On one hand you need to create a website that’s unique, highlights your key business differences, includes all those functions and pages that you need and hopefully provides an interesting experience for your readers.

On the other hand you probably don’t have the resources to do everything:

• code your own HTML
• create and adjust the CSS style
• add nice multimedia such as videos and audio tracks
• incorporate e-commerce features such as a shopping cart

Even if you’re a technical wiz at web design, you may not want to spend your valuable business working hours tweaking code (*)

This means that you need to make use of standard templates and frameworks as much as possible.

The problem here is that you could easily end up with a ‘me too’ site that looks the same as many others out there on the web. So much for your individuality!

My advice is to use templates and frameworks as far as you can, but to add your own customization and special tricks to make your website individual and memorable. If you choose a template system, do make sure you can customize it.

Think of your website like your business card – it’s better to design and print up something special and high quality than to buy one of those cheap ‘print your own’ cards. You don’t have to design your own fonts or make your own paper though (now there’s an idea)

(*) Personally, I do like to spend my valuable business hours tweaking code because (a) I’m a geek and I enjoy it, (b) it helps me to learn the nuts and bolts of building sites so that I can write about it and (c) I find it works better for me in making sites that work reliably and successfully