Website Owner Mistakes
Should I get a WordPress Template?
The sale of WordPress templates makes millions of dollars every year. It's no wonder - there is a big market of people who want a website but don't have the time or money to construct one. WordPress templates seem like an easy answer, but do they come with a hidden cost?
I’m a professional web designer, and I can’t tell you how many people I’ve seen make the mistake of getting a WordPress template. Many people are attracted to WordPress templates because they view them as a quick and easy way to get a website up and running. The worst part is, they’re right. Virtually anyone can have a WordPress template online in a few minutes. What most people don’t realize is that even though the template may look good, your business is going to look bad in it. Allow me to explain.
A website is like a pair of shoes - it has to fit perfectly or it’s going to hurt. Your organization is unique (or at least it should be) - whether you’re a house cleaner or a non-profit. Trying to fit your business into someone else’s framework implies that you have nothing unique to offer, or worse, that you have no money to spend on your website. Trust me, people can tell you used a template - there is something about it that just doesn’t look quite right.
“But I changed the colors!”
My answer - “Nah, it still looks like you used a template.”
Using a template is still using someone else’s brand, whether they gave you permission or not. It’s like a person who's trying to be someone they’re not, and that’s just sad folks.
There are practical problems with templates too. Website owners that try to fit their business into (literally) someone else’s box suffer from having not enough room for their content or too much. Many templates have stock images that don’t reflect your brand - looking either too fancy for what you offer or too simple. I’ve never seen even one template hit the mark exactly. Make no mistake: I am a web designer because templates are a bad idea. And they are a bad idea for EVERY type of business.
If you are looking for WordPress templates, you will find plenty, and for every industry. Why? Because people don’t want the hard work or expense involved with having a custom design, and the market wants to capitalize on it. Well, I’m here to bust the myth that custom websites are going to cost you a bunch of money. They will cost you upfront, but just like a home renovation, it should eventually pay for itself and more. To take the house analogy further, having a bad-looking, the derelict house is going to attract your bargain hunters. Having a beautiful home is going to attract admirers. Besides, beautiful custom design isn’t that expensive, and it’s well worth it - you can check out our pricing here.
If you are looking for WordPress templates, you will find plenty, and for every industry. Why? Because people don’t want the hard work or expense involved with having a custom design, and the market wants to capitalize on it. Well, I’m here to bust the myth that custom websites are going to cost you a bunch of money. They will cost you upfront, but just like a home renovation, it should eventually pay for itself and more.
To take the house analogy further, having a bad-looking, the derelict house is going to attract your bargain hunters. Having a beautiful home is going to attract admirers. Besides, beautiful custom design isn’t that expensive, and it’s well worth it - you can check out our pricing here.
Since people recognize that custom design takes the hard work of a professional, we can also recognize that the “copy and paste” of a WordPress template means the opposite - the easy job of an amateur. Harsh? Yeah. In other words, template websites leave a bad impression, and for many of your prospective clientele, it may be the only impression you get to make. I don’t need to tell you how many people research a business online before going to it, but I will. It’s between 70-80% (Blue Corona).
To be fair, some templates can be beneficial under certain circumstances. For example, a template that is purely a design - meaning that it is not a functioning WordPress website - can provide good “bones” for a custom design. Such a design can be later turned into a live website, but the key is that it was used only as a head-start, and everything (images, text, framework) is still completely editable before it becomes a website. In this way, a template can serve as “inspiration” without keeping you in a box.
If you want to get more of my series on the “Top Ten Mistakes Website Owners Make,” be sure to follow my social channels or check out our latest posts. We’ve got tons of free tips on the way. God bless!