Whether you are creating a website for yourself, your company, a special project, or whatever, the hard part is envisioning what you want the site to look like, what color schemes you want to use, graphics, and layout. Here are some things to consider:

1. Layout – This deals with how the page is going to look, where the navigation is going to be, the placement of graphics, tables, etc.
2. Color Schemes – This deals with what the primary colors of your site are going to be. Afterall, you want the colors on your site to be consitent and to compliment each other.
3. Main graphics – This includes the header of your page, how big the header is going to be, other major graphics that you may want to include as a part of the design of your site.
4. Tables – This is a part of almost any site, but it has to do with the order, structure, and look of your site.

Unless you are very creative and have had special designing classes, here is my primary suggestion:

Use Dreamweaver templates in building your web sites.

I have used many of them. Some paid. Some free. I have designed a few of them myself, but after a while, I ran low on creativity. I have also paid a firm in Dallas to create one for me.

I went to Google and typed in “Dreamweaver Templates. This pulls up a bunch of free and paid templates.

The free templates are not bad, and are good for creating a simple site. You will get what you paid for here… some free stuff. Let me caution you, though, on the free stuff. It may not be as free as you think.  Many times the programmers embed hidden or encrypted links from your site to theirs. This is especially true with WordPress templates. Be careful when you get something free, because you’ll end up paying for it one way or another. These are bad for hobbies and personal sites.

The paid templates are not bad. I got most of mine from Template Monster. They will cost you about $40-$60, give or take a little bit. You get a template with the HTML, Javascript, Flash, and CSS code. It has a bunch of graphics that come with it, and it’s all been laid out for you. You just need to make a few tweaks here and there to customize it. It would help if you had a program to edit the graphics, especially the PSD formatted graphics. I recommend Template Monster because you aren’t going to get any hidden or encrypted code. If you want to make money or run a small business, then try these paid templates. You can really get a professional look.

Custom Templates are great, but be willing to pay. I paid $1200 for my custom template. It was done by a company in Dallas, 123Triad.  They did great work. Generally speaking, you give them some design ideas, graphic ideas, etc. They send you back one or two ideas and work with their team to come up with a possible layout and design, and then you choose what looks good or sounds good. They give you 3-5 ideas for proofing. You make suggestions back and forth, and you finally have your finished design. The good thing about this is it is 100% unique to you and no one else can copy it. The custom templates are great if you are launching a major business or have been in business for a while and want to step up your professional appearance.

I suggest using templates, especially if you are going to be working on multiple sites over time. Fork out a few bucks, and you have a very professional look and design. It can also save you tons of hours of the initial design process.