Corrie Haffly

I whip web sites into submission, but I'm nice to everyone else.

Beginner's Primer

Web Site Template Options

Corrie has been building products under the John Galt's Templates brand since 2000. www.jgtemplates.com

PixelMill is the leading distributor of web site templates.
www.pixelmill.com.

While I would obviously like you to buy one of my templates, I understand that my style may not suit yours. In that case, take a look through PixelMill's large selection to find the look and feel that fits you best.

Here are some things to think about when you're looking at templates:

  • What's your purpose, your audience, and the type of technology your audience will have? You may immediately rule out some things like Flash animations or graphic-intensive templates if connection speed is a concern. You may also look for templates that already have the kind of imagery that you're looking for.
  • Do you have a color scheme and/or logo? If you already have a logo designed, you may want to look for a template that already has the same color scheme, or look for a template that has colors that you can easily change.
  • What shape is your logo? Some templates easily fit any shape of logo, others are more specific.
  • None of the imagery fitting your needs? If you have a couple of layouts that you like, but the imagery doesn't exactly fit your needs, don't worry. Most template designers are willing to help you get your own imagery into the template. If you're a do-it-yourself kind of person, look for templates with "rectangular" imagery - pictures that are contained in rectangles that you can easily delete and replace with your own imagery. If the image is more "integrated" into the design (such as in a curve or with a layered effect), you may have to pay custom work fees for the designer to change the image for you.
  • How many pages will you have? If you think you'll have a lot of "main" pages, you may want to go with a layout that has vertical navigation as the primary navigation bar. (Horizontal navigation bars are limited - too many links, and the screen may be too wide for certain users!)

Before purchasing your template, it's always good to ask questions about it! Never assume anything. You may be able to download a free or "test" template from the provider to get an idea of how the template works. See below for a sample, though not extensive, list of questions.

Note about ecommerce: Many templates come with a page (or a few pages) with "sample" catalog page layouts. In most cases, the templates come with layout only and do not provide any shopping cart capability. You have the responsibility of creating a shopping cart, or of finding a third-party to help you create a shopping cart. See our section on ecommerce to learn more.

Look first in the template's details to see if there are answers to these questions. If not, then contact the artist of the template to find out more.

  • How easy is it to replace the logo image or text with your own? Is there a background color or image that you have to take into consideration?
  • Is it possible to change the colors of the template? How?
  • Is it possible to change the imagery of the template? How?
  • If the template has a Flash animation, is the animation, imagery, or text editable?
  • Do you need a special program to edit the animation?
  • Do you have to change the logo image or copyright statement on every page?
  • How do you add more pages or links?
  • How does the template behave in various browsers? (Internet Explorer, Netscape, Opera, etc.)
  • If the user has a larger monitor/browser window size, how is the template affected?