When starting a website, a common dilemma that many publishers face up to is whether to buy a pre-made template or pay a designer to create a unique web design.  The answer is not the same for all people, and deciding on a template design or a unique design depends largely on what the publisher is looking for in a website.  Considering the advantages and disadvantages of each will help a publisher choose the option that is best for their intended purpose in creating a website.

Template Overview
There are several internet companies that can supply ready-made template designs for websites geared towards a variety of different audiences.  There are templates specifically for selling products, providing information, or promoting a service.  The greatest advantage to using a template design is convenience—since there are dozens of internet companies providing templates, finding a company with an appropriate template design is easy.  Using a temple design to create your website allows you to get your website up and running quicker than is possible with a unique website design.  Browsing template designs may even help the publisher who isn’t sure of what they are looking for.  

    Buying a template also tends to be much cheaper than contracting a designer to create a bespoke website design.  This lower cost reflects the fact that the template is not unique.  A disadvantage to buying a template design for your website is that a competing website may be using the exact same template design.  However, since there are hundreds of template designs being provided by several companies, the probability that a competitor is using the same template is extremely small.  Also, the chosen template can be customized to a certain extent to make it fit your purpose a little better and reduce the chances of duplicating another website’s design.  These bespoke options, however, are not extensive, so the template must remain largely unchanged .

Pros:

• See the design before starting
• Faster
• Less expensive

Cons

• Others will have the same template
• Only somewhat customizable

Original Overview
    An original template provides more freedom and customization than a template design, but it also has some disadvantages.  Because a designer must assist you in your website design directly, buying an original website design costs more money than a template and typically takes more time to create and publish.

    The high cost has to do with ownership.  When a template is bought, only the usage rights are being sold—the original website still has the rights to the template and can resell it as many times as it wants.  With any bespoke website, the publisher is buying ownership of the design, meaning the designer is not allowed to resell an identical design to another publisher.  For this reason, one of the main advantages of buying an original website design means that no other website will have the same design, leaving the publisher with a unique website.

    With an original design, a publisher can stand out from the crowd.  Template designs are more common, so having a unique design may differentiate a publisher from the competition and see more success because of it.  The original design is also endlessly customizable, allowing the publisher to alter the design even after publication.

    Perhaps the greatest advantage to using a designer to create an original design is the expertise of the designer.  Each designer has lots of experience in creating websites and will know how best to capitalize on the content of the website to create an attractive design.  A designer can help translate what the website should achieve to how the website should look and feel.  Using a designer, a publisher can get exactly what they want and have envisioned in their website.

Pros

• Complete ownership of the design
• distinguishing and different design
• Endlessly customizable
• Designer experience
• Get exactly what you want/have envisioned

Cons

• More expensive than a template
• Takes more time

Conclusion
 Ultimately, the decision on whether to use a template design or an original design depends on the goals and needs of the publisher.  Website design should consider the type of people that will be using the website, the goal of the website, the amount of money that a publisher is willing to spend, and the product or service that is being provided on the website.  For getting a website up and running as quickly and cheaply as possible, buying a template design is the better choice.  However, if the publisher has a very specific design in mind and needs a designer’s insight into producing the website, then buying an original design is the better option.  Having a designer create bespoke designs can also help publishers that don’t know what kind of design to use but are not satisfied with any of the template options available. If you are serious about your online marketing always consider investing in a web design company that knows about marketing and holds this as important as the design itself, after all your website is just that, a piece of online marketing in some form or another.