What is a Website Template? How to Choose the Right Template (Avoid this 1 thing!)
Moxie | Canvas Sky | Seraph
If you're building a website for your business, you’ve probably come across the term "website template." But what exactly is a website template, and why is it so crucial to choose the right one? In this post, we’ll explore what a website template is, how to select the perfect one for your needs, and how to ensure it helps you with SEO — specifically on the Squarespace platform.
First of All, What is a Website Template?
A website template is a pre-built design that you can use to create your website. Usually created by a professional website designer, it contains essential elements like layout, fonts, color schemes, and mobile layouts. Simply put — Instead of building a website from scratch with no framework, a template allows you to customize your content within a website that has already beed designed.
For those of you who are looking at using Squarespace to build your website, you’ll find a variety of free Squarespace website templates available from Squarespace, although I highly recommend purchasing a template from a designer if you’re wanting to step-up your brand identity.
Why Choosing the Right Template Matters
Your website template is more than just a visual representation of your business—it plays a pivotal role in user experience and SEO. A well-chosen template ensures that your website is:
Easy to navigate, providing a smooth and intuitive user experience.
Mobile-optimized, ensuring your site looks great on all devices, an increasingly important factor for SEO.
SEO-friendly, which directly impacts your search engine rankings.
Squarespace templates come with built-in SEO features, but you can boost performance by using tools like the Squarespace SEOSpace** and paying attention to details such as Squarespace SEO descriptions and incorporating relevant SEO Squarespace keywords.
** A note about SEOSpace — This is a wonderful tool to check your current webpages for keywords, broken links, and image sizes. I have used it for my site! But don’t make the mistake of thinking this tool alone will help you achieve optimal SEO. Good SEO is multi-faceted, and there is an art to it. If you’re interested in increasing your ranking on Google, I’d love to help.
Key Factors to Consider When Choosing a Template
Choosing a website template isn't just about aesthetics. Here are the top factors you should consider:
Industry-Specific Design: Think about your business or personal brand. If you're a photographer, look for Squarespace website templates designed specifically for photographers. If you have a wedding business, Squarespace website templates for wedding professionals is a great place to start. You get the idea. The right design can make a big difference in conveying your professionalism and expertise.
SEO Capabilities: Choose a template that is SEO-friendly. Squarespace offers some excellent Squarespace SEO tools built into its platform, such as customizable meta descriptions, clean code, and responsive design. Templates that integrate these features help improve your website’s visibility. Squarespace won’t automatically create SEO meta-descriptions, however. You’ll need to research how to implement SEO or hire a professional for best results.
Customization & Flexibility: You want a template that can grow with your brand. Look for options that allow you to modify elements like colors, typography, and page layouts without complex coding. If you're willing to invest, professional Squarespace template customization can give you the ultimate level of personalization.
How to Evaluate Squarespace Templates for SEO
SEO is essential to make your website discoverable on Google, and the right template can help. Here’s how to ensure your Squarespace template is SEO-friendly:
Optimize for Keywords: Add relevant Squarespace SEO keywords to your pages and posts to boost visibility.
SEO Descriptions: Tailor your Squarespace SEO description to provide search engines with concise, keyword-rich content that boosts rankings.
Address Common Issues: Watch out for common Squarespace SEO issues, like missing alt text for images or poor mobile responsiveness, which can harm your search performance.
Like I said earlier, Squarespace won’t automatically create your SEO, so make sure you do your homework!
Should You Hire a Squarespace Designer?
While many templates are easy to use, some businesses may benefit from hiring a professional Squarespace designer. A Squarespace designer for hire can help create a custom solution tailored to your needs. This can be particularly helpful for complex designs or businesses that need advanced functionality.
Hiring a professional designer does come at a cost, but investing in a Squarespace website design service can save you time and effort in the long run, ensuring your site looks great and functions well. I’ve written an entire blog post about this and you can read it here.
Where to Buy or Download Squarespace Templates
If you prefer not to design your site from scratch, you can buy Squarespace templates from various online marketplaces. These templates come in both free and paid versions, and many are optimized for SEO. If you’re going to be creating your site yourself, you might consider a template that comes with a course on how to customize your template. All of our templates come with template-specific courses, and can greatly improve your site before it’s published.
What’s The 1 Thing to Avoid When Choosing a Template?
One major thing you should avoid when choosing a website template is selecting one that isn’t SEO-friendly. While it might be tempting to choose a template based purely on how it looks, it’s essential to consider how well the template supports SEO features like meta descriptions and keywords. A visually appealing template that isn’t SEO-friendly can lead to Squarespace SEO issues down the road, making it harder for your website to rank well on search engines. To avoid this, look for templates that come with SEO capabilities. Luckily, Squarespace sites are SEO friendly and can be optimized for SEO easily.
Ready to get started?
Choosing the right website template for your Squarespace site is crucial for creating a professional, functional, and SEO-optimized site. Consider your industry, design preferences, SEO needs, and customization options before making a choice. Whether you’re using a free template, a premium option, or a custom design, the goal is to ensure your website stands out and performs well in search engines.
Browse our collection of Squarespace Templates and Design Services — let’s bring your vision to life!
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