The Pros and Cons of Website Templates

Posted on Posted in Website Design

Web site templates can help you get a start on your online business. With the emergence of the Internet, it is not uncommon for a business to have its own web site. In fact, most businesses now have their own web sites, and many even conduct their businesses online. However, before you bring your business to the Internet, you should first have a functioning and professional-looking web site that your prospective customers can efficiently use and navigate and which will attract and impress them.

Web site design is an aspect of web development that should be given careful consideration, as the web site design can be a determining factor on how much web traffic your site will generate, as well as how many conversions you will make.

Why Use Web Site Templates?

Web site development and web site design can be a simple or complex process, depending on the type of web site you want to develop and the features that you want to include in the site. A lot of entrepreneurs now are trying their hand at web site design, although they also have the option of hiring professionals for the job. Whether you, the entrepreneur, prefer to create your own web site or have a professional work with you, the use of web site templates is an option. Selecting the appropriate web site templates and using these web site templates the right way can help you get the look and feel that you want for your web site.

Whatever you choose, web site templates can help you quickly develop your web site, as web site templates already contain everything you need, and you only have to fill in the content. Some web site templates even indicate what content you should place and where it should be placed. Web site templates are also inexpensive, and you can even get them for free. Web site templates provide your site with a uniform and clean look, because after all, these web site templates are created by professionals who are very detail-oriented. Additionally, when you use web site templates, you can easily edit images using a photo editor like Adobe Photoshop. Updating a web site that uses web site templates is also straightforward and the use of web site templates lessens chances of destroying a web page’s layout, as web site templates have editable and non-editable regions.

On the Other Hand… Why Not?

As with anything else, even web site templates have their disadvantages. For one, you won’t have exclusive rights to the web site templates, and it may be difficult or even impossible to change the pre-designed format. You would also want your web site to look original and to portray a certain image. However, using web site templates may make your web site have that “template look”. In the same manner, it would be so easy for other businesses to end up using the same web site templates as the one you did. This can make your site or business lose its identity and can cause brand confusion for your customers. Additionally, using web site templates can deprive you of the chance to work with a professional web site designer who can answer your questions and help you create a custom-designed web site.

4 thoughts on “The Pros and Cons of Website Templates

  1. Thats a good piece of advice. I want to start online affiliuate marketing business and i wonder if templates are the best thing to do. im especially interested in their impacts on SE ranking. do they limit my flexibility in SEO?

    ROBERT

  2. Templates are useful for affiliates considering they get to choose design themes at minimal cost. As for SEO, templates may help SEO if it is well written. In general, make sure the templates are XHTML validated. However, proper SEO needs to be studied, analyzed, customized based on website keywords.

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