[+10 points if you get the song reference]

Ever since the days of dialing into the Internet, people have longed for their own web site. Whether they were building for personal use or starting their own company, people wanted to stake their piece of claim on the world wide web.

To me, web design should do at the very least two things. One, it should be pleasing to the eye. A good layout and clean graphics are very important. Secondly, it needs to be functional. There are tons of other elements that I love to see in a web site but at the heart of it, they need to accomplish those two main goals.

I also believe in emulating designs and elements from sites you like rather than try to reinvent the wheel with some custom site. Now if you have a really specific design or a feature you are trying to implement and you have the money to do it, I say go for it.

But for those with limited resources and even more limited web design skills, using a template is the way to go. A lot people think using a template means there is no originality, and that’s simply not true. Templates today offer tons of flexibility and can integrate everything from paid membership access and forums to multiple pages with custom headers and backgrounds.. And most of these are relatively easy to adjust.

So you may notice that the site I’m on is using a templates theme, or maybe you tell. It’s from a set of themes called ‘Elegant Themes’ that uses WordPress as their foundation.

I chose to go with a template because I wanted to get a good looking site up fast with almost no money spent out of pocket. The goal was to focus on my content and my services rather than deal with the headache of learning code or dealing with a designer.

So what I’m saying is this, for most people, there isn’t a need to spend tons of money on a totally original site, at least at first. Find a template that is good looking and will let you accomplish what you are trying to do. You’ll have to do a little tinkering but you’ll be able to devote more time to your content and building your brand.

If you have any questions, leave a comment or email me at mike [at] dropzonemediagroup [dot] com.

Also, check out the Extras page for my recommendations on WordPress and Elegant Themes.