- Jul 28
- 8 min read
Most people building a first website should use a template. It hands you a professionally designed structure, so your time goes into content and branding rather than layout. If you're new to the idea, what is a website template covers the basics.
Website templates are pre-designed layouts that let you create a website without any coding knowledge. They give you a framework to work within, so you can focus on the content and design choices that make the site yours. They simplify web design and make it accessible to everyone. Depending on the type of website you want, a template can help you take client bookings, market to customers or build a community.
Most leading website builders offer them. Wix has over 2000+ pre-designed, fully customizable and mobile-optimized website frameworks to enable fast website creation without coding. It also has a drag-and-drop editor for customizing them.
TL;DR: Should I use a website template
For most people, yes. A template gives you a professionally designed structure so you can spend your time on content and branding rather than layout. The trade-off is that you're working inside someone else's structure, so the real work shifts to customizing it properly and picking the right one at the start. Wix provides you with industry-specific website templates for better branding.
What you'll learn
The types of templates available and who each one suits
Why templates save time and money, and where they fall short
How to pick the right one for your industry and brand
Six mistakes that make a templated site look templated
Types of website templates
Before deciding if you plan to use a template to create your website, it's worth exploring the different types available. Website templates come in a variety of different kinds, covering any website you might want to build. They also span multiple industries, niches and businesses.
Here's a look at some of the most common:
Business website templates: Ideal for corporate websites, these templates often include features like service pages, contact forms and team sections.
Portfolio website templates: Perfect for creatives such as photographers and designers, these templates focus on showcasing work through galleries and project pages.
Blog templates: These are great for starting a blog of any type and size.
eCommerce website templates: Designed for online stores, they include product listings, shopping carts and payment gateways.
One-page website templates: These are created to easily get one-page websites, like landing pages live.
Beauty website templates: Great for beauty businesses, whether it's taking bookings for a salon or selling beauty products online.
Health and wellness website templates: These can range from templates for fitness websites, for services like private training or websites for gyms to showcase their classes and pricing.
Restaurants and food website templates: Restaurant and food templates work for any type of food business, from restaurants, food trucks and coffee shops to catering services, to online stores selling food and edible products.
Industrial website templates: These templates are designed for a wide range of businesses, including construction, contractors, plumbers and more.
Responsive website templates: Designed to look great no matter the device your website is viewed on.
Learn more:
Why should I use a website template?
With a wide range of website templates for every site and business, lack of variety shouldn't hold you back from deciding whether you should use one or not. Variety aside, here are a number of other reasons why using a template makes sense.
Cost-effectiveness and time-saving
Templates are a cost-effective solution for everyone and with Wix, they're free. They also mean you don't need to hire a web developer which can free up resources to use elsewhere, on your media for example, or website content. Website templates make it faster to launch a website, so you can focus on other business needs or setup.
Ease of use
One of the primary advantages of website templates is their user-friendliness. Designed with non-technical users in mind, they offer intuitive interfaces that make it easy to customize your site without any coding knowledge. You just need to drag and drop in the elements you need to customize the template to your website and business.
"Once you pick the right layout or template for you, it's really important to take the time to customize all the content. Many people overlook this step. Make sure you remove any unrelated images or paragraphs, and focus on creating a clear flow for the content that tells the story you want to share with your audience." Dafna Rabin, Wix Templates design team lead
They're also designed by professional designers, meaning you get a free, ready to use template that helps build a great looking site.
Mobile-friendly
Most modern templates should be mobile-friendly, so that your website looks great on all devices. This is crucial as more people view websites via their phones than from anywhere else. It also means you don't have to understand that much about mobile-friendly web design to create a website that looks great on mobile. You can rely on your template.
What about starting with AI instead?
A template is no longer the only starting point. Wix Harmony takes you from a single prompt to a business-ready site for any industry or creative vision, which suits people who'd rather describe what they want than browse for it. The two aren't rivals. A prompt-built site and a template-built site both land in the same editor, and you customize either one the same way.
What are the downsides of using a template?
Templates aren't a perfect fit for everyone, and three trade-offs are worth knowing before you commit.
You work inside someone else's structure: Swapping colors, fonts and images is quick, but reshaping a layout that doesn't match your content takes real effort.
Other sites use the same template: The differentiation has to come from you, mostly through original photography, your own palette and real copy.
A template handles layout, not strategy: What each page is for and what you want visitors to do is still your call, and that matters more to the result than which template you picked.
You've decided to use a website template, now how to choose the right one?
Start off by deciding which template matches your industry best. What a plumbing website business owner needs from a website template is understandably different than what a restaurant website owner needs or an artist needs. This includes the layout, features and emphasis on different parts of the website page. If you choose a template for your business through Wix, each one is professionally designed for your industry style, making it easier to understand how to choose a website template that fits your needs.
As noted by Wix template designer, Kobi Michaeli:
"At the end of the day, the template you choose should reflect your unique needs. Don’t get too distracted by how attractive a template is—look first at its features and usability."
Then consider the color, typography, overall aesthetic of the template and if it aligns with your branding. You want to make sure you have consistency across your brand assets and website.
"If you have a brand, make sure your website aligns with it. This includes matching your brand colors, properly positioning your logo and making sure your business name is clear and easy to understand. People should immediately recognize your brand and know where they’ve landed when visiting your site." Dafna Rabin Wix Templates design team lead
Think about the features you need, such as contact forms, galleries or eCommerce capabilities. These can often be found on the template you need and also added as you create your website.
Remember that customization is the key to making a template truly yours. Look for templates that offer flexibility in its design elements so you can tailor them to fit your unique business needs. This includes adjusting layouts, colors and fonts to match your brand identity.
Explore more templates:
What common mistakes should I avoid when using a template to create my website?
When using a template to create your website, avoid these common mistakes:
Ignoring customization
Relying too heavily on the default look can make your site too generic. You want to make sure you tailor your colors, fonts and content to match your brand identity. This is important regardless of which template you use.
Overloading with features
Many templates include extras you may not need and you don't necessarily need to use all of them. You can consider removing elements you don't need to improve the speed and focus of your website.
Poor content planning
Cramming content to fit the template layout instead of designing for your website's purpose can confuse your visitors. Start with your content goals, what you want to include and why, then adapt the template to these.
Not optimizing for mobile
Your template should be mobile-friendly and if necessary responsive. Don't forget to test it across devices once published also. Wix templates are optimized for mobile from the start.
Neglecting the SEO basics
Templates don’t handle on-page SEO optimizations for you. You'll still need to remember to add alt tags, meta descriptions and create clean, short URLs. If you're building with Wix, the in-built SEO tool within the editor can help you with all of this.
Neglecting your user experience
Don’t clutter your pages with too much text or too many CTAs, as tempting as this might be at first. Prioritize intuitive navigation for your users.
Read also: Are website templates dead?
Should I use a website template? FAQ
Are website templates better than a custom design for a beginner?
Yes, usually. For a beginner, a template provides a professional skeleton for building a website quickly and easily. Designing from a blank canvas requires an understanding of UI/UX (User Interface/User Experience) principles that take years to master. A template means your site is functional and looks great from day one.
Won't using a template mean my website will look like everyone else's?
Not necessarily. While the structure might be shared, you can easily make it unique by:
Using your own high-quality original photography.
Applying a custom color palette that matches your brand.
Updating the typography, the fonts.
Rearranging sections or adding unique strips of content.
Are website templates bad for SEO?
No because most modern templates, such as on Wix, are built with clean code that Google can easily read. However, templates with too many heavy animations or giant uncompressed images can slow down your site, which could hurt your ability to show up on Google.
Should I use a template or build with AI instead?
Both work, and they suit different starting points. A template gives you a proven structure when you already know roughly what you want. Describing your business in a prompt gets you a first draft to react to when you don't. Either way you finish the job in the same drag and drop editor.
How long does it take to build a site from a template?
A basic site can be live the same day if your text and images are ready. Most of the time goes into content and customization rather than layout, which is the part the template already handles.
