5 Reasons why NOT to Buy Website Themes

4 min read

Written by
Owen Richards

Chief Product Nerd

Owen Profile
website-themes

Ok, so you are looking to get your website up and running as quickly as possible with a website theme. Brilliant! The quicker it is online, the quicker you will be able to start making some money. However, it's important that you do not sacrifice quality for the sake of speed. In fact; it is VITAL that you do not do this. You see; you want your website to be fantastic right off the bat. One of the most important considerations that you are going to need to make during the early stages of your website is what it is actually going to look like i.e. the design (or the website theme as it is more commonly known). The website themes that you have in place will dictate absolutely everything about your company. It is your branding. If you get it right you will make money. If you get it wrong then you will face an uphill struggle. It's therefore always surprising at how many people will head out there and purchase ready-made website themes. It may be convenient, but it is one of those shortcuts that I advised you not to take in that first paragraph. Let me explain why.

1) It Won’t Be Bespoke

There is no business out there that is similar to another one. Every company in this world, even the smallest ones, have nuances which makes them completely unique. It makes them stand out. This is why it is interesting that so many people opt for readymade website themes over a bespoke website. If you put a ready-made website out there then you are not letting the true individuality of your company shine through. Your site will have absolutely no personality. If you get somebody to design a premium website template for your company then you will be able to select exactly what you want. You will be able to choose the features that you want (and the ones that you want to omit!) so your site is a true representation of what your company is all about. Sure; you could probably put the effort into tinkering around with one of those readymade themes but you do not have the level of control that you would have over something that has been designed completely from scratch.

2) Website Themes Are Easy To Identify

Website themes are being used more and more nowadays. This means that most people are able to easily spot if somebody is using a ‘purchased’ theme or not. This is in part down to the fact that many templates, even when they are not in the same niche, use the same stock photos. These stock photos just scream that you have not invested that heavily in your website. Yes, you can replace the stock photos (in most cases, in some cases they may be ‘hard coded’ into the site), but this is a lot of effort. Regardless; even if you do this there is still a pretty strong likelihood that there is another website in your niche using the same website theme that you are. Again, I want to bring you back to the point that this will take away some of the individuality of your site. If you opt for a premium website theme made for you then you can get some unique branding on your site, and you will stand out from the crowd!

3) Website Themes May Not Always Work

There is an expectation that when you purchase a website theme it is going to work straight away. In most cases, this will not happen. Content Management Systems (e.g. WordPress) are constantly being updated to add new features and the like. There are some responsible theme markers who will ensure that their templates are working all of the time and brought up to scratch, but even then there can be difficulties in getting it working. In short; if you want to know that your website theme is going to work straight away (remember; you want quick money!) it might be best to pay someone to set it up. ## 4) It is Actually Fairly Expensive To Buy a Ready-made Theme Many people are surprised at just how affordable having a bespoke theme designed actually is. Many people who opt for a ready-made website will pay one of their employees to install it for them. Straight away this has sapped up a work day with the finding of the right theme and the installation. On top of this even more time is lost working out any problems and some more time will be lost trying to ensure that the site is unique and has the features that the company wants. The costs quickly add up. For the same price you could probably get a professional company to design the theme for you…from scratch!

5) You Do Not Get Consultation When you purchase a ready-made theme you get just the theme.

Purchasing a bespoke theme will often allow you to get more than the design. You will get a consultation. The web designer will be able to tell you exactly how you can make your site work to generate the most money. They will change up the design and provide advice to help you out. Straight away, this makes it more than worth the cost of the service. Now don’t get me wrong; purchasing a website theme is not all that bad. If you only have a limited budget to play about with then it is fine to go down that route. You should however bear in mind the points above if you are looking to make your business website your main source of income as the website design will play a massive role in ensuring you make as much money as possible. Did we miss any? Let us know of any experience (positive or negative) of working with themes on Twitter.