We’ve all seen them, in the grocery store.  You’re standing in the cereal aisle and you’re staring at dozens of different brands.  Then you see them, the generic brands that run along the floor of the aisle.  In simple plastic bags, they stand out next to the cardboard boxes that line the shelves.  The ironically similar names match their more expensive counterparts.  The significantly larger amount per package increases the value but comes at the price of less than spectacular flavor.

The same situation occurs with websites.  It had been brought to my attention the other day when browsing through websites, that there is a generic epidemic striking websites.  For every incredibly designed site there are ten that look exactly the same.  While the sheer number of websites out there could cause coincidental similarities, there are some where that possibility is highly unlikely.  Produced by the same company and sharing eerily the same traits, these websites follow the exact same format.  This, of course, comes with similar advantages and disadvantages, must like the cereal aisle example.

 The most obvious disadvantage comes from the lack of originality found in a generically designed site.  The bland layouts cause the site to be absorbed into the background of other sites built similarly or exactly like it.  The advantage comes in the value.  A site built from a simple concept and used repeatedly allows it to be mass-produced in a cheap way.  This gives value to a customer that otherwise has no means of having an online presence.  Despite the advantages and disadvantages, a generic website is generally not the way to go.  The point of creating an online presence is to stand out amongst your competitors.  You have to spend money to make money, and an effective website can significantly increase the money.