As many have seen web templates have certainly gained popularity over the years, sprouting companies that started as Web Design companies and now concentrate on designing templates. Companies like Template Monster that pump out high quality templates for a resonable price have certainly made their mark on the Web Design Industry. Does this mean that Web Design companies are going to go out of business?...That is nonsense.

Sure web templates fill a particular niche in the Web Design Industry, but they will never get rid of Web Designers. How many people do you know that work on their own car? Have mechanics vanished? Everyone should know the answer to that.

Web templates can produce a nice site if the person editing the template knows web design. Taking a pre-made web template and simply adding your content to it does not make for a great site. Editing a template takes knowing HTML first off, and if it is a flash template, well then you have to be a flash designer too. If you are experienced you can create a great site using a web template, but it will only be as good as the effort you put into it.

Just like a mechanic knows the automotive industry and its trends, so do Web Design Companies. That is their business. If they don't know the industry then you need to look somewhere else. Successful Web Design Companies study the trends and needs of Internet users. This gives them the advantage when it comes to creating an appealing website.

eCommerce Web Templates

eCommerce is one very important aspect of Web Design. Sure you can get a web template and add PayPal Buy buttons to it and sell your goods and services, but don't expect it to make you a millionaire. The public is finally understanding the complexity of creating a useable, successful website. Gone is the stigma that all Web Designers are whiz kids working out of their basements. Shopping cart software is not something the average Joe can install and make successful. osCommerce is a very popular open source shopping cart software. Most Web Hosting Companies now offer it as a one-click install through their control panel. osCommerce comes with a template, that is useable, but not very pleasant to look at. You can go and buy a web template to use with osCommerce, but you will need to know how to implement it.

Branding Issue

The most important thing to consider about web templates is the fact that since they are offered like any other product, if you use one for your business, its going to look like someone else's site. Most of the time in business you want to create branding, well if someone else has your design your branding just went right out the window. Some web template companies do offer exclusive pricing, what this means is that they will not sell that template anymore after the "Exclusive Price" is paid. The only drawback to this exclusivity is that if someone else has already purchased it, then how exclusive is it.

Static or Dynamic?

The only use I can see for a web template in a large content site is to skin the software used to control the content. Simply using a web template to create each page of a large content site would be nearly impossible to update in the future. As in the case of osCommerce, web templates can be used to skin content managment software. Obviously some knowledge of the software will be needed in order to implement your web template. This is again where the Web Design Company comes into play.

Can I Make My Business Site?

Special skills are needed to create a successful website. Web Templates have made it possible for more people to create their mark on the Net, yet it still will never replace the need for experienced Web Design Companies. Next time you are considering creating a site for your business really analyze your skills and see if you have the knowledge it takes to create a website that you would like associated with your business.