The Pros and Cons Of Using Templates

When starting a web site one of the first questions any blogger asks themselves is how much they are willing to spend on getting their site up and going. You can hire a web developer that will give you an original base from which you can begin expressing your ideas, promoting your products, or running a forum; however, this comes at a cost and there are tons of free templates on the web that have proven to be cost effective tools for millions of start-up bloggers. This does raise important questions as to whether or not a blogger is able to stand out among the crowd by using such services. Below is a list of some of the pros and cons of using site templates to begin your venture:

The Pros

• For starters, using these services are quick and cost efficient. They are designed for presentation purposes only and they often follow a guideline and format that is often comparable to many other blogs currently on the web.

• Templates are user friendly as most people online aren’t web developers. We’ve seen an increased emphasis placed upon services and products that have importance placed on their “usability.” In essence, you can download a template and get started with no hassle of working, beta testing, or fine-tuning a site. You’re ready to dive right into the blogosphere with great speed.

• The cost is probably the biggest benefit to the blogger. Very often a person will have to find a good web developer that charges an hourly or base rate, which often proves to be cost prohibitive to any start-up site. With templates, practically anyone at anytime can open up an online forum and start expressing their ideas and fulfilling their goals.

The Cons

• With templates, you’re automatically limited by the capabilities of the template. Though it’s quick and user friendly, it doesn’t always meet the specific needs of the individual user. Instead, these templates are designed to meet a broad range of needs and don’t always allow for personal manipulation of information. Bloggers are limited to work within the confines of the template itself which isn’t always an attractive proposition.

• It’s important for any blogger to stand out among the cacophony of information and when using templates, you can get lost in the information. It’s important to have an effective marketing strategy, and many businesses, like www.evisibility.com, works with sites and bloggers to increase their online profile. It’s not always the best when you’re trying to establish yourself as an authority if your site looks cheep and basic.

• The quality of detail and dynamic information isn’t always an option with templates. Though some are higher quality, you usually have to pay for them. At this point, you’d probably be better off just hiring a developer or company to design a site that better suits your specific needs.

In the end, which path you take is all according to what you’re looking to do with your blog. If you’re just running an opinion blog with only the aim of expressing your ideas or daily thoughts, you are probably better off using a template site to begin. On the other hand, if you’re coming at your blog from a professional standpoint, it’s better that you view it as such and invest in a site that will fulfill and allow you to do what you want.

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