More Words Than One

Website choice: template vs custom build?

Template-based websites are increasingly popular as a reasonably attractive, low-cost choice for establishing presence on the internet. Having provided clients a number of websites, both template and custom, I have experienced the advantages and disadvantages of each. Here are some thoughts:

Template sites entice with alluring display models. They promise economy and speedy progress from concept to completion. And, through their content management systems, ease of editing for individuals with no HTML, CSS, or PHP coding experience.

Indeed, a template site can be both quick and economic. Using a GoDaddy Website Tonight template, I had a nice-looking site up and running for a client in just several hours. The project was for an apartment property in a community where none of the competition had websites, so the client wasn't particularly concerned about elegance. Economy being a consideration, he liked the idea of simply paying GoDaddy $5 a month and avoiding the upfront cost of a designer.

The downside to such a site: the client is locked into a relationship with a specific server company. If anything happens to the company, or to its servers, the site is lost. And, as indicated earlier, the templates, though functional, lack elegance.

More recently, I produced three websites for a client using a template from ElegantThemes, which builds on the WordPress platform. The client was delighted with both the template design and the structure of content within the package.

However, to make the content look the way I wanted it to, I almost exclusively used the HTML editing option, rather than the Visual (what-you-see-is-what-you-get) mode. To darken or change fonts I had to edit the CSS style sheet. And, for certain modifications of headlines, it was necessary to edit a JavaScript form. Here I'll admit that I relied heavily on the excellent support provided by ElegantThemes's Forum moderators.

So keep in mind, even the best template-based sites require a certain level of knowledge about coding.

From a builder's perspective, the biggest nuisance about template sites is the need to edit via the internet, as the templates are housed on website host servers. To see how the site will really look, it has to be live.

The editing process is much easier, quicker – and more private – when one can do the work on a home- or office-based computer, then upload the polished content.

That said, working with ElegantThemes, I was delighted by the fact that header, sidebar, and footer are all edited in one place, rather than on each page. This is a huge benefit if the site has a large number of pages.

Bottom line? If you can find the right template, and it's supported by capable and readily available technical expertise, you'll likely save time and money going this route.

But if you want a website designed and built to meet your specific needs, work with a designer.

Mark Skok, Principal of Skok Communication Services, is a stickler for quality content.