The Why and the How of Web Templates
What is a Web Template?
In short, a web template is a pre-formatted design scheme that can be used over and over again to create web pages for a particular website. The concept behind the use of web templates is the separation of design (or what we might call presentation) from content (the copy and or images present on the webpage).
Why Use Web Templates?
In the early days of the Web many sites created pages that looked vastly different from each other. Not only did this ultimately prove confusing to the online surfer, but it also proved much less than efficient for website managers- especially those who add pages on a regular or semi-regular basis. Having to design the presentation of a new page, each time you have new content to publish, is time consuming and anything but efficient.
A web template on the other hand allows a manager to simply add the copy content and images for a particular page, within the framework of a pre-existing design schema. Once the page has been created and published to the Web, it represents another page “common-sensically” related to the core message/product/service featured on the website. A common design scheme, above all other factors, is what’s responsible for holding together a website in the mind’s eye of the end user.
Incorporating the use of a web template allows one to offer- not only a consistent design and branding scheme, but also a clear and consistent link structure. This, again, was not always the case in the early generations of web design. Once a website has more than a few pages though, not being able to easily locate the navigation of a page proves frustrating. Most website managers recognize that frustrating your potential clients and/or audience is not a great way to build brand loyalty. By using web templates site managers/owners create a website experience that is fluid and flexible for their audience and/or customer base.
Sub-Templates: Developing the Interior Pages of a Website
When you come across a brick and mortar store you of course, first encounter the store-front and then the store entrance. Once inside the store you can visit various parts of the store, all focusing on certain aspects of the product line. Similarly, web templates often feature a splash page, or home page, which is general in nature, and designed to introduce the user to the general identity of the website. From there, one can navigate to various aspects of the site. For instance, even within this website, from the homepage- which focuses on the web template keyword, one can then navigate to certain specified pages featuring more narrowly defined products or information. So from a homepage introducing the concept of web templates, a user can navigate to pages featuring Christian web templates, CSS templates, html templates, CMS templates, etc.
For these various interior pages what is called a sub-template is often developed. A sub template shares certain things in common with the homepage, but is also different. Often, these sub-template pages are designed to be more information or content-rich than the homepage- which is primarily focused on impact. These interior web template pages will often feature a common banner (the same one used on the homepage), but will then feature an underlying “solid” area- where the content of the page goes. Sharing a banner and color scheme with the homepage, these interior template pages still feel connected to the underlying entity, but they’re also evidently meant to feature a certain subset of information.
Web Presentation: Worth More than its Weight in Virtual Gold
It’s a given that a large percentage of people surfing the World Wide Web do so with very little understanding of the machinery beneath the surface that makes the entire endeavor possible. Each of the billions of virtual locations featured on the Web has an underlying infrastructure that makes the functionality possible. The magic behind a smooth navigation experience is directly connected to this “invisible infrastructure”. And the visible web design is one vital aspect of that underlying infrastructure.
While the html and CSS code used to formulate a particular site’s presentation makes up only a small percentage of the overall code- this is an essential part. For the end user, it is this presentation, above all else, that will effectively “make or break” the experience. Pre-formatted web templates offer an affordable, efficient, way for individuals with a limited knowledge of HTML, and/or a limited creative flare, to offer a website that makes a stunning virtual impression upon its audience.
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