Buying a stock web design template can seem like a time and money saving move. Instead of paying for a custom site design, why not pay a little less for something that already exists, right?
But those templates can be trouble. Here are a few reasons to avoid the slice-and-bake cookies of the web design world:
- You don't know who built the template. And thus, you don't know if it was built well, or what kinds of problems it might have. Chances are, it's not search engine friendly, and maybe it won't work on certain computers. In short, you have no way of knowing if you are buying a lemon.
- It may be very complicated to update. Depending on the way it was built, you may have an updating nightmare on your hands. And since the point of a website is to display your company's most up-to-date information, it wouldn't be cool if you had to go through a process and a half every time you needed to make a change. With stock templates like these, there's usually no support included, so there's no one to ask if you need help. You buy one of those babies, and you're on your own to keep it going – for better, or, more likely, for worse.
- It may not meet your goals. There are a million approaches to building a website. Some designers focus on things that simply look good, so there are some templates out there that seem appealing because they look flashy and fun. But if you're just picking out a template on face value, you're likely to miss out on the functionality that your website could offer. When you work with web designers like us, you'll see that we focus on designs that help you meet your business' goals. Unless you can talk to a designer about your goals for the site, how will you ever meet them?
It's true, sometimes people use prepackaged dough and survive...but there's nothing like homemade.
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