DIY web design with templates

Posted by Roan Lavery

If we’re honest, learning HTML isn’t rocket science. CSS might seem so at first but with a bit of perseverance anyone can master the tools needed to start building simple websites. The process becomes even easier when you consider the use of web authoring software such as Dreamweaver or (shudder) Frontpage. Lots of people discover however that there’s more to creating a great website than simply understanding HTML tags and CSS selectors. The first thing that sets a great site apart is obviously the design. First impressions count, so the look of your site is critical, but this is an area where many people struggle, especially if they’re not from a traditional design background.

Once the site has been designed, and building starts, there is the frustrating bugbear of cross browser compatibility and ensuring the site works perfectly across all platforms, not to mention optimising for search engines like Google. All of this is enough to turn many away from the daunting challenge of making their own site. Most people hire a design agency who’ll do the hard work for them, but some people opt for a third option: building a site with ready made templates.

Templates are becoming an increasingly popular way for people with a little web design knowledge to create their own website at a fraction of the cost of having it created by a professional web development agency. Templating a website usually works in one of two ways: either you choose a design from a gallery of ready made templates, such as Template Monster, or you approach a web design company who make a custom template for you. Both require some knowledge of HTML, CSS and web design in general, but nowhere near the level required to build a site from scratch. Templates can be very cheap too, especially if you’re buying from a template site, where they can cost as little as $50, so it might seem like an attractive option at first for the would-be web designer.

This approach isn’t without its pitfalls though, and it’s important to realise the problems when creating a website from a template.

Off the Peg templates

If you’re buying a template “off the peg” as it were, then there are a couple of things you should definitely consider:

• Check the quality of the code. Many templates have a very poor standard of code. You might think this is irrelevant as long as the site looks ok, but that’s not the case and a badly coded site will not perform well in the search engine rankings. It may also be slow to download. Which leads to…
• Check how long the page takes to download. Many templates look visually impressive due to a huge amount of graphics and code. Inevitably this means the site will take longer to download and customers never like to be kept waiting.
• With an off the peg site, it’s entirely feasible that someone else has the exact same site as you. Think about the perception of your site if a customer has seen the same design somewhere else. Maybe even one of your competitors!
• How much does the design really fit your business? With a ready made template you have to fit your business into the design, not the other way around. Ideally a website should be created around your business.

Custom made templates

These templates are ones created by web design agencies to order. Typically this will include the initial designs and one or two HTML/CSS templates for the main sections of the site. This approach has it’s advantages:

• Your site will be one of a kind if it’s being made specifically for you. You’ll also be involved in the design process so you can give feedback on how the site should look and work.
• The standard of the code should be high if you go to a good agency. You should shop around until you find someone who will create it to the highest standards.
• The style and structure should fit your business, complementing existing branding and fit in with where you want to take the site.

Obviously, custom made templates are much more expensive, but it’s still a cheaper option than having the entire site built. Even with this approach though there are still things to be wary of.

The problem with templates

If the idea of creating your website from a template appeals to you, and you’ve made the choice between either going off the peg or custom made, make sure you’ve thought about the following points:

• How well do you know HTML, CSS and other coding languages? You might think you have a good grasp, but techniques for creating sites are progressing all the time and you’ll need up to date skills. Be careful that you end up taking a well made template, that’s optimised for search engines and works well on all browsers, and break it!
• Building a site takes time, so make sure you’ve set a realistic amount of time aside in order to build the site.
• Does your site require any backend functionality? Templates are purely front end designs. If you need any sort of database functionality or E-commerce then your either going need an in depth knowledge of web development or hire someone else who does. You can’t shortcut this stuff.

To template or not to template?

There’s no absolute right answer when it comes to the question of templates for web design. It’s horses for courses. Budget clearly plays a huge factor for many people, so templates can appear at first like a good option. If you are going down this route just make sure you have a good, up to date understanding of best practices in web design.

If your budget can stretch to a custom made template then do so. Even better, go for a professionally made website. The long term benefits of a website made specifically for your business will pay off in the long run.