Purchase a Theme Template?

Should you be concerned that your website designer is looking to use a Theme for your website design build? Are they not charging you over-the-odds for something that is already done? Are they all just cowboys? This post was inspired by a Boards.ie thread that I was reading today. What it comes down to is the difficulties clients have in understanding just what web designers are doing.

Websites are now built typically more and more on CMS (Content Management Systems). These systems allow for content to be subdivided in particular ways that enable a client and website designer to change and manipulate the content with more flexibility. The CMS system is a framework that the information sits on and passes through to the user (viewer of the website). Because these CMS frameworks are highly flexible we are able to use them for all sorts of different types of websites. Examples of these are Wordpress, Joomla, Drupal, Simple CMS, etc. The benefits of using these frameworks is immense …so y0u can read more about that somewhere else.

CMS systems allow for you to create and upload different Templates. These templates can be purchased, created, or any combination of the two. Thus, what you get is dependent on what you agree with your website designer. If you get a purchased template should you be upset? Not necessarily. The point of using existing design templates is to save time and money not re-inventing the wheel. This can enable you the ability to get up and running fast.

Can you pay a lot and still get a Purchased Template? Yes, the template is only one part of the overall website build. The money you paid could have gone into other elements that are specific for your needs. Remember that the Template has nothing to do with the content. It is – itself a Framework of sorts. For example your template might simply be the header and background of your website and not have anything to do with the content on individual pages. Thus, each page content might be customised by your web designer. Depending on what is needed this could be very costly and time consuming.

It is important to realise that the cost of design is in the cost of man hours. Therefore it doesn’t matter if you have a purchased template, one that has been purchased then customised, or one that has been purpose built – The costs are completely dependent on Man Hours it takes to complete the build.

So how can you tell? Well the simple fact is that you might not be able to. What it comes down to is – did you get what you are looking for in a design and was the cost within expectation. What the designer has to do to get the job done is important but most of the time the client does not understand the technology. Template design is about a look and feel of a site and as long as it doesn’t prevent good SEO then you should not be worried about whether it is a Purchased Template, Custom, or Otherwise.

Here at Freeman Contingent we do all of the above. We have used custom templates, purchased templates, and even free templates. The reality is that no matter what we use, we always have to customise it for our needs. So there is always design costs involved. But if a purchased template has almost everything a client needs and the client likes the design – why not use it? This way we can keep our cost the same and add customisation we normally would have had to charge for. So web designers only use other peoples templates and then customise them for their clients needs.

I would say that the most important thing is simply to ask your designer what they are going to do and why. You may even ask them to use a template to try and keep costs to a minimum. But if you do this remember that you may not get everything that you want…as the template might not be that flexible. Thus, it comes down to having a designer that you can talk with openly and honestly. Ask them questions and expect a straightforward answer. At the end of the day it is all about a trusted relationship with your designer. And last but not least – you get what you pay for…so if you go cheap – don’t expect to get the moon