Why a Ready to use Template is Killing your Brand

Many small businesses have put minimal attention into their online presence and have opted in for website templates and themes. When there’s not enough time, a business owner doesn’t want to handle the hassle of a web designer or a huge budget and settles for a design that’s been used over and over again – probably even by their local competition.

These business owners aren’t grasping the negative effect cheap templates are having on their brand. To set themselves apart from the crowd and build an established online presence, “templating” is the wrong answer.

So, how is using a website template or theme killing your brand?

The Importance of Your Brand

You may be thinking “I’m a small business, not a large corporation like Ford or Pepsi, why do I need an established brand”? Even if you’re only a 10 employee corporation a brand is important because:

• It builds emotional connection
• It effectively targets an audience
• It makes your business memorable
• It delivers a consistent and engaging message
• It gives your business a unique flare

Company branding leaves your potential customers a great first impression. When a user sees marketing collateral for your company, it should be easily recognizable as your brand.

The Cons of Website Templates

Now that you know the benefits of a brand, you probably understand why using a cheap, pre-made template that many of your competitors use will hurt your business.

SEO Rankings Decrease.

Search engines love unique, original, and compelling designs and so do your potential clients. Using a website template will not only decrease your search engine rankings, but when visitors do finally stumble upon your website, they won’t be engaged and impressed enough to stay or convert.

Templates are Common.

The popularity of templates is gaining everyday with websites like Creative Market and ThemeForest. With more popularity comes more and more businesses using the same code, design, and template you are. The more popular a template gets, the less unique and original your website seems, and there are thousands of template shoppers every day.

Templates are Difficult.

If you’re purchasing a template because it’ll be “easy” you are making a mistake. All of the features you see on a template demo won’t come already installed and it’ll take plugins, custom coding, CSS and more from a professional web developer to have a presentable template website.

Templates aren’t Adjustable.

Have you ever had a product with the “one size fits all” size and became frustrated? No two businesses are the same and their websites shouldn’t be treated as such. Your business is unique and shouldn’t incorporate a design that doesn’t provide for your specific needs.

When it comes to branding, quality can never be compromised. Establish a brand that is consistent, unique, engaging, and professional, and it’ll in turn pay off. When presented with the choice to build your online presence with a website template, decide to purchase custom web development to protect your brand.

JTB Studios offers custom web development solutions to suit your branding needs. To learn more, contact us today at http://www.jtbstudios.com.au