How to Select a Web Site Template

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There are many template clubs availble for joomla and other popular CMS. So the big question is: How do you select the best template for your site? There are many excellent templates available and you will need to have a system that eliminates inappropriate templates.

Before we start on the template and area of web design that is often over looked is web site usability. If you are not familiar with web usability a great book to start with is Don't Make me Think by Steve Krug. This book has really helped me understand how people browse the web and how to design sites that are the easy to navigate and make the information easily accessible. This book was a big infuuence when creating Joomla Hosting Reviews

Template Navigation
I start by thinking about how I want the navigation or menu system.

Top only
Top and on the left
Top and on the right

Once I decide how I want the navigation then I start looking for templates that have navigation systems and layouts that I like.

Look and Feel
I also decide if I want the site to have lots of different modules or to be simpler. After reading "Don't make me think" I have started to opt for the simpler sites.

Module Positions
Another big factor is I have already paid my money to Joomlart and rockettheme for yearly subscriptions. So any template I use from them I have already paid for.

Template Club Support Forums
There are so many template clubs out there and honestly many of the templates are very similar. I would stick with one of the bigger clubs. If there templates have bugs they will likely get worked out by other people. Also the bigger clubs will have the best support forums. RocketTheme has the best, joomlart can be pretty poor at times. The other big club I would look at is joomlashack. I am not a member so I do not have any first hand experience with them.

Other Templates from the Template Club
Even though Joomlart's support is not that great, I think that they have some of the cleaner more professional designs.

When you get the template you are also getting the template club. How many other templates to they have? Do you like the look and feel? How active are the forums?

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written by sandeep, March 13, 2008

I just discovered a friendly new website called Photoshoptutorials.dk which tracks the latest tutorials from around the internet, and provides you with a single source to find and use tutorials. http://www.photoshoptutorials.dk

Before buying template
written by john, May 08, 2008

Before buying a joomla template I am looking first bestofjoomla.com also you can find all template provider on this site and easily compare them .

Try Free Joomla template
written by Mr.Auto-Insurans, June 27, 2008

Hi,

I have been trying the free Joomla template for my website, which is offered by the freetemplatesonlne.com

For lots of free templates
written by Eric Lewis, July 09, 2008

A good source for a lot of free templates is www.joomla24.com. Some of these will need tweeking, and some quite a bit of tweeking, but there are over 1500 templates available here. I've used a number of these as starting points for the sites that I build.

I agree that Rocketheme and Joomlart are good sources though. I'm a member of both.

Eric

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