Website Templates
What are website templates?
A template, or website template, is simply a pre-designed base on which to build a fully functional website in very little time. A template, which is built with HTML and CSS, lets you make basic customizations to aspects such as colors, the layout of graphic elements, sections, text formatting, etc.
There are also templates ready to be used in content management systems (CMS) such as WordPress, which are very popular. It is the most popular option among those venturing to create their first websites.
Templates are designs created by web designers, programmers or companies whose goal is to sell users a license to use them (lifetime or renewable periodically). That said, there are often free templates with limitations and fewer features than the paid versions.
It is also common to talk about templates in email marketing; after all, these are also HTML-based templates, but in that case they consist of a single page with a responsive design.
1. Advantages of using templates
There is a lot of debate about whether to use templates or custom development. Here are the advantages of using templates, so you can decide whether they are right for you:
- Easy to edit. Templates are designed so that people with basic to intermediate skills can customize them as well, that is, make simple, basic changes.
- Very low cost. Premium templates are always the best choice, as they include support and updates; they cost between 50 and 150 euros. However, if you have a very small budget, there are thousands of free website templates.
- Quick to get started. Using a template shortens the time it takes to get a website live with the content you want. However, the more you want to customize the template, the more time it will take to complete the website.
- Visually very attractive. There is no doubt that templates generally have a very attractive design and can make a modest company or project look like a major business.
2. Disadvantages of using templates
Yes, using templates also has a number of disadvantages and limitations when creating a website. Some of them are:
- Limited customization. While it is true that changing an image or text is extremely easy, templates are also quite rigid and inflexible if you need to modify really important, substantial aspects. Of course, paid templates are much more flexible than the free ones.
- They are not the best option for SEO. You don’t have control over the template’s code; it is often reused code, and that doesn’t help you achieve optimal SEO rankings, largely because these sites tend to load a bit more slowly.
- They can be used by your competitors. Since templates are mass-developed and mass-sold products, you will come across many websites that look just like yours, even if you change the colors. It doesn’t help you to differentiate yourself from the rest of the market, something that you do find in custom designs.
- For substantial changes, you will need a specialist in web design. That is why the saying “cheap can sometimes turn out to be expensive” applies here. Investing in the template is cheap, but making changes to it may force us to seek professional help.