of concept is called “templated.” It means that you choose a template, in this case a WordPress Theme, and don’t have to bother creating your own. It’s the opposite of what is called “tailored” or “custom-made.”

Who Creates All These WordPress Themes?

All these WordPress Themes have been created by someone. Many of them are created and released to the public by programmers who believe in sharing their work for free; others are sold commercially. These people see themselves as a part of the open source community, the public domain movement, or the white hat hacker culture where the hacker ethics dictate that information should be free.

Anybody who can program can create their own WordPress Theme.

WordPress developers encourage coders to create their own themes. For this purpose, WordPress provides the Theme Handbook at developer.wordpress.org. It contains documentation, tips, tools, and everything a programmer needs to know about creating a WordPress Theme.

Web Design Companies Offering Templated Designs

In the early days, content management systems did not provide templated designs like WordPress does. Even today, in 2026, themes or designs for many other CMS platforms have to be coded by a web developer. However, if a web design company is providing web development under WordPress, it’s very tempting to use one of these WordPress Themes.

To say it bluntly: If a web design company uses a ready-made WordPress Theme, they will not only bypass the design process, but also the coding of the design. Thus, the web development will no longer include the costs for design, and coding — the costliest parts of web development. In fact, design and coding account for about 95% of all costs.

The web design agency can cut its costs by up to 95% by using an existing WordPress Theme rather than creating its own. And even if it chooses a commercial WordPress Theme, the license fee, usually well under $100, is nothing compared to what it would pay a designer and coder to do it from scratch.

Over the years, I have come across many web development agencies that only offer templated WordPress Themes.

I’m fascinated by this approach — the same way I’m fascinated by heist movies.

Not only do they charge clients thousands of dollars for something that takes 5 minutes to accomplish — I’ve seen web development companies charging $15,000 and more for a templated WordPress development. They are also excellent in sales, communication and project management. And eloquence is what it takes to convince clients to pay those astronomical prices. They are really good at selling.

From what I have witnessed, these web design agencies tell their clients that they have to go through a costly evaluation process to choose a specific WordPress Theme that will fulfill the needs. Many of them tell their clients how much they know about their industry and that the Themes they’re using are a perfect match for it. And they tell them they have to tweak the Theme afterwards, so it is “custom tailored”… basically lots of sales talk that is nothing but blablah.

Of course, that’s all nothing but excellent pitch chatter to justify the high cost. Even more, they would tell their client that creating your own WordPress Theme is considered “hard coding”, because they know that if you ask savvy coders about “hard coding” they will tell you it’s bad… very bad.

Well there is of course a problem with this spiel — it’s pure balderdash.

It’s just a lot of words to create trust, and to justify the web agency’s needs, but there is no truth in it. A templated design can’t be called “tailored,” even if you tweak it. It’s wrong by definition: You can’t buy a suit off the rack and call it “custom” because you have changed its buttons and shortened the pants. Tailored or custom in information technology means “done from scratch”.

Also, creating your own WordPress Theme has nothing to do with “hard coding.” I won’t go into what “hard coding” means, but all you have to know is that it’s something bad, and it doesn’t apply to when you create your own WordPress Theme from scratch — that’s not what “hard coding” means at all. If creating a WordPress Theme on your own was considered “hard coding”, how were all the other WordPress Themes out there created, then?

The web development companies with this approach that I have worked with also had no coders or programmers on board. Some of them weren’t even trained designers, but knew how to use Photoshop well enough to lay out some designs that looked exactly like the WordPress Theme they were about to show the client and make it look like they have created it.

What’s the Problem with WordPress Themes?

You might think: If it costs so little and is used by so many, what’s the problem?

First, I don’t like web design companies swindling clients like this. As a software engineer and web developer with a PhD who has worked in this field for decades, it hurts to see a web development company charge someone for an open-source WordPress Theme that it installed within minutes.

Second — and that’s the most important — A WordPress Theme can never fulfill client demand.

You see, web development projects need research. In fact, any web development agency offering a web design without the process of a thorough competitor research should not be taken seriously. Web design is not just based on aesthetics and feelings; it must also be based on economic value and results. You have to be able to answer these questions before you can move forward with design:

• What is the competitor using and why is it successful?
• What’s the message of the product/service?
• What are the elements needed on the website to create trust for the user?
• What conversion elements are needed to get a high conversion rate?
• What are the engagement elements that will motivate the user to click further on the website?
• What SEO elements will drive more traffic and conversions as of 2026?

Because every industry, product, and service is different, the more of these questions research answers, the more individual the needs for a website become.

And with that the value of the website and the prospects for conversions.

Based on the research results, a wireframe has to be created to see what elements the website needs. I’ve outlined the process of a thorough website process in my article “8 Steps to a Successful Website“.

In my experience (300+ website projects), I have never stumbled upon a WordPress Theme that would fulfill all the needs of a client. If you have research results that point to a certain WordPress Theme, I would call the research biased. There is just no such thing.

Who Uses WordPress Themes?

Let’s take a step back for a minute: More than 40% of the internet runs on WordPress. And most people use WordPress Themes. How is that possible?

WordPress was once built as a blogging platform — and besides the fact it is being utilized as a CMS, it still is a blogging platform. A banana is a banana, and WordPress is a blog platform, that’s fact.

In 2003, blogging became extremely popular, and around that time, WordPress was released: blogging software that could be installed and used quickly and easily. It was the right product at the right time, and WordPress became popular among bloggers and individual users. To this day, if you are an individual without much budget or time, WordPress is the perfect solution.

When corporations also started using WordPress, they mostly started to create their own Themes rather than choosing from what was shared. Repurposing WordPress was a great idea, since WordPress is much easier to use and has many other advantages. However, even in 2026, a plain WordPress installation lacks many features a company needs. That’s why there is a vast number of plugins that add new features to WordPress. Some of these third-party plugins are very helpful (such as WooCommerce for e-commerce, Yoast for SEO, and Elementor for page building), but you still have to code your own plugins for the individual needs of a business.

Conclusion Custom vs. Templated Website Development

WordPress is a great platform for both individuals and companies. Individuals can use the WordPress Themes and don’t have to waste their time with programming. When it comes to business, you need a web development company that offers a custom WordPress Theme and custom WordPress plugins.

However, if you are a business and come across a web development company that uses third-party WordPress Themes… that’s the paradox right there. Why hire a web development company if they don’t develop in the first place? Just hire your cousin who knows how to do it and buy him dinner. And then you have to ask yourself, does this sound like a professional approach to you?