One of the biggest initial costs in getting your business on the internet is the initial website design. One way to reduce this cost is through the use of website templates. They are affordable and save you a lot of time. Templates are a quick and easy way to create a layout for your website. However, there are several mistakes you can make in the process of choosing and using a web template. You could end up with something that is completely different from the image you had in mind. Here are a couple of guidelines to help you avoid those mistakes.

Many people think it is an obvious mistake to use a template that is very popular. The thought is that if many people use the same template, your website will not be unique or appear generic. Not so! Consider why that website template is popular. Because it works! It looks good! You don't really have to worry about whether your website is totally unique. Why? Lets say that 2,000 people have used a particular website template that you like. Or even 5,000 have sued it. Well, according to the Netcraft Web Server Survey, as of December 2009 there are around 233,848,493 websites available on the world wide web. Your website is just a teeny little drop in the ocean. So, don't make the mistake of not using a popular, well laid out design, just because a lot of people have already used it.

Another mistake that is common is to change the template to the point that it does not flow properly. The whole point of using a web template is to save you money,time, and effort. With a template, all you have to do is change the title and appropriate details and you're done. But do not customize the template too much. You may think that is a good idea because you are creating a unique graphic, but you are also defeating the very purpose of using a web template.

Be specific about any changes you do make. If a template you purchase is suitable for your product or service, limit the changes to just what is necessary. For instance, your product is pet supplies. You find a great template that suits you perfectly. However, the designer has put an image of hair products in the header. All you have to do is find images of pets and pet products to replace the hair images. You don't have to redesign the whole template.

Some people make the wrong choice of templates. A jazzy, hip, template with lots of flash is not going to impress your 60 plus year old target market. Older people like easy to read, plain and simple sites. The bottom line is, just be careful in selecting templates so they target your market. Do not choose a templates because it is pretty. Choose your website template because it serves your purpose.

Finally, it is a good idea to stay away from sites that include java script and flash files. It is much more difficult to optimize these sites for the search engines. And absolutely do not use a template that has frames. The search robots that crawl your site will just see frames, java, and flash as empty holes in your website.