In today's age of fast food and high-speed Internet, a business may be tempted to take the "more convenient" route in launching a website ? buying a template and customising it.
Website design templates are like off-the-shelf websites and are targeted at people who believe that launching their own, unique and differentiated website is costly and time consuming, which need not be the case.
But what happens when you buy a template, and when looking up your competition on the web, you find that they are using the same template as you! A good example of this happening is the highly competitive real estate business ? I have personally discovered 6 (six) South African real estate businesses using the same design template for their website.
Using the example of the real estate business, let's imagine a guy called Adam wants to look for a new home by looking at several websites.
After browsing a few sites it occurs to Adam that the interface of some of the sites was the same, although the colour scheme may have been different. After looking at, say six different web sites, he's decided that he is highly interested in one particular home.
However, poor Adam is at a loss ? he can't remember which real estate company was offering this home! The layout and navigation structure of all the websites are the same and all the websites feature homes for sale in the same format.
None of these real estate businesses benefited from Adams interest in buying a new home ? they simply wasted his time and made him feel frustrated. On the bright side, at least Adam won't remember which real estate businesses made him feel this way!
John Simms is an Internet Marketer for Eiledon Solutions, a website development & design company in Cape Town, South Africa. Visit the website for more info.
![]() |
|
![]() |
|
![]() |
|
![]() |
Many Internet sites that try to sell you something have... Read More
If you are one of those who wonder how people... Read More
Yes, in a world that is obsessed with makeover madness,... Read More
Colors are powerful, and create strong feelings. They can also... Read More
For online businesses with their main goal of selling products,... Read More
A well designed web site is great to have, but... Read More
Do you have a website? If so, you need an... Read More
Creating your own website is great fun! But how is... Read More
Don't knock it; "Keep It Simple, Stupid" is a great... Read More
Questions to ask when designing a Web Site for your... Read More
If your website is falling through the cracks, the chances... Read More
Internet Explorer, created by microsoft has been the most popular... Read More
I'm not a professional web site designer and openly admit... Read More
Web advertising has taken many forms, including those that appear... Read More
If there's one thing that I've learnt so far, it's... Read More
Projecting a professional image is paramount to your website's success.... Read More
So your web site's online and you've got high rankings... Read More
We've all seen them. Poorly designed web sites that make... Read More
Over the years, the internet has grown into a marvelous... Read More
Designing your own successful web page can seem difficult and... Read More
To explain my point I need to first confuse the... Read More
I taught myself HTML back in the mid-nineties and was... Read More
Making a poorly designed website is one of the easiest... Read More
Are you in a dilemma whether to create a mini... Read More
We've all surfed the web and seen some awful web... Read More
Creating your web site can be a tricky process. Choosing... Read More
Remember your vision for your company and the brand or... Read More
When designing your website, remember to avoid useless and confusing... Read More
When you begin the design of your Web site, one... Read More
The .htaccess file is a control file located in your... Read More
Building a website can be overwhelming, here are some design... Read More
If you are familiar with my work, then you have... Read More
This is a two-part article about creating a web site... Read More
Since I'm a web designer, I have a tendency to... Read More
Your web site has been up for a few months... Read More
Not all links are created equal.While all of your links... Read More
The Internet is a relatively new medium. What works for... Read More
Design sells. It's something that all of us know, but... Read More
To explain my point I need to first confuse the... Read More
Regardless whether you manage a small business, charitable organization, or... Read More
Choosing a web designer can seem like a daunting task.... Read More
It seems more and more webmasters are using CSS for... Read More
Let's face it. Building a web site that browses consistently... Read More
This article gives free tips on how to find a... Read More
Creating a web site takes thought, planning and execution. Unfortunately,... Read More
It's a fact, Page Not Found, known as a 404... Read More
This article may come as a surprise to you.Especially since... Read More
If you are going to be placing ads on your... Read More
CNN.com's designers have gone out of their way to make... Read More
If you are familiar with my work, then you have... Read More
I once created a notepad-like editor. It is possible with... Read More
Setting up a survey on your site is extremely simple... Read More
What do the key words represent?Key words - these are... Read More
If you are anything like me, your website is a... Read More
You're all ready to get started creating your web presence... Read More
The trend today to overuse animation in a website's opening... Read More
In my web surfing adventures, I've found a few site... Read More
Many websites make the mistake of being all flash and... Read More
Easy That's how you'd like life to be, right? Especially... Read More
When you begin the design of your Web site, one... Read More
One product, one long web page: this kind of web... Read More
What is the relationship between Marketing and Web designing? How... Read More
One visit does not make a sale. Be sure to... Read More
1. What's the purpose?The most fundamental thing to do before... Read More
1. Repackage your web site content in to different products... Read More
1. Don't load your web site with a lot of... Read More
Web Design |