Last week, comScore issued a press release with an interesting find:

“The most effective online marketing tool for both patients and prospects is the brand’s Web site.  It’s important to realize, though, that visits to a brand Web site are achieved through the use of a variety of offline and online tactics, such as online banner ads, search and offline advertising. This is why it is essential for marketers to develop fully-integrated campaigns that not only raise awareness and educate consumers but that also drive visitation to a site.”
- Bridget O’Toole, comScore Executive Vice President

comScore researched web sites and internet marketing techniques in the pharmaceutical field and found that previous exposure to a Pharmeceutical brand through online and online advertising increased brand awareness and favorability: those critical ingredients to dominating the competition.

What does this mean for small businesses?

That means if you’re using a weak, un-branded template web site that everyone and their neighbor has seen dozens of times, you’re going to lose to your competition with a more branded web site.

Using cheap (hopefully free – it’s just a template!) templates is never cost-effective. There are some nice templates that may be close enough to your brand to pull off, but the number one reason I would never suggest using a template is because using a template gives the impression of being completely finished – buttoned up.

Just as Ms. O’Tooele points out, however, your website is your most effective online marketing method, and like all marketing campaigns, it needs to be tweaked, optimized, and fine-tuned to maximize it’s revenue-building potential.

The second reason why you shouldn’t go for the cookie-cutter template: you lose your identity. I’m always disappointed when I come to a template site because I wanted to see that company’s identity, not a yellowpages column. What makes your company unique? What’s your USP? Make your site communicate that effectively. The reason is obvious in these two screenshots:

I searched for “attorney lincoln nebraska” and found these two results near the top: guess which one I would trust with my business?