We receive daily a lot of comments and questions about personalizing templates that were bought from HubSpot Marketplace. Moreover, it happens really often that the Template Customization and Custom WebDesign offers are confused and the range of tasks assigned to one service is required in the other one. Why is that? We have been thinking about the cause to this fuss and decided to create a post dedicated entirely to solve this problem. We want you to fully understand which type of services are assigned to each of the offers.
Firstly we have to talk about the definitions of both issues. The term of a service called Template Customization is understood as a set of activities which may be performed within improving and modifying existing website’s templates. This set is strictly definite and its possibilities and actions are limited. On the other hand, the term Custom Web Design refers to building a website from a scratch. Of course, during this process, a template has to be created, but it is a (more or less) corporate project designed by the company and a customer. Think about making a delicious grandma’s cake. In Template (Cake) Customization you only buy a ready-to-use package of dry ingredients for a cake. You may customize it by adding different types of milk (eg. almond, rice, soya), different types of oil etc etc. But all the modifications are limited. In Custom Web (Cake) Design all the ingredients for a cake are totally up to you. You are consulting the ingredients with the grandma (company), since you rely on her knowledge because you are aware that she knows what can be done and what can’t, what will work together and what wont’t. The type of the cake, its taste, look, layers, shape are up to you and the grandma’s wisdom.
Once we know the basics of the differences between both services, let’s move on and see what can or cannot be done within each of them.
If you want to make too many changes within Template Customization service, it is a great chance that the whole template will be like this blind.
Template Customization service
Full Template Customization package
- Text contents replacement and insertion
We will replace the existing content on the template for the content prepared and desired by you. Please be aware that each module was prepared in a way to accommodate a given amount of content (text). If what you have prepared for a specific module is substantially different from what the template module was specifically designed to accommodate we will not interfere in the module structure in order to customize it to the amount of content proposed by you.
Furthermore, changing the text size is forbidden and is not part of the agreement and will not be done by us.
- Font modifications
We can change the font globally (for the entire pack) to the one that the client will provide us. We can only set one global font for the whole website. That means if you would like to have dozens of different fonts in different modules within the websites, it is not covered in the Template Customization service.
Remember, that the original template was designed with different font size in different modules. This was designed, coded and tested to work on multiple browsers and devices. If we modify the font size, the responsiveness of modules may change. Therefore, this is the service we will not do in this package.
- Graphic elements replacement and insertion
We will replace icons, photos or other visual elements for you with the following exceptions:
- Icons
We have our own set of icons from which you can choose from (Clickray, Turbo Potassium, Turbo Nickel, Turbo Vanadyl). Remember to give us the exact place which icon will go where in the template.
You may also provide icons, and we insert them into the template. Remember, that they have to be in a proper resolution and ratio, or to be in a vector file (PNG, SVG format), as well as labeled where you expect them to be in the templates.
Moreover, we can prepare dedicated icons for you based on your brief outlining what you expect of the icon (this brief should not be less than 3 to 4 sentences per Icon). The cost of such an icon is $30. Please be aware that you have maximum 2 iterations.
- Photos
We can leave the photos as they are in the template and you can change them on your own later. Remember to keep proper resolution and ratio.
You may also provide photos, and we insert them into the template. They have to be in a proper resolution and ratio. Photos have to be labeled where you expect them to be in the templates.
Moreover, we may provide photos according to your brief outlining what you expect of the photos (this brief should not be less than 3 to 4 sentences description per photo). Each photo costs $30. Please be aware that you have maximum 2 iterations.
- Other visual elements
Other visual elements such as Videos and Infographics are not included in the Template Customization package and require separate price estimation.
Remember about these few rules concerning all the Graphic elements:
- Photos can be replaced but only in the modules that were intended to accommodate photos. This means that if you would like to insert a photo in a modular design for Icons and vice versa, it not possible and it is not covered in this Template Customization package.
- If the Photos, Icons or Custom Graphics proposed by you are too big or too small for a given module, we will not insert them.
- Photos, Icons or Custom Graphics can only be replaced in places (modules) where they were originally intended to be in.
- Icons
- Menu/navigation modifications
We can change the name of the menu and add a subsection of it within the limit of the maximum number of items and characters.
We will not change the size of the header menu in any way. We do not allow adding CTAs in the menu.
- Color scheme modifications from the customizer
Color modifications can only be carried out as part of a customizer's capability. Each of our templates has a unique set of colors and a number of CTA buttons. The changes may be conducted only within each template's resources.
If you are looking for more information about the customizer click here.
- Modules & sections
You may change the sections by swapping sections' places within a template. Remember that the same action cannot be conducted between different templates. It is also possible to clone sections within one template.
Be mindful that changing custom modules to global groups and vice versa are not performed within this service, as well as modifications in spacing in modules or templates sections or adding additional modules to the rows.
- Terms of conduct during the project execution
Not adding extra tasks while the project is on the way. Once we have agreed on the scope of the work and set up a dedicated project on the Basecamp, adding new tasks is forbidden. That means we will not execute any tasks which were added after the project began.
Please do not make changes to any templates while we are working on them. That means that if the work is started, you are not authorized to make any changes to the template, perform a test or write a feedback. Once we are finished we will ask you to comment and provide feedback.
No testing while the work is in progress. Time for testing is when the developer informs that the work is completed. We have a dedicated in-house tester who will perform all the necessary testes according to HubSpot's specification device and resolution list. Then you can perform all the tests you want.
Please be aware that we will not take under account bug from emulators and simulators.
Other HubSpot template related works that are not included in Template Customization service and requires additional offer:
- HubSpot training
- Domain configuration
- Social media configuration
- Writing instruction how to use HubSpot
Keep in mind that the above guidelines apply to Full Template Customization. The valuation is individual and determined according to the client's specific needs.
If you are interested in a different version of cooperation, we encourage you to use one of our Hourly Packages according to the table below.
Template Customization pricing (Hourly Packages)
Custom Web Design service
- Information Gathering
By filling up our questionnaire you can outline a vision of how your website should look like, how it should work, how it should affect the visitors, whom you would like to target etc. Moreover, we will set up a call during which our experts will discuss the matter about your design preferences, logos, colors, websites you like and dislike, as well as options which you would like to include on your site. They will also ask about your buying persona to get to know who your ideal buyers are and what their buying cycle is. Remember the grandma’s cake metaphor? At this stage, you collect all the ingredients that interest you.
- Planning
Based on the previously gathered information, we create a structure depicting the proposed layout of your home page, product page, blog page etc. Our specialists also map out your firm’s buyer conversion process and plan of optimizing your website for best conversion.
What can you do during this process? You are most welcome to attach all of your ideas, corrections or modifications. After all, it is your website to be created. If the conception does not meet your expectations, tell us about it and together we will work out a new solution, will correct it where it needs to be improved or give up on something that has not been sufficiently good. Remember that it is in your hands only to approve it.
Keep in mind that there is always a possibility that you, the customer, may provide us with such a conception and all the necessary information. - Design
Based on the developed conception, your firm’s Brand Book, as well as the design preferences, our designers will create a digital copy of your website that is tuned for conversion. For this purpose, we use a specialized program that displays the design in a web browser to avoid any surprises and misunderstandings. And again it is your role to accept the project or reject it and indicate the corrections.
Up to this point, feel free to add any of your suggestion to the project. - Development and Testing
This stage focuses mainly on coding. Our HubSpot-certified developers bring your design to life. Besides writing lines of code, they regularly run tests to make sure everything works smoothly on every platform and device, as well as their code is properly adjusted for high conversion. Furthermore, our experts focus on content migration and SEO friendly setup.
Please remember that from now on, there are no possibilities of making changes. At this phase, we have a strict budget and have to keep to it. No changes will be done. - Going live
Once your new template has passed all the tests, it is time to go live. Clickray can handle all the processes for your firm, from domain configuration and redirects to URL mapping. You may also introduce your brand-new website to the world on your own.
This phase is adjusted to the individual needs of the client and may (but does not have to) include the possibility of introducing changes to the templates.
Do you still have an option to make changes when the webpage was released?
Feel free to ask for additional help; choose one of the Hourly Packages that suits best to your needs. The packages are presented above, in the Template Customization section.
Custom Web Design pricing
To make the situation more clarified we prepared a chart to sum up everything about this two types of services and the differences between them.
We have hope that all the problems and ambiguities associated with Template Customization and Custom WebDesign have been explained in this text and discussed in depth. With the metaphor of grandma's cake in mind, it is much easier to understand the differences between them.
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Szymon Binek
