Ok, here is where I come in, as well as my fellow designers. The times for web site design are changing as competition grows daily, not just from low-cost template designs but from low-cost designers (will talk about that in more detail in another article). I am not going to list any particular template design company as there are only a few choice ones. Templates are an excellent resource to offer your customers as you are showing your willingness to work with them for reasonable costs. You can fine tune design, whether it be graphic changes as well as text. As a rule, many companies do not have software to perform modifications to web site template or they have software but not time or expertise. The template is a good starting point and can save costs, but modifications are usually needed as one size does not fit all. This way customer gets good value and you get new business.

- About Author -

Since 1997, Dennis Dadey, Chief Designer at IR Design, has been helping people with e-commerce applications. Find out more about IR Design at http://www.irdesign.com

Just use simple Q and A form here: http://www.learn2design.net/login/secure/interface/eval.php to see if your website meets established design standards. Using this checklist form you can rate your website (or anyone's) to make sure you've got all essentials covered effectively.

Now hard part; you have to answer questions honestly and objectively! I know, it's your baby; you've spent countless hours nursing it to stardom. But now is time to make an honest assessment. (Pretend its someone else's website if that helps.)

The form should only take 5 to 10 minutes to complete and at end there is a brief description of what your score means and what you can do to improve your site.