Free Website Content
Pros And Cons To Website Templates
Pros and Cons of Web Templates
By Sharon Housley
Small retail businesses who are making
the move to an online presence may feel overwhelmed
by the process of creating a website. Web templates
can often help make the process less painful for a small
business. To assist webmasters in the "template vs custom
design" decision, we have outlined the pros and cons
to each...
Pros For Website Templates
Less Expensive
Using a web template is a far less expensive
option than having a custom website designed from scratch.
Customizable
Web templates can be customized, to a
certain extent, to meet the specific needs of a business.
Though admittedly, they are less customizable than a
fully-custom design.
Consistent
Web Templates are designed by professionals,
so the look and feel will remain consistent throughout
the design.
Professional
Web templates can indeed result in a professional
look. This is particularly important to small businesses
that do not have a staff of graphic designers.
Large Selection
At this point in time, there are a great
many web template websites. Any given template website,
such as Webmaster Templates ( http://www.webmaster-templates.net/
), may have thousands of web templates available, providing
small businesses with a huge selection of templates
to choose from.
Easily Managed
Web templates are easy to manage and manipulate.
You know what you are getting, so there are no surprises.
Quick
A web template allows a small business
to instantly create a web site. There are no delays
waiting for the design or revisions of a custom design.
Cons For Website Templates
Looks Similar
Some webmasters may worry that using a
web template could result in their site looking similar
to another site that used the same template.
Less Customizable
While web templates can be customized,
they are less customizable than a custom-designed website.
Pros For Custom Website Design
Unique
Having a custom-designed website results
in the site having a very distinctive and unique look.
Easily Brandable
Custom templates can be easily branded
to match a company's brand and existing look.
Cons For Custom Web Design
Expensive
Custom web design is significantly more
expensive than using a stock web template.
Time Consuming
Custom web design can take significantly
more time to design and implement than a template. The
design process can be long and arduous, so if you are
looking to hit the ground running with a website, you
may find the custom design process frustrating.
Predictability
While you may have a vision about what
you want in a custom web design, it is not always easy
to articulate your "vision" to a designer. As such,
the results may not be exactly as you had envisioned.
The difference in the resulting custom design may be
a pleasant surprise, or an expensive disappointment.
Web templates increase the speed in which
a website can be designed. With the layout, colors,
and graphics all in place, you can simply drop in the
content. And template-based websites are far less expensive
than custom designed sites... but they may also give
a webmaster far less flexibility. It is important for
small business owners to determine which solution is
the best option for their business.
About the Author:
Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll http://www.feedforall.com
software for creating, editing, publishing RSS feeds
and podcasts. In addition Sharon manages marketing for
RecordForAll http://www.recordforall.com
audio recording and editing software.
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copy of the issue or a link to any online posting would
be greatly appreciated send an email to sharon@notepage.net
.
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