Templates vs custom web site design

Feb 28
09:46

2008

Andrew Braudway

Andrew Braudway

  • Share this article on Facebook
  • Share this article on Twitter
  • Share this article on Linkedin

There are many opinions out there on if a template based web site is any good. Well, the answer is or course it is. Buying a template and creating a w...

mediaimage

There are many opinions out there on if a template based web site is any good. Well,Templates vs custom web site design Articles the answer is or course it is. Buying a template and creating a web site can save thousands of dollars. Looking through the web you will find that there that there are millions of places to find templates to create a new web site. Now, the real question should be can you create a web site from a template that will ultimately make you money. The answer again, of course, but this is where the average business owner should let a professional do their job. Customizing a template to meet your needs and optimizing it to be search engine friendly can take quite a bit of coding and experience. Anybody can create a web site but the average Joe has no chance verses an experienced web designer of creating a fully functional web site. A huge myth out there is that a web site needs to be a “custom design” to be worth anything. Every template you find is a “custom design” but you are only getting a bare bones web site that must be filled with your own rich content. Some of the advantages are that the lay out and navigation are done, the template comes loaded with pictures you can use, sometimes you'll even luck into flash headers or menus. Just remember that customizing a template will usually cut your web site cost at least in half. Now, on to custom web site designs, here you will find that you have complete control over the look and feel of your new web site. You ultimately have control over everything, but these freedoms do not come cheap. A custom web site can cost anywhere from 1500.00 to 3500.00 so do your research. We have all heard horror stories from a friend about someone paying 3500.00 for web site that is a piece of crap. So how do you know who to buy from or what to buy? Like I said before, do your research. Creating a custom web site takes a lot of planning and information so be prepared to spend a little time with your designer. When it is all said and done though, with a custom web site design you know that your company or business will have a unique design, fresh and original that no body else has. This is a huge plus considering how many web sites are out there. When considering whether to buy a template or a custom design here are a few key factors to consider.

Budget : What is your budget? How much can you really spend on this new web site

Time: How much time do you have to get this project complete?

Return on Investment: Depending on which route you take, will the new web site be worth it?

Goal: What is the purpose of getting a new web site? Are you only providing information to potential clients or an interactive fully automated on line store?

These are just a couple things to consider but at least you have a couple starting points to decide Template vs Custom Web Site.