We have all seen the advertisement, "Web Site Package, up in 10 minutes, Guaranteed". At first, it may sound like a good deal but what are you really getting? You are getting a "cookie cutter" web site, a site that uses a generic template with different colors, text and fonts. The truth is, your site will look just like the other sites that use these services. While there is nothing necessarily wrong with these types of sites, when it comes to your internet presence, uniqueness and functionality count for more than the time and money saved.
          A web site is the best advertising you can do for the money. Anyone who has ever taken an ad out in the local paper knows that nothing comes cheap. Even small, local community papers can charge over $50 for a small ad that runs only one week. An ad in the local phone book is a yearly expense but can run into the hundreds of dollars. Ads in newspapers and phone books can only reach so far. This is where the internet takes over.
           The internet, specifically a web site, is the ultimate advertising tool. However, the competition is much, much greater than a newspaper or phone book. There are literally too many web sites online today to count. There is a web site for any type of business or personal interest that you can imagine. So the big question is, how do you make your presence known? How do you "stand out" from the crowd? There are a few ways, but a "cookie cutter" web site is not one of them.
           A web site will stand out among the crowd if it is well designed and appealing to the user. A web site that makes good use of colors and graphics I more likely to be view than one that is all text or uses colors that "turn away" the average user. A site designed with blues, greens and other "comfortable" colors is more pleasing to the eyes and is more likely to keep the customer than one that uses reds, yellows and other "harsh" colors that make the site difficult to view. Another important feature of a web site is the ease of use, the navigation of a site. If a customer cannot find what they are looking for, that customer may go on to another site. The same goes if the customer navigates into your site and cannot find their way back to the starting point. They will get frustrated and move on to a more "user friendly" site. The third issue to be concerned about is content, the information you are providing to the customer. Dynamic information, information that changes, will keep the customer coming back to your site for new, updated information. If the site content does not change, once the customer has viewed your site, there is no need to revisit it. It is important to keep your site "fresh" and appealing, another difficult task for a "cookie cutter" site.
           Another way to get your site noticed is by getting good placement in the search engines. This is a difficult task and, despite what some companies tell your, there are NO guarantees in positioning. If a company promises that you will be in the "top 10" search results, they are simply trying to get your money. The rules and logic of the search engines are closely guarded secrets and no one has the inside track on placement. No one can guarantee placement in any search engine. That said, there are ways to optimize a web site to make it "search friendly" and increase the possibility of higher rankings in the searches. There are many techniques that can be applied to the site, all of which require customization, much of which simply cannot be done with a template. If your site optimization is the same as everyone else's, you are all fighting for the same space.
           So what does this all mean? It is quite simple. If you want to be unique and have a fighting chance at being found on the internet, spend the extra money and get a web site designed by a professional. A good designer will sit down and work with you to design a site that is "yours and yours alone". A good designer can take a customers concept and turn it into a reality by creating a "work of art" that will do you or your company proud. A good designer will take the time to make sure your site is user friendly and easy to navigate. This process takes more than 10 minutes. Sure, most web sites may have some of the same pages, a Location page, a Contact Us page, but it is the rest of the site that makes it unique and will help it get noticed. When it comes to a web designer, the professional looks for quality not quantity. A professional designer does not need a template, like a good meal, their web sites are designed "from scratch".
           If you wanted to purchase a house that has personality and uniqueness, you would not go to your local "gated community" or subdivision where the houses are all built from the same blueprint. You would want someone to design your own "dream house" and custom draw your own blue print. The same holds true for your web site. Spend the extra money, in most cases it isn't as much as you may think, and have your site designed by someone who can design it the way you want it, not just fit it into a template. The internet is the place to advertise, but make sure you do it in the right way. Have your site designed by a professional and leave the "cookie cutter" sites to the kiddies.