Choosing A Template That Is Perfect For You!

When you're trying to find the perfect template for your ProStores  or 3d Cart e-commerce shop, you want to make sure that you have the look, feel, and functionality that is right for you. Many people browse through template catalogs looking for a specific type of template with a specific color and navigation structure. For example, a plumber might want a purple template with drop-down navigation. How many template designers would have what that plumber wanted? Not many! Here are some ways to help you focus on a template choice that will be right for you and your business.

Color

The first thing you want to look for is the color you want your store. Many template designers, including me, use lots of graphics in the designs, so changing color is not just one or two clicks on a style sheet, it's graphics work. Go through the template choices, picking out a couple that are a pleasing color to you. If you can open your choices in different windows, then you'll be able to see the templates side-to-side to compare colors. If you absolutely must have your specific color, I can certainly make it for you. Just contact me for pricing.

Layout

Next, take a look at layout. Layout consists of many different options, which include: the number of columns on the page, how wide/narrow is the page, location of navigation on the page and the header section consisting of a main image or no image at all. Let's break the layout down.

Columns:

Do you want only one column on your pages or do you want two or three columns? Many templates come with a couple of different layouts, but some are made so there is only one choice of layout. We usually make a two column layout with the side area section on the left. Three column layouts make the content area very skinny... just like this area. It does not allow enough room to showcase your products.

Width:

The latest templates are designed at a width of 980 pixels, some may be even larger. A 980 pixel template will fit easily into view with the new monitors, leaving room on the side for the scroll bar and allow some of the background to show. Older templates, made for smaller monitors, were 750 pixels wide or even smaller. They now get lost on the larger monitors. You'll recognize the smaller width templates immediately. They look like a note card in the middle of your screen! I might be embellishing a bit, but they do look very small!

Navigation:

Where do you want your main navigation structure? Remember, people don't want to have to look for it! Your viewers want the navigation to be in a consistent place throughout your web. Navigation is usually in the header area and/or in the side area (sidebar) of a web. Choose where you want your navigation located. Your next choice is how you want your navigation to look. If you have quite a few product categories, you might just want a few global links at the top, then most of your links down the sidebar.

Image or no image in the header:

That's just personal preference! You can choose a template that has an image in the header or choose just to have a graphic header with no main image.

Images

Now is the time to pick out the main image you want to use in your template! Does it match the color of the template you chose? If not, choose another image or choose another template color! Will your image "fit" in the main image area of the template? Look at the image you like. Is it in "landscape" (wider than tall), is it in portrait (taller than wide) or is it square? You can't fit a square image into a rectangle without cutting off parts of it.

Don't have an image you like? There are a number of places to get images at a very reasonable price. You can get some of BigStock Images on my site for FREE. We have image suppliers that you can purchase main images for about $3 each. You can look through Big Stock Photo's catalog or other image houses, such as iStockPhoto. Image pricing varies among vendors.

Did you take your own pictures for your web? That's great! Just make sure they're clear and optimized for web viewing. Your main image is your introduction to your web. It should be crisp, clear, and interesting.

Movement

JavaScript or Static are your main choices on our site. To move or not to move, which will you choose? Choose what works for your "look." The worst thing you can do is put a bunch of movement in your site that distracts from your content and takes too much load time. All of our templates load very quickly, even the ones with our JavaScript slide shows. The great thing about the JavaScript slide show is that you can easily change the images yourself just by making them the correct size for the template and naming them the same as ours (usually mainimage1.jpg, mainimage2.jpg, mainimage3.jpg) and then upload them into your images folder in the store. We will size the images for you to replace our images at no cost when you purchase the template! Should you choose to change the images at a later time, you can size them yourself with your own image program, use a web based program, such as Piknik or we can size them for you for a small fee.

Hopefully this will give you a start on choosing a ProStores or 3d Cart Store template that is right for you and your business! You can always give us a call or email as well!