I wasn't going to say anything and just let it go... but I have to say it... The above statement by WEBMASTER is so full of crap on so many different levels!
First of all... NO WEBSITE IS CREATED FOR SCRATCH! If you find me a webmaster that creates you a website from scratch, I'll show you a webmaster that will be out of business quickly! All good webmasters take some from here, take a little code from there, make a little something new for this, and there you have it, a custom website. (built from pieces of other websites they have done in the past, with some new stuff added)
Every website, starts from some sort of template. How much you can customize the template is the key. Google, MSN, Yahoo don't care if your website "looks" like someone else's, they only care if your website has quality and unique content that best answers someones question typed into their search engine.
I'll back up my statement with a quick example.
www.kimolive.com This is very much a template website, with all the default code and graphics. She didn't customize anything about it except for the content (the copy, the text). Her website scores well in all search engines, Google even gives her home page (splash page) a Page Rank 4. (better then a lot of so-called custom websites) Then, to make things even better, she scores pretty well for her primary search phrase "Phenix City Real Estate" in Google and MSN, which is where she does the majority of her business. Granted, this isn't a hugely competitive search phrase like "home loans" or "real estate", but it does PROVE that a template website can, and DOES score well in the search engines, IF YOU DO THE RIGHT THINGS. (there are a lot fo things she could have done better, and some I think she shouldn't have done at all) But the point is, she has a VERY SOLID template website that scores well int he search engines, and THAT'S what matters!
Don't fear the templates man... But of course, if you still fear the templates, we do offer "fully custom" website at 100 times the price! (don't be an idiot and believe the unsubstantiated statements of some people posting on this board... and that goes for me too! Spend your time on quality unique content that is on search engine friendly pages, and you too will score well in the search engines.
Caveat Emptor!