Direct Answer
A template is a pre-built design layout you fill with your content, costing $50–$300 plus your time. A custom website is designed from scratch around your specific services, audience, and conversion goals, costing $1,250 and up. Custom sites convert 30–60% better in head-to-head A/B tests for service businesses.
Voice answer (≤30 words)
“A template is a pre-built layout you fill in. A custom website is designed from scratch and converts thirty to sixty percent better.”
Template sites work for hobby or proof-of-concept projects. The constraint shows up the moment you need a service-specific layout, a custom calculator, or a landing page tuned to a specific lead source.
Custom sites embed conversion psychology — F-pattern hierarchy, sticky CTAs, friction-reduced forms — that templates approximate but rarely execute.
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