There are plenty of templates available out on the Web ranging from free to hundreds of dollars. If you are new to creating web sites then it is probably best you start with some of the free or inexpensive ones. Although website templates are complete to some degree they are not always as easy to use as they appear. Find one as close to your needs as possible and realize its limitations.

 

Aside from the bigger commercial template companies like templatemonster.com and others there are hundreds of other smaller companies with great designs. You have to be a bit careful though when searching the Web for templates. Template Monster among others offers an affiliate program that allows webmasters to integrate the template storefront into their website. The look can changed to integrate quite nicely so a good number of the template sites out there are really just another doorway into on of the bigger ones. No need to worry too much about this, if you find a template you like and it is the right price then no harm done.

 

Before choosing a template it is a good idea to have a rough sitemap in place. Basically know the approximate size and more importantly the button names you will be using for your site. The menu is the most likely place to cause problems for beginners. If a template is laid out with a top menu that has about 5 buttons and your site calls for 10, chances are it won’t be possible accommodate this without major modifications to the template. If you have a lot of sections and need a lot of buttons or menu items then it may be wise to look for a template with a vertical menu with expansion capabilities.

 

A good number of the commercial templates come with a Photoshop file. This is a layered image file that allows you to modify key areas of the design easily. If you have access to Adobe Photoshop this can make modifications to the logo and other areas very simple. If you don’t have a version Photoshop you can try using The GIMP ( a free public licensed) image editor that opens PSD’s. (Photoshop image files)