Before everything else I need to clarify this. There is no problem in buying and installing a template to your site and make some small modifications to make it look unique if you don’t have the ability to create a brand new and completely unique theme for your site, however if every one did this the whole web would look exactly the same. What I am saying here is not that, What I am suggesting here is that by using website templates as a starting point for your design so you don’t have to make the tables, frames and the basic CSS and JavaScript files or perhaps you need some inspiration. In that case using a website template is not just copying somebody else but it is in fact a creative work.

Now lets start from the beginning What is a template? a website template is a piece of code created with a designer and usually includes HTML, PHP, ASP or any other technology that it is designed for, CSS files for styling and any other kinds of files that is used in it(Graphic files, JavaScript, Flash,etc.).

They are mainly used to create a look for a website but in some cases they come with added functionalities that you usually don’t have, casing point Prestashop Themes some come with vertical menus or weather widgets and much more.

There are three parts to this:

  1. Why should you use website templates, well as I discussed this in the last paragraph:
    1. It makes the whole process easier because you don’t have to code all the JS and CSS files. You don’t have to make all the images from scratch as they usually come with .PSD(Photoshop) files that you can use. and all you have to do is to make some small changes to the template that you got.
    2. It makes it much faster, well because you are not hand coding everything and you don’t spend hours just to get the right effect on image or on CSS the whole process will go faster as the basics are already done for you.
    3. maybe you are low in inspiration juice! It happens from time to time that you get a block and you can not come up with a good design in these time going to any website that provides templates(Free or Paid as you only will be window shopping them) will give you the inspiration that you need to design a perfect theme for your client.
    4. They are very cheap and sometimes you can find them for Free and if you have the work done faster with these Free tools why not use them?
  2. How should you use them Using a website template is completely depend on your level of experience.
    1. If you are using a simple HTML file with no CSS or JavaScript then all you need to know is how to make changes to HTML files and maybe manipulating some graphic files if you need them.
    2. However if you are using a WordPress,Drupal or any other CMS Templates in that case you may need to know how to make changes to the programming language that they are using.
    3. Also You should avoid using any website template as is. because it will only create a website that will look exactly like another site that your client may find online, and that would not be good!.
    4. After you have picked a website theme if you are using the same website template and making some small changes to it then all you have to do is to change the colors and make some small CSS changes for changing the colors I recommend colorschemedesigner.com to give you an idea of what would that site look like in different colors and also if you are using FireFox as your browser get a plugin called colorzilla that will help you to pick the colors and even create a gradient background color for you using CSS.
  3. Won’t that be cheating? What about the website being unique?!
    1. Well you are not copying the web template, you are only getting some ideas about what you can do so if you find a template that you like you will have a look at it and then simply move on to the next website template and then to the next and the next and even if you don’t like a theme it will give you and idea of what you do not want in a site and believe me sometimes that is a huge help.
    2. even if you are getting a theme and making some small changes to it, it won’t be cheating as that is the reason they have been created by the author of that theme so no It won’t be cheating but in this case it wont be creative either.

So considering all of that should you using templates? well I would say yes use them but for getting inspirations and to get things done much faster and easier and not just to get a website template put it on a site and forget it. remember web designing is a creative work so get creative.