10 Reasons to Use a Website Template for Your Business Website
e Here’s a little known fact: many website designers use website templates. Some are free HTML templates, others are CMS templates for WordPress and Joomla (to name a few). Sure, they change them according to their clients’ instructions, but it’s true: if you hire a website designer/developer, chances are your website will be based on a template (unless the project is specified as a job). customized and/or it is a very large project).
I’m not saying this to criticize website developers; Instead, I want to point out that using a website template as the base (or as-is) for your website(s), regardless of the purpose of your site, is a very good way to go for a number of reasons.
The benefit to a website designer using a website template is obvious: it saves time, which results in more money and/or more competitive pricing.
If you have decided to create your own website using a template, be it a WordPress theme or a free HTML template (for example), you have made a very, very good decision. I can’t tell you what a huge positive impact learning how to build my own business websites has had on my business. I don’t code my sites from scratch, I use website templates.
When you know how to launch a site and add content to your site, you have a huge advantage over your competitors because you save a lot of money getting their information, new products, new testimonials, etc. online immediately.
In fact, the big cost of working with a website designer isn’t the upfront cost — it’s the monthly fees to add content and manage your site.
The 10 reasons to use a website template are as follows:
1. Save time
You can do it in two ways.
Find a template platform you like (ie for WordPress: Genesis, Builder, Thesis, etc. or HTML templates and know you’ll be revising the design quite a bit). Prayed,
Look for a website template that is as close to what you’re looking for as possible to minimize the amount of customization work.
Also, if you decide to install and configure the template yourself, you can be your own webmaster. That’s what I do for my small business. I have a great advantage because I can make changes and add content whenever I want. I don’t have to send instructions and then review the work of a webmaster.
2. Save money
This is an obvious advantage. For less than $100 you can launch a fantastic fully designed website. There are also free HTML templates, WordPress themes, and Joomla templates available. But that’s not where the cost savings end. In fact, the real cost savings is the fact that you learn how to run your website, which will save you webmaster fees every month. This is the real advantage; one where I have realized cost savings of thousands of dollars in the past few years by being my own webmaster.
3. Website templates are well coded
Well, usually well coded – buy from reputable template providers. If you hire a web developer and know absolutely nothing about coding, you’ll never know if you’re coding well. Template providers generally keep up to date with the latest coding practices, which means that the foundation of your website (even if you make changes) will be well-coded.
There are no barriers to entry for web developers: anyone can build a website and do business. When you hire a web developer, you get what you pay for. Also, unless you state otherwise, your developer will likely use a template, something you can do and save the hundreds or thousands of dollars you pay simply for a template set up by a website developer.
4. Website templates look great
A lot of work goes into designing a great website. When you buy a template, you get a beautiful design for a fraction of the actual cost of website design.
Also, you can shop around until you find the perfect template. Most likely, you are not sure what types of layouts are available and what type of layout you want for your website. Shopping for and researching templates gives you an idea to refine the vision and design you want for your website(s).
5.Integrated SEO settings
These days, more and more templates such as WordPress themes, Joomla templates, and website builders include search engine optimization configuration options. This is incredibly helpful so that you can optimize your website from the start. Many website developers and designers build good sites but don’t pay attention to search engine optimization (I know from personal experience: my first website I hired didn’t have any SEO work at all. However, I assumed that when the site to be built that would be built to get traffic from search engines).
6. Templates are easy to use
You can find free and paid templates that allow you to customize the design without knowing a single line of code. Please note that not all templates offer this. If you want easy customization, make sure your intended template purchase has this feature.
7. If you use CMS, you can add unlimited content with extreme ease
CMS stands for “content management system,” which means the ability to easily add content (in a nutshell). 2 very popular CMS platforms are WordPress and Joomla. With WordPress and Joomla, without knowing anything about coding, you can write articles and blog posts (including the use of images and videos) very easily and quickly by simply clicking the buttons (no coding knowledge needed).
Whether you go for an HTML template or a Flash website (no CMS), you can easily add a CMS platform to your static HTML site and then get the best of both worlds.
8. Take more control of your web marketing
There is a great opportunity on the Web. If you’re a small business without a huge marketing budget, why not learn how to market your business online yourself? I did, and my business grew incredibly. Also, I was able to target the exact clients I wanted and it worked.
9. Immediate results
When you trust a webmaster, there is a delay in publishing the content. When you’re in control, you can get your content—whether it’s a sale, a new service, a media mention, a new testimonial—published right away.
10. Online marketing can result in the highest ROI for small businesses
I firmly believe that the greatest marketing opportunities are on the Web. Not only is it the cheapest form of marketing (if you learn it yourself), but it is highly effective. When you take control of your business’s online marketing, you’ll be hooked up with the latest online marketing techniques to try and use for your business.
Common concerns with purchasing a website template
Concern #1: My website will not be unique
I have two answers
- The chances of a competitor of yours using the same template (either a free or paid template) are so remote that I don’t worry. For my small business, I use the WordPress Enterprise theme (as is). I know that none of my competitors have a website remotely similar to mine.
- You can very easily change the color and layout of most templates (especially WordPress, Joomla and website builders) so you can customize any of these templates.
Concern #2: I don’t know how to program or where to start
Okay, so if you decided to create your own website with a template, there is a learning curve. But, it is not difficult. When I started creating my own business websites, all I knew was to surf the internet and use email.
A few weekends of playing around with WordPress and I was up and running pretty quickly.
Concern #3: What if I need help with my template?
Most template providers offer a variety of support options such as a forum (more helpful than you might think), tutorials, support ticket system, phone support, and/or live chat.
Also, most template providers offer custom help services that can offer direct help. The one-on-one support service costs additional fees, but it costs a fraction of what it costs to hire a web developer to build an entire website.
Worry #4: I can’t find exactly what I want
Note that the license with most templates gives you permission to review the template (if not, don’t buy it). My point is that all templates can be changed and customized.
If what you want is beyond your skills, ask the template provider if they can customize it for you (or refer you to a trusted developer to do it for you). The additional cost of some customizations is much less than hiring a web developer to take care of your entire project.
Worry #5: I don’t have time
I thought this at first, but I’m glad I didn’t succumb to it. Marketing is a necessary activity for any business. I made it a priority. I put in some extra time each week and it has paid off very well.