Combine them with our new website deisgn packages and you will have a great looking, professional website setup in no time.

Walter Lee

Walter Lee is a clean business website template (see picture above) that comes in 3 colour combinations. Turquoise blue, dark blue, and grey/black. Like the structure but don’t like the background? (perhaps you just want it to be just white). Ask us to change it!

Venture

Venture has a more artistic look and feel, but again the structure is important. So long as you keep the structure intact we can easily change the background or colours of the design. Venture comes standard in a green and blue version.

Infinant

Infinant was designed with a community of minstry website purpose but you could easily use this colourful template for a business website as well. It comes in red, purple and orange versions.

For a look at all our design check out our full collection of Pronta CMS website templates. For more info on Pronta CMS visit our feature page on Pronta Content Management System.

Allez

This is a very clean and modern business design that comes in 3 colour combinations. Use a dynamic slide show on the frontpage and incorporate blog or newsletter form.

Unicorp

Unicorp is a professional business design that is available in 2 colour combinations. With a unique slider feature on the frontpage which you can use to highlight your main products and services, this design will suit many businesses.

Remember, these templates can be customised for your business with your images and text. We can further customize them with your company colours and special backgrounds.

Sign up today for a CMS website and you can instantly start using ProntaCMS.

What is the difference between a free wordpress theme and a premium theme?

These are what I consider to be the main differences:

Quality

Often a premium theme looks better. More attention has been paid to the small details and the overall look and feel of the website.

Much easier to use

Especially if you are a beginner, premium themes are much easier to use. They often come with special theme options, which make it easy to change some parts of the layout, colour schemes or manage feature galleries or other special features.

Much better support

Many of the free themes do not have any kind of support so it is sometimes very difficult to get the free theme functioning as you intended. Most premium themes come with excellent support. (check this before you buy one).

Many more features

Many premium WordPress themes come with special features, like integrated plugins, automatic thumbnail creators, sliding panels, twitter integration etc. It can give your website that extra buzz and will make your development time much shorter.

A premium theme will save you time

Premium themes are easier to tweak and customize and can save you a lot of time in getting exactly the design that you intended.

More website templates

Some premium themes come with multiple theme templates. This can be very handy when you don’t want every page to look the same. On a theme like Thesis for example, you are able to change your side image for every page. Thesis is an example of a highly customisable theme through theme option menus.

Clean code

Most people will not see the code behind a website but good coding will help the website function better and get better results in search engines.

Conclusion

My personal experience is that a premium just works! It’s usually trial and error with free themes. Of course if you have the time and the patience you can just try them out and see if it works. It will not cost you anything. But if you want to save time and enjoy the extra features of a premium theme then I think it’s worth spending the $30 – $100 that a premium theme usually costs. Be sure to check our article though on selecting the right premium theme to avoid buying the wrong one.

Edicy is a free website builder that allows you to build free websites online.

How does it work?

Registration is very easy as you will only need to give your email address before getting started right away. You are presented with a page that already looks like a website, be it a blank one, and that you can edit. It’s easy to change the design as well by clicking on the design tab. Here you can just choose one of the available templates. Keywords and metatags can be added to each page through the page tab.

Pros

• Very easy to create a website
• Ability to optimize for search engines
• Built in blog
• Very quick
• No advertising

Cons

• No download feature
• Limited customization
• Can only be used with Edicy sub domain. For your own domain you will need to upgrade to Pro which is more expensive than competitors

What’s free?

The website builder is free to use but if you want to use your own domain you will need to upgrade to a pro package which costs $144 / year at the time of writing.

Video

Showcase

http://www.edicy.com/examples

Website

www.edicy.com

People may be surprised that I also promote templates on this website. Would that not cause less business for me? Well, in some cases yes, but let me first go into more detail on why I think templates can be helpful for businesses.

Good reasons to create a template based website

You know what you are geting as you can pick the design

Designing a website can be a lengthy process. I would first create a design based on your specifications. You would then have a look a this and possibly make adjustments. I would then turn this design into a website using the technology which is most suitable for your particular website.

However, if you find a website template that you already like you can cut the whole design phase from the project. You will already have a design that you like that may need some tweaking but is fundamentally correct. Have a look at some great clean and functional wordpress templates that I selected for an earlier article.

Functionality is already there minimizing programming costs

A lot of functionality is often already incorporated in the template. This is especially the case for WordPress themes. It really doesn’t make any sense to start from scratch building functionality that is already readily available in some templates. It can save you a lot of time in development cost. Of course it is important to select a good quality template otherwise it can have the reverse effect. To know what you have to look for, please check the article 20 things you need to know before selecting a WordPress theme.

Full customization can still give you a unique look

Many of the good quality templates can be customized to suit your needs. So creating a website with a template as the basis does not mean that your website will look the same as many others. All colours and images can usually be adjusted.

Quick

Sometimes you just want to have a website really quickly. For a special promotion or just because you can’t wait to get your idea online. Nothing speeds up website creation more than a template.

Things to take into account before buying a template

These are all good reasons to consider buying a template. However, also be aware of the following:

Changes and tweaking are almost always needed

Be aware that in order to get a good quality business website you will need to have changes made to the website. Almost every template and theme needs tweaking to suit your particular business needs. So allow for changes in your budget.

You will need to do some search engine optimization

Your templates also need to be optimized for search engines. With millions of websites already on the web your website will only be found when the right search engine optimization techniques have been employed.

Templates are often not so easy to install or customize as the vendor claims; know your skill level

Most people will not be able to customize and install the website themselves. It still requires a lot of skill to tweak the templates in such a way that they will look professional and original. It is always best to hire a a qualified web professional to do this for you.

Choose wisely

It is important to know what you want and need before buying a template so read my article: 20 things to check before buying a wordpress theme.

Finally

So what about those customers that come to my website, buy a template and disappear? Well. in many cases these customers were not yet ready  or prepared to set a good budget aside for a website. Many do not see their website as a valuable component of their marketing strategy. I have come accross many businesses that got themselves a ‘cheap’ website only to realize later that this website is not generating any business for them. Although I believe that you can make a good quality website with a website based on a template it is still advisable to get some advice on tweaking and search engine optimization to make your website successful.

There are also individuals and small businesses that would have otherwise not been able to afford a website. A website template allows them to have a professional website on the internet. This is a lot better than the home-made very poorly designed websites that we saw so much in the early days of the Internet. I would much rather see a well designed template based website than a poorly designed “original” website.

Cushy

Nice minimalist theme that integrates the blog into the site.

Typoghaghicus

This is a theme from Themeforest by wordpress premium. I like the simplicity and clean lines here and the emphasis on the main article. Widget ready and comes in 4 color combinations.

Vigilance

This is a very elegant theme that is search engine optimised and it’s free to download.

Overeasy

A very nice minimalist layout with lots of features like the slide panel on the front page. Ideal for business websites who like to integrate a blog into the website but don’t want it to be the main focus. Comes in various colors.

Wp Remix

This is a good option if you want to use WordPress as a content management system. It has lots of different page templates and a lot of flexibility and SEO. Lots of room for customisation too!

Agregado

This is a free great looking blog theme.

Equilibrium

A  free blog theme (CC license) which is very well laid out and designed.

Basic

Elegant Themes have a number of nice themes and this one is as the name suggest a nice basic theme.

Cold Stone

Another elegant theme. This ones will need some tweaking but overall great layout and features here.

Productum

A very nice new theme from Woo themes. Very suitable for businesses that also want to incorporate a blog into their site.

Thesis

A very customisable theme that pays a lot of attention to SEO, typigraphy and accesibility.

Geometric

A theme with a widgetized frontpage that allows you to either put your blog on the frontpage or your portfiolio. You can also have your side navigation on the left.

Perfection

I like the simple layout of this theme and bold white lines. I would not keep the dark featured area though but that could be easily customised. I also like the page and category navigation, although it would need to include drop downs to be really useful.

Your folio

I like the simple clean layout of this theme and that the blog is integrated as a page. The frontpage is different from the other pages so you can highlight your latest work there but still have the space on the other pages.

Market

A good solution for an online wordpress store.

Fresh News

A good magazine theme with all the necessary features like widgetized sidebars, drop down menus, featured posts panel and automatic image resizing.

Architect

This is a good theme for a small business. It has a very clean stylish layout and incorporates a blog.

Cassiopeia

Another well laid out portfolio theme that has different page templates.

Interphase

I really like the look of this theme, although I would have wished some more page templates. It’s widget ready and comes with theme options.

Karma

Rounding off the list is Karma, a basic theme for a personal blog. Easy to navigate and uncluttered.

A premium wordpress theme can be an enormous timesaver when you want to have a high quality website  up and running quickly. But make sure that you know what you want to achieve with your site before you buy. Otherwise you may end up having to do a lot more modifcations than you expected (or start all over again if you are not happy with the result) and your template may prove not to be such a time saver after all. 

So what are the most important things you need to pay attention to before buying a premium wordpress theme?

1. Compatibility

Is it compatible with the latest version of WordPress?

2. Widgets

How much of the theme is widgetized. The more widgetized it is, the more you can determine the look and layout of your pages.

3. Has it been optimised for SEO?

SEO is very important as your main traffic will come from search engines. Make sure that the theme is properly coded and uses SEO optimisation techniques.

4. Is it easy to customise?

Does it have multiple css style sheets? (so you can easily change the colour). Is it easy to change the header image? Does the theme have any special theme options?

5. Structure

Is the structure of the theme similar to what you had in mind for your site? although you can play around with the code to change the structure, it is much more efficient if the correct structure is already in place. Pay attention to where the pages are located and the categories. In a business website your pages need to be more prominent (and sub menus functionality should be included) whereas on a blog or content site categories are usually more important).

6. Article structure

Have a look at how the articles are displayed. Does the theme display whole posts on the frontpage or only excerpts? What about the archive pages? Does it match how you want to display your posts?

7. Features

Does the theme have any special features. Some of the features you may want in a site are:

• featured sections
• automatic image resizer
• google analytics
• special theme options
• strolling or moving images
• flickr gallery
• advertising integration
• contact form integration
• tabbed sidebars
• image / banner rotation
• video integration

8. Support

Check if there is support for the theme that you buy. Any theme will need some tweeking and it saves a lot of time if there is a good support team that can help you with your questions.

9. Multple page layouts (templates)

Check if there are multiple page layouts or if every page looks the same. For a business site it is often desirable to have a different homepage from your content pages and a different blog section. Also check how other pages like the archives are formatted.

10. Determine how much customisation is needed

Most themes will need some tweaking. A theme that has special theme options allows you to make certain changes without needing to go into the code. Know how much you can customise yourself. Are you comfortable with adding plugins, tweaking code or do you want do everything with the theme options?

11. Validate the code

You can check if the code of the theme validates by going to http://validator.w3.org. It’s always better to buy a theme with no errors.

12. Browser compatibility

Check if the theme is compatible with the main browsers: IE6, IE7, Firefox, Safari, Opera, Chrome. Try to test the theme in as many browsers as possible.

13. Styling

Examine how the theme is styled and what typography is used. Is it easy to read? How are the comments styled? Although a lot of the styling can be changed with css this will take extra time so the closer the styling is to your desired style the better.

14. drop down menus

Is the drop down manu functionality already built in?

15. Instructions

Does the theme come with clear instructions on how to install and customize it? Any theme is constructed slightly differently so good instructions are always helpful.

16. Is the source code well commented

If you do need to make changes it is very helpful if the source code is clear and well commented. You may need a sample of the original files to check this.

17. Photoshop files

Are the original photoshop or fireworks png files included? This is always a benefit as it will make customizing the theme even easier.

18. Theme upgrades

Will you get a free upgrade of the theme if WordPress has a new upgrade or will you need to pay again?

19. Error pages

Type in a wrong address for the site and have a look at what the error page looks like. Has this been constructed to your liking?

20. Price

Shop around. You can get really good value in some places with yearly membership that lets you use all themes.

Good luck with choosing your theme. And if you want help with choosing a nice one then stay tuned for a list of the best clean and functional themes coming up soon.

Plan your site

It’s a good idea to first have a good idea about what you want to communicate on your website and how you want to display it. Try making a website structure. Just draw on a piece of paper and start with the home page. What are your main links from there? And sublinks?

Do you have time?

Figure out how much time you can spend making and updating your website. If you are making a community site or a site that needs frequent updating then it will be important to have a website that is easy to update.

Register a domain name

You can already register a domain name. Please make sure that you register your domain name with an accredited domain register and check prices with several providers as prices can vary a lot. You can also do this later and let your web designer/developer do it (if you decide to have one).

Hosting

You will also need to get your website hosted so that it is visible on the Internet. However, if you don’t know exactly which technology you are going to use it may be better to talk to your web designer first. Have a look at your options in the next step.

Options for creating your site

• Starting a website from scratch using a web editor or plain coding; very cheap and no special software needed but quite a big learning curve.
• Using a website builder; A quick and affordable option for getting a website. Although this is a quick way to make a website if you have a good eye for structure and design, the websites don’t always look that good. Customers usually only respond well to well-designed professionally looking websites.
• Start with a template bought from the internet; this is a good option if you can work with programs like Dreamweaver and Photoshop.
• Use an open source application like WordPress or Joomla; some of these applications are easy to use and combining them with a template you can have a good quality website quite quickly. You can also ask your web designer to implement these for you.
• Build a website from scratch by using one of these program languages (please note that many of these have a high learning curve, so this is not a good option if you want a website quickly):
  • HTML is the easiest to learn, and if you’re up to it, you’ll be able to tweak your web design any way you want, and you won’t have to pay anybody else to update or change your site.
  • XHTML is the new web language set by W3C’s standards. Almost identical to HTML, it follows a stricter set of rules for marking up information – what this means, for the most part, is minor changes to the way you write code.
  • CSS, which stands for “Cascading Style Sheets”, gives more flexibility for styling the HTML.
  • A browser sided scripting language, such as JavaScript, allows you to make your page interactive.
  • A server sided scripting language (PHP, ASP with JavaScript or VB Script or Python) can be used to make things on your site move and edit or create forums.
  • AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) is a technique of using a browser sided language and a server sided language to make the page get new information from the server without refreshing the page, greatly reducing bandwidth usage and vastly improving the user’s experience. Think of the possibilities: you could probably make a web based instant messaging service!
  The final option is to hire a professional web designer. They can take care of everything for you. My services are available at Escala.

Upload your website

If you have already arrnanged your host you can now upload your website to the internet.

Test your website

Different browsers display your site differently. So check that your website looks good in different browsers and on different computers.

Promote your site

Not only is it important that your web site is created exactly for the purpose and audience that you had in mind, your web site also needs to be found and seen!

Some of the options are:

• Registering your site to search engines
• Optimizing pages with keywords to ensure top ranking in search engines
• Finding relevant sites which could link to your site
• Creating an online newsletter
• Registration of extra domain names
• Online pay per click ads
• Banner advertising on appropriate sites
• Providing you with site statistics
• Using newsgroups
• Using affiliate programs
• Registration of multiple domain names
• Analysing web statistics

If you want a website but don’t have a big budget then using a template and or open source software can be a HUGE lifesaver. But with so many templates and website solutions around, which template should you go for? And will it really be easy to change it yourself if you want to do it all yourself? This article will answer most of these questions for you. Let’s start with an overview.

Static Html websites

These templates are for basic html websites which can be customised with programs like Adobe Dreamweaver and MS Frontpage. These templates are usually easy to customise if you know how to work with these programs. However, hese templates do not include functionality like search or forms although they can be added on by a programmer. The code also tends to be outdated with many table tags on many of these templates, so it’s much better to go with the modern CMS templates instead.

Get them at:  The template store

CSS website templates

These are usually also static html website templates. Instead of tables they use pure css though which is the recommended way of building sites by W3C, the world wide web consortium. These websites load quickly and if developed well will display well accross platforms, but they still lack a lot of functionality.

Get them at: Template Monster

Shop templates

If you want to have a shop you will need a shopping cart and back end functionality. There are now several open source applications that you can get for free. They can also be customised by templates.

Get them at: The Oz Commerce store

Content Management Websites and blogs

Open source applications can be downloaded for free from the web and they can be used to build your website. Popular applications are Joomla and WordPress and naturally a lot of templates are available. You may find it tricky to setup these sites but once done they are very easy to update.  Joomla is a complete content management system. WordPress tends to focus a bit more on blogs but you also set up these sites as a cms and functionality can easily be added on. Google also likes WordPress websites and if you have set it up with search engine friendly urls then a wordpress site can be indexed well by Google.

Here are my recommendations for good premium WordPress themes or excellent ProntaCMS templates.

Please note that if you are new to web design you may still need help customising and using these templates. Any further questions let me know.