Think of the purpose of your site

This is the very first place to start. Is it going to be an online shop so does it need a built in shopping cart? Is it purely an information site so needs plenty of space for content? Are pictures and photographs important for the site? Choose a theme that contains the elements that are most appropriate for your site. Concentrating on a good theme is more important than selecting a template based on nice colours or graphics as these can all be changed easily whereas installing a shopping cart cannot.

Know your audience

Have a think who you are aiming this site at. Knowing your target audience is useful when selecting a template as you want to choose a design that you know will attract them. A site selling IT equipment may need a ‘high-tech’ or futuristic feel, whereas a site for garden lovers will perhaps need a calmer design with more colour and a ‘softer’ feel overall.

Check out similar sites for ideas

It is never a bad thing to have a quick research session to see what designs similar sites have gone for. They may be using a format or incorporating an idea that you had not considered. Be careful though - you don’t want a site that looks too familiar ........

Avoid using “most popular” templates

Definitely steer clear of this category if you are looking for a totally unique site. Not only will this ‘copycat’ effect harm your credibility (particularly if you are launching a new business) it may also mean visitors to a site that looks familiar to yours will make associations between the two, whereas you want your site to stand alone.

Customize it to suit your needs

It is important to tailor any template to your exact needs and specifications. By no means do you need to completely change the style and layout of the template, indeed this would defeat the purpose of selecting a template in the first place, however you should customize it to really work for you. Changing images to more appropriate designs is just one way this can be achieved.

Make sure it is easy to load

Before jumping in with the most complicated template you can find, make sure it will load quickly. Using a very ‘flashy’ template that incorporates moving images, flash intros and busy fonts may look great, but web visitors have a very low tolerance when it comes to slow loading sites. You don’t want your visitors to click away before they have even seen the homepage.

Get some feedback

If you are really unsure as to what template is most suitable, it never hurts to ask for some advice. Call upon friends, family or even fellow web designers to gauge their feedback. They may love the design in which case you can proceed with gusto, or they may have some reservations or suggestions for improvement. Either way, it may be a worthwhile exercise.  

Hopefully these ideas will make the selection process for a template a little easier and ensure it becomes a relatively quick process and not a laborious chore. With selection over with, you can concentrate on the more exciting part of your venture, making it your own and watching your new site come together.