First off, I am a designer. Now you're thinking, here's this guy trying to convince me to hire a designer costing a few hundred to a few thousand dollars instead of buying a pre-made web template for about $60. Well, these days most companies don't have the money to invest in a costly web site and there are thousands of hungry web designers out there, plus now there are web template resources. These resources can equal great value and effectiveness for the customer as well as increased business for the web designer.
For the customer it is important to be prepared. They need to know what their website should look like, how it will perform, the ability to update and add to it easily, so as not to be held hostage by a design firm's technical code talk.
Now for the reality of web templates. There are hundreds of web templates and many web sites offering the same hundreds of templates. There are templates for a wide range of business types: from agriculture to wedding sites. Depending on the business category you may find 20 to 400 hundred different template packages to choose from. Most look quite good, but remember you may not be the only company that buys the template. There could be sites that look the same as yours unless you buy an exclusive on the design. The price for an exclusive design ranges from $800 to $3000, meaning you must be the first customer to purchase the template to be used only by you. On the other hand, prior to your purchase of a particular template, several customers may have bought that same template and can use it as well, and as a result will have made this template non-exclusive.
Ok, here is where I come in, as well as my fellow designers. The times for web site design are changing as competition grows daily, not just from low-cost template designs but from low-cost designers (will talk about that in more detail in another article). I am not going to list any particular template design company as there are only a few choice ones. Templates are an excellent resource to offer your customers as you are showing your willingness to work with them for reasonable costs. You can fine tune the design, whether it be graphic changes as well as text. As a rule, many companies do not have the software to perform modifications to the web site template or they have the software but not the time or expertise. The template is a good starting point and can save costs, but modifications are usually needed as one size does not fit all. This way the customer gets good value and you get new business.
Dennis Dadey (c) 2004
- About the Author -
Since 1997, Dennis Dadey, Chief Designer at IR Design, has been helping people with e-commerce applications. Find out more about IR Design at http://www.irdesign.com.
shuttle to Midway Beardstown .. Lockport Chicago limo O’HareEvery now and then, I receive a link exchange request... Read More
You've likely heard of the movie, Jerry Maguire, with its... Read More
This article gives free tips on how to find a... Read More
As a graphic designer, you are sitting on a gold... Read More
In this article we will be looking at why you... Read More
Geometric designs come in all shapes and sizes? and lines.... Read More
Out there in the WWW there are thousands sites using... Read More
With so many different configurations internet users have their computers... Read More
So, what's in a website design anyway? And, how do... Read More
Did you know that many folks make "buying decisions" when... Read More
Questions to ask when designing a Web Site for your... Read More
Web Design is a very subjective process. Your idea of... Read More
Here are 10 dynamic website advertising tactics to super-charge your... Read More
As a webmaster, you want to keep your visitors content... Read More
Most of us know that we need to advertise our... Read More
An attractive and user-friendly Web site is crucial to attracting... Read More
Since I made the switch 6 months ago to a... Read More
The first immutable law of effective navigation: It's gotta be... Read More
Do you remember playing with the jack-in-the-box toy as a... Read More
Being a writer, when I was asked to do some... Read More
Building a website that is exactly what you want and... Read More
I am constantly bombarded with all sorts of advertisements, single-page... Read More
Since I'm a web designer, I have a tendency to... Read More
Conventional Wisdom states you should use Sub-Directories to organize your... Read More
CNN.com's designers have gone out of their way to make... Read More
Green Bay Hummer H2 SUV rentals ..This article may come as a surprise to you.Especially since... Read More
Want to know what the worst thing to say on... Read More
CNN.com's designers have gone out of their way to make... Read More
The Psychology of ColorAre you using the best colors for... Read More
The "Wow" factor that accompanied the introduction of streaming media... Read More
If your are a new web designer, you may face... Read More
Are you serious about get this website done fast and... Read More
Before you start worrying about marketing your website on the... Read More
An "include" file is a piece of code that can... Read More
A search for "web design" on Google returns more than... Read More
Any kid, and their grandmother too, can make a webpage.... Read More
In this era of ultra-sophisticated internet marketing and web design,... Read More
Learning how to convert visitors to your web site into... Read More
Read the title of this article over a couple of... Read More
All websites have a homepage. It is the most important... Read More
One of the most frequent questions I get asked about... Read More
The problem with designing your site as a graphic, is... Read More
Back to basics. Forget funky design, good copywriting is the... Read More
Sooner or later every small or medium business owner realizes... Read More
You may not believe it, but people still judge things... Read More
One visit does not make a sale. Be sure to... Read More
You've come up with a great product. You've got the... Read More
When I surf the Net, I often see web sites... Read More
Wether you design your business brochures, flyers, web page, or... Read More
1. What's the purpose?The most fundamental thing to do before... Read More
Web Design |