Jump to main content

Sourcing website templates

So you've decided to build a website that can be edited using WebYep CMS. Great choice! Most websites are typically built around a template. This template governs the structure and styling of every page in the website. A template will typically have placeholders; areas of the page where your website content can be added. Templates help keep multiple pages consistent; in terms of structure and style.

You either need to design and code your own template. Alternatively go to a template website, to download a template you like the look of. There are hundreds of places offering website templates that are free to use. These are your secret weapon towards quickly deploying beautiful websites for yourself or others. Of course, you have the freedom to code your own templates too. Here is a list of template websites I use, to help you get started:

These are some of the better template websites I keep bookmarked. There are a great many others available to search for. There's also some websites offering individual 'design blocks' which are great inspiration for presenting individual blocks of content:

Templates are not cheating! You can modify templates as much as you want. I often modify templates to delete all the elements I don't like, change the fonts, add new backgrounds, amend colours and make simple edits like adding the word 'menu' next to the mobile menu button. Oftentimes I finish up with something that looks radically different to the original template.

Try to look for templates advertised as being something called 'mobile responsive'. These ones will look and function far better on mobile and tablet devices. Particularly aspects like the website navigation menu, which is typically the hardest thing to change.

Here are some other design tips I recommend you follow, based on past experience and current design trends in 2022:

  • Avoid irritating design elements like slideshows, mouse reveals and accordion toggles. These risk making websites too hard for people to use and can actually reduce conversion rates. Watch this video on why sliders are bad.
  • Try to keep lines of text shorter than 75 characters. This will improve content readability. Explore using columns or grids as a way of adding visual appeal to web design. Headings also work well to break-up content into smaller sections and add context.
  • Drop-downs are in demise. They were originally conceived to emulate app menus in software. In usability research, horizontal and vertical lists of page navigation links win every time.
  • Use intentional cues to guide website users around and make the whole experience intuitive. For example, a website user should never need to use a 'scroll down' button on a banner, if the main content is visible already.
  • Take design inspiration from companies doing things right (like Apple). Question and scrutinise their design choices with forensic levels of detail.
  • Don't forget to take account of people using a wide variety of different devices and special requirements they may have for accessing your website; like being able to navigate using only the keyboard or with a screen reader.
  • If using free templates, take note of any extra licensing stipulations or fees that may be applicable to fonts and images used in the design. Use your own photographs, whenever possible.