How important is a website's visual design? While it may not be the most important factor when it comes to SEO rankings, the appearance of a website is highly important when you want to make the right impression on your customers. And that makes it essential to choose the right theme.
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BigCommerce vs. Shopify: Everything You Need to Know
With BigCommerce, you have the option to use pre-designed standard themes or build your own custom themes. But which one is the best choice? There are several key factors to consider when comparing BigCommerce standard themes vs. custom BigCommerce themes, so here's everything you need to know about themes to help you make the right decision for your business.
Limitations of BigCommerce Standard Themes
BigCommerce standard themes are a convenient option if you don't have the time or know-how to design a custom theme. However, there are several limitations of BigCommerce themes when you use the standard ones instead of designing your own. They include:
- Limited Customization: You do have some customization options when using a standard theme, but they are rather basic. Customizing layouts, colors, or features beyond the standard settings won't be possible with standard BigCommerce themes.
- Generic Appearance: Since BigCommerce theme customization is limited when you use standard themes, the result is inevitably going to look a little generic. This makes it difficult to design a website that stands out visually and has a distinctive appearance.
- Performance Constraints: One of the less-discussed limitations of BigCommerce themes is that standard themes can potentially cause website performance issues. When used to create large or complex online stores, these themes are often poorly optimized for things like site speed and efficient navigation.
Benefits of Custom BigCommerce Themes
While there are a lot of BigCommerce theme limitations when you use the standard options, many valuable benefits come with custom themes. They include things like:
- Unique Branding: When you have lots of BigCommerce theme customization options, you can create a fully branded experience that aligns with your company’s unique identity.
- Advanced Functionality: With a custom theme, you can add sophisticated features and functions, such as custom navigation, personalized interfaces, and unique call-to-action buttons.
- Performance Optimization: Custom themes are often optimized for better performance and faster load times. Additionally, they offer more flexibility when adding third-party tools and integrations.
When to Consider a Custom Theme
If you've been using a standard BigCommerce theme, there are a couple of key reasons why you might want to take the plunge and switch to a custom design. The first potential reason is that your business is growing. Designing a custom theme will be well worth the effort if BigCommerce theme limitations are holding your company back and preventing you from optimizing your website to accommodate its growth.
Another good reason to make the switch is the desire for brand differentiation. If you are struggling to make your standard theme stand out from the crowd, you'll find that custom BigCommerce themes offer a lot more freedom. This solution will allow you to design an online store that is unique, on-brand, and better aligned with your overall marketing strategy.
Developing a Custom BigCommerce Theme
Custom BigCommerce themes have a lot of benefits, but one of the drawbacks is that creating them can be challenging. This is why many eCommerce store owners choose to work with professionals to design their BigCommerce themes.
At Groove Commerce, our eCommerce website design and eCommerce development services are perfect for BigCommerce store owners looking to design custom themes that are fully optimized and aligned with their brands. Here is the process you can expect when working with us to design custom BigCommerce themes:
- Planning and Strategy: We start by setting goals and learning about your design preferences to gain a complete understanding of what your company desires.
- Design and Development: The next step is to develop and code the custom theme, making sure that every important aspect of the design is optimized for performance.
- Testing and Deployment: After a rigorous round of testing to ensure the theme performs correctly under various conditions, we'll make any last-minute adjustments that might be needed and help you launch your new theme!
When it comes to maximizing the benefits of custom themes, how you design them is all-important. If you'd like to create a fully optimized, eye-catching theme for your BigCommerce store, Groove Commerce can help! Our case studies supply detailed examples of how we've boosted revenue and conversion rates for clients that use BigCommerce.
Conclusion
BigCommerce standard themes are a convenient option and fine for some store owners. However, as your business grows, making the switch to a custom theme is key to both differentiating your brand and optimizing your site's performance.
To get started designing your custom BigCommerce theme, be sure to contact Groove Commerce today and sign up for a free eCommerce website audit!
Or, if you'd like to learn more about BigCommerce stores, check out our "BigCommerce vs. Shopify" eBook.
