for smb website - css or template

[Danny Pepper]

Hello. I need to get my small biz online. After checking out the offers, I can see that with the budget I have, I either buy a template or learn some css. Is there any other choice out there that doesn’t involve so much money or studies?

[JimmyP]

Well... I have no idea what you're budget is but I'd say that purchasing a template is quick, cheap and easy.

I should really be advocating that you learn CSS though...

If you let us know what your budget is we may be able to help more.

[Dan Schulz]

Bear in mind though that we won't be offering our services here - just providing suggestions as to where you can go to get a template if that's the route you want to take.

Though like James, I do suggest you learn a little about CSS if you can.

[Danny Pepper]

What we are talking about, budget wise is no more then a couple of hundreds.
But the problem I see in using a template, even though there are some beautiful ones out there, is the need to constantly update it with content, and maybe change its layout to better my customer's conversion.
From your attitude I see that you are both into css, which I can appreciate, since some many years ago I did some website creations for my university studies.
So the painful question is, how much/long do I need to get into css to gain my desired abilities?

[pt49]

It's funny how beginners want 'pretty' sites and tend to opt for pretty Templates, that are often quite bloated with graphics. All my initial websites were pure css with no graphics, not even in the headers. They load fast.

They are only Adsense sites with 25 to 50 original articles to each site, but they are elegant and still make handy Adsense income almost 5 years on. One is a dog related site that has not been updated since it was made and it averages over 400 uniques a day.

[Danny Pepper]

I should explain myself better. When I say I need to get my small biz online, I didn’t mean its an internet only biz. I have a small spa that I need a website for.
I agree completely that the site should be clean and simple, nut it still has to project a spa "atmosphere".
So if you can help me with some direction for me to design my own site without the problems I mentioned before I would be greatly thankful.

[Dan Schulz]

Hmm... in your case I'd probably just say "ah forget about it" and buy a template that you can use to get the site up and running now - then later on, once you've learned how to make some CSS layouts and the site is working for you (generating sales), you can then take your CSS skills, design the next version of the site however you want (I usually start with a coded wireframe and then build the design into it, while others start with Photoshop), and then implement it.

Do you think that would work for you? Or do you really want to take the plunge and learn (just enough) CSS to get a site up and running instead? (We all can help you with that on the forum, but we'd need to know what it would probably end up looking like first.)