Design Templates - 3 Hurdles and Pitfalls

Avoid the pitfalls to do it yourself site design

Do it yourself website design can be fun if you have the time and patients. Here are 3 major obstacles to avoid while using a template to design your own site.

Avoid this major hurdle

The top, most asked question I receive is: Why won't my site work?

The question comes in many forms and formats but the basic problem is: the template doesn't work the way I envisioned it.

This may be contributed to wanting more than the template has to offer. The scope and purpose of the website template is to allow you, the user, to quickly put content on line. There are several ways to do this:

• Wizards: Site Builder provided by hosting account.
• Hire a designer.
• Design it yourself with free or paid template.
• Content Management System (Dreamweaver, Frontpage, Joomla, Etc.)

Each comes with its own set of challenges, so avoid wanting too much from your choose of site building tools. Know the limitations, scope and purpose.

Do not alter important elements

All templates will have components you can edit, but should you?

When I first started out some years ago, I would often change items in the template coding because of my experience and knowledge of HTML plus training in Mysql...

I would end up spending hours making 'small' changes to the code. It was fun to me but not a very effective use of my time. Remember, the purpose of using templates is to QUICKLY PUT CONTENT ON LINE.

I suggest you alter only the items that the documentation require you to edit.

Scripts within the templates or tools used in building your site are especially sensitive.

Altering images that come with your template is an expert level manipulation function. Are you expert with PhotoShop?

You can find an image to replace the one you 'don't like'. Do not attempt to change the image that came with the template. Trust me, this will save you time and avoid unnecessary frustration.

Don't forget marketing

Change and include Meta keyword and description elements, update the title tag on each page of the site.

After all, you want to be found by search engines, friends and potential clients.

Build yourself a robot file and Sitemap. Make your site visible to the World Wide Web.

Conclusion

Designing with templates have many hurdles, limitations and pitfalls, but understanding the purpose and scope of the tool you use coupled with making required changes only plus including marketing concerns, will have you a professional site up and running in as little as 24 hours to 48 hours.

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Anthony Morgan is an online marketeer and direct sales affiliate.
He is passionate about supplying entrepreneurs with systems and products that are effective in building personal success.