10 Reasons NOT to buy or use a Web Templates
Web Templates aren’t all they’re are cracked up to be for the unwary DIY “web designer”. Many start-up businesses on a tight budget will often believe a web template is the answer to their online prayers but later come away disappointed.
Yes they look good, the colours are vivid, the typography is slick and well proportioned. There is even some nice ‘bells & whistles’ menu system, with ‘click’ sounds or a Flash animated intro… and all for sub 0. WOW !!
Well these web templates are actually designed by a team of professionals, which need to sell a quite few to cover their costs. And certainly there is a massive cost saving with a web template over a bespoke and unique design solution by your local dedictaed web designer who may easily charge £500+ for the same thing.
You can see the attraction!
But once they download their newly purchased website sensation the trouble can begin !!
Here’s TEN REASONS why the novice or unwary small business may come unstuck with or not appreciate why they have just wasted money on a Web Template.
TEN REASONS:
Web Templates need CUSTOMISING ANYWAY which means you need the skills and software to do this or you will still need to employ a web designer to change things for you.
Web Templates are so GENERIC which means 90% of the layout and design will cause you problems when you come to add your own content or images which may not fit.
Web Templates often need EXPENSIVE EDITING SOFTWARE which means you may have saved on the design cost but will need a few 0’s of expert software like the pro’s choice of tools such as Adobe Photoshop (0), Dreamweaver (0) and Flash (0) to edit the master files… Now most web designers will already have these tools in their armoury anyway.
Web Templates need a DOMAIN & HOSTING which most novices don’t understand how to buy or set-up. A Pro’ web designer can advise and set-up the right domain name and the correct type of hosting and server for their needs.
Web Templates have COMPLICATED INSTRUCTIONS with lots of technical jargon and do’s and don’ts that may as well be written in “double-dutch” to the novice.
Web Templates need HTML and CSS CODING SKILLS to get the best out of the any customisation or layout modifications you will want to make.
Web Templates can BE RESTRICTIVE in not allowing extra pages or adding a key features you want that the template cannot support without major re-coding by a professional.
Web Templates are SOLD & REPLICATED AGAIN & AGAIN which means your site will look like many others without a unique brand which could be important for online businesses.
Web Templates have too many BELLS & WHISTLES (especially Flash animated types) to entice you into a false impression that it will WOW! your customers. THEY WILL NOT! Not many websites retain longevity if visitors have to wait for gratuitous ‘bells and whistles’ – they are too busy !
Web Template sites are usually BAD FOR SEARCH ENGINES in that they need the skills of a web HTML coder and Search Engine expert to tweak them into a keyword laden and optimised search magnet. Not many off-the-shelf web templates make Google Page 1 !!!
BONUS REASON No.11
There are other reasons not to buy or use templates for a serious online business but these are of a technical nature. But I just thought of a BONUS REASON worth considering…
11. Web Templates force you into MAKING DESIGN COMPROMISES in that the spaces allowed may inhibit your ideas, i.e. not enough room for a logo or to embed a YouTube movie, forcing you to re-think your needs. The template then becomes the Design Master if you don’t have the software or skills to modify things yourself.
WEB TEMPLATE ADVICE
So there you have it! We do recognise that many people do indeed buy and use templates successfully, usually amateurs, hobbyists and bloggers. But we think serious businesses would be wise to get a unique and self-branded web design package from a professional design company. Afterall, first impressions count on the web and you ONLY have about 4 seconds to do that these days !!
So some advice: If you are serious at being an online success – employ a professional web designer to create your a unique web design that can grow with your business.