Based on a phonetic spelling of the Swahili word for "all together," Joomla is a popular, award-winning CMS (Content Management System) that enables the easy assembly and control of websites and web apps (online applications). It is free, easy to use and can be customized, all because it is "open source" software. These features have made Joomla perhaps the most popular website-building software in the world today.



Briefly, a CMS is software that tracks the location, behavior and properties of every component of your site. The content being "managed" in a CMS can be text, media such as music and graphics, video, various documents and anything else you might think of including. Since using a CMS, especially Joomla, requires just about zero technical skill, it is a favorite of graphic designers as well as small businesses.

Abundant choices

Many hosting services typically offer single-click installation, meaning you can get your new or refurbished site up and running in a matter of minutes. You can get Joomla templates at literally hundreds of sites, and there are more all the time because the software is free and open to experimentation. With just a little more information and guidance, you will see how easily you can choose the right template to meet your website needs.

Designers and developers can build sites very quickly for clients, and the clients can be taught to manage their own sites with very little instruction. Even if your clients need specialized functions, Joomla is highly extensible (customizable). Powerful extensions, most of which are made available for free under the GPL license, are available in the thousands at the online Joomla Extensions Directory.

Judging and choosing templates

Whether or not you're a designer, you need to start thinking like one at least a little bit. Think about the layout of the various template pieces, where the menu is placed and the position of the Joomla module. Make sure the content area is appropriate for your unique purposes, and consider the color scheme as well. The latter is important, of course, but shouldn't be a deal-breaker, since you can change colors with just a bit of extra work. If you want things to be as plug-and-play as possible, though, see if you can live with the template as it is.

Never forget the saying, "Content is king." Sure, website design is important, but the site content is much more so. In choosing a template, think of it as being, not a finished work, but the catalyst for your own special content. Pretty and clever and striking designs have their place, but the look has to positively present the content you will be creating and promoting. In other words, if your site will be showcasing good writing, then the content must be cleanly presented and easy to read. In this case, a dark or muddled color scheme or one that has low-contrast text will not effectively support your site's purpose.

Branding and values

You are working with a customizable template, of course, but one of the main reasons you are using Joomla is that it is easy and fast. Therefore, as much as possible, the basic template you choose should be able to "match" or complement your brand with a minimum of fuss. The whole idea of Joomla is to save you time and effort, after all.

A functional, otherwise high-quality template is essentially useless if it clashes with your branding scheme, in color, intensity, style, etc. Branding is about conveying values, often wordlessly, so the template must be in the same "values ballpark" as your brand. Again, you want to accomplish this fusion - of style, content, appearance and functionality - with as little effort as possible, which means starting strong with a template that will work.

The old "SEO" rears its head

It is not a template, per se, that will mess up your Search Engine Optimization schemes or negatively affect your site rank in the major search engines. Actually, it's messing around too much with the template that might do that. See, search engines appreciate websites with clean, straightforward and "un-cutesy" code, so piling on a heap of fun, funny or funky elements will unnecessarily complicate your site's "web DNA."

If you make a point of keeping things simple, it is much more likely that the search engines will reward you with good rankings. Decide ahead of time how much time and effort you can reasonably devote to the site, and use the time to customize, not reinvent, the template. The site copy is what's important (remember "content is king" above?) and will be what eventually draws people to your website, notwithstanding all the marketing and promotional efforts you will undertake.

Bottom line

Quality content will make SEO work, and a smoothly functioning site will make your visitors amenable to your pitch or purpose. Start with a good, solid Joomla template, but consider it only the start, as branding realities and marketing truisms will never be repealed. This means you have to inject the spark, the sizzle and the eventual success into the template to create a winning website. Joomla makes it easier, certainly, but it doesn't guarantee you a thing.

Business basics hold firm in this area as in all others. Know what you're getting into and be prepared to do whatever it takes to succeed. Although Joomla templates are made to be used by "average folks," some of us just don't have a lick of design sense or the skills to write a simple paragraph. Get help in the areas you need it. In fact, you can consider the template metaphor as describing your entire venture. There are common business structures just like there are common website templates, so it's what you add to the mix yourself that will make the difference between failure and success.