I want to dive in pretty quickly here, but before I do, I want to say I am not against the use of website templates. In fact, as a professional web designer, I use templates occasionally. Yes, yes I do. Why? Because it saves me time. I also get design ideas from templates and it’s a jumping pad to get me going.
BUT, the kicker here is that I know what I am doing. Most coaches and service-based business owners are not also web designers.
I can take any template, modify it and be jsut fine. If web design isn’t your jam, these false claims can get you into some hot water and suck time and money right out of you.
Okay, here we go!
False Claim #1 – Website Design Templates Save You Time
Sure, website templates can save you time, but at what cost? There are many template options available to coaches and service-based businesses, but those saying it can save you time (and often money) are pulling the wool over your eyes. Here’s why.
Website templates are a great option, if you know what you’re doing.
If you have some sense of how a website is built and designed, you can have a structure in place and make the changes you want to make without creating a big mess with the template.
Most often though, aren’t you looking for a template to use because it’s easy to add your own content into this template website without a hitch? Sure you are – thus saving you time.
When you have a website template and you’re not familiar with how it was designed and how it was built, you can add something of your own (customizing the template) and it can throw everything else off.
Then you have to fix – or at least try to fix – what you have messed up. Where is the time you thought you were saving?
Whether you are adding
- an image that doesn’t quite fit into the box you want it to
- text that is longer than what is available to you
- a button that you want to change
Or, if you want to remove a page on the menu that you don’t need to have, you are destined to run into issues.
Anything you change with a website template can throw off your entire design and then, my friend, you are not saving time at all.
Unless you have some kind of experience with website design and the structure of a template, you are going to run into problems and not save any time at all.
Thinking About Hiring A Pro
Hey there! It's Lisa! I'm over 10 years into this whole website design thing and I've been around the block with digital strategy, website design, automation, email marketing and social media.
False Claim #2 – Website Design Templates Save You Money
Many will tell you that a custom website isn’t cheap. It’ll cost you thousands of dollars. You’ll go into debt having a custom website designed for your business. Of course, this can be true, but it doesn’t have to be true for you.
Yes, a website template is less of an investment than a custom website, but, re-read number 1 and you will realize that time is money and all that time you are spending on trying to get that template you purchased (with all the bells and whistles, videos, and support), the way you want it is costing you money.
If you invest in the right professional web designer for your coaching or service-based business, you will reap benefits very quickly without all the headaches and stress involved in customizing a template. The money you invest will be returned to you because your website is designed by a professional and is unique to you.
Conclusion: Yes, a website template is less costly than a custom web design on paper, BUT, you are using your precious time, and often have to spend more money on fixing things and/or getting extra help, that you end up nearly paying for a custom website without actually enjoying the benefits of one.
False Claim #3 – Website Design Templates Save You Frustration
One of the claims I am the most upset about when it comes to entangling business owners up in this belief is that there will be no frustration because this template will make it soooo easy for you to get a website up and running in a short period of time.
Website templates WILL cause you frustration if you don’t know what you are doing.
This is something I have read online recently and the promise here is that you don’t have to worry about a thing. This is simply not true.
A good website template will do the heavy-lifting for you, especially if it includes thorough documentation and chat support. This is one of the reasons I love Showit website design templates!! Their hosting service is super reliable and their support team will take care of launching your site for you!
And I have seen these Showit website templates. Most are busy, have intricate designs that again, can cause you time, money and frustration when customizing. I’ve also found several issues on websites designed in Showit where text overlaps, images are misaligned, buttons are wonky. I’ve tested on three different browsers and the issues are there more often than not.
Who wants to deal with that? I see a TON of frustration in your future if this is the route you are going to take. The all-in-one option for website template, documentation, support, hosting can cause a ton of frustration – again, if you are tryin’ to run your spiritual coaching or service-based business and not be a web designer, you are going to get frustrated.
Related Post: How NOT To Choose A WordPress Website Hosting Provider
Hosting is THE most important puzzle piece of your entire business website because if you are with cheap, unreliable hosting, you are going to have issues. It’s not if, it’s when.
False Claim #4 – Website Templates Give You Amazing Creative Freedom.
This is ONLY true IF YOU KNOW WHAT YOU’RE DOING.
Showit templates are an example of this. A ton of claims are swirling online about these templates being so beautiful, with all these embeds, galleries, etc., etc. The TRUTH is, Showit is a website platform that you have to be familiar with and know what you are doing to have this amazing creative freedom these “website template fans” claim you have.
If you are not a professional designer, or at the very least, are pretty savvy when it comes to learning new tech platforms/tools, you are going to struggle.
You are going to waste time, money and dare I say, your sanity, if you are sucked into this black hole of using a website template thinking you are going to just add in your own content and bingo, you have this beautiful website.
With all the claims made for website templates and this freedom, there is much to be said about keeping things simple. Too much is often overkill and all the ‘design freedom’ you are told you have, is like being a kid in a toy store… too many choices lead to frustration and overwhelm.
Final Thoughts
Website templates can fit the budget and I’m not totally against using them. However, I don’t want you to fall into this trap believing it’s going to be easy to add your own content and bingo, you have a beautiful website that will serve you well.
It’s time to remove this frustration from your life and business! Do what you do best and leave your website in the hands of a professional who has your back – 100%.
