A website template is a handy tool for brands that are looking to speed up their build time so they can launch faster. Templates make it possible to create something beautiful, even if it’s your first time building a website.

In this article, we will discuss how website templates can help you get your website live faster. We’ll discuss why this is valuable and how you can choose the right template to speed up your time to launch.

Website Templates: The Key to Speeding Up Time to Launch

Website templates are preset layouts that business owners and marketing managers can customize with their branded assets to build a site quickly. They come in a wide variety of styles, making them suitable for all sorts of businesses and organizations. Templates are often categorized by functionality and general design aesthetic.

Web design templates are particularly valuable for small business owners and marketers who need to create a website but don’t have a dedicated designer or developer to help them out.

Why Launch Sooner?

Sometimes, moving too fast can be detrimental to businesses. However, when it comes to launching a website, getting something live as soon as possible can be beneficial.

For starters, even a basic site gives you a destination to send interested customers to. That way, you can add your URL to your marketing materials.

If your website is closer to the ideal iteration, launching sooner allows you to collect data and feedback faster. That way, you can make changes accordingly to optimize your user experience.

Plus, the sooner you launch your site, the sooner Google can start indexing it. This is important if search engine optimization (SEO) is part of your marketing strategy because it will put you on a faster track to rank in the search engine result pages (SERPs).

How to Choose the Best Website Template

There are many website templates to choose from, but they are not all created equally. Each brand or organization has different needs, so selecting a template that works for your brand is essential.

With that said, here are the steps you can take to find the perfect website layout for your organization.

1. Assess Your Needs

To choose a website template, you’re going to start by determining what you need to achieve your goals with your website. Think about what specific features your site needs to function as you need it to.

For example, if you want to sell items on your site, you’ll need e-commerce capabilities. Basic landing pages will suffice if you’re simply creating an informational site.

Some common elements you might look for in a business website template include:

Contact forms
Library for blog posts
e-commerce templates for online shops and product pages
Banner image templates
Editable CSS templates
Universal filters

Another significant need to consider is industry-specific compliance. We’ll discuss this in more detail later in this guide.

2. Choose a Website Hosting Platform

If you haven’t already, you must choose a website hosting platform. This is important because many templates are platform-specific. For example, if you’re using Squarespace, you’ll need to use a website template specifically designed for Squarespace.

In addition to Squarespace, some popular website hosts include WordPress, Wix, Weebly, Shopify, and WebFlow. Although each platform is slightly different, there is a lot of overlap between them.

3. Find a Template Provider

Once you’ve chosen a website hosting platform, it’s time to look for a template provider. Sometimes, these providers are affiliated with the website host. Sometimes, they are not.

Squarewebsites, for example, offers many templates and plugins for Squarespace. This design company is a longtime Squarespace Circle Member, meaning it’s affiliated with the platform but not owned by it. Squarespace also offers some basic templates within the platform.

For example, WordPress offers many native templates that can be purchased directly within the platform. However, many third-party services also offer WordPress templates, site management, and more.

4. Customize the Template To Match Your Brand’s Identity

The templates from Squarewebsites look great from the start, but strengthening your brand identity is easy when you customize the layout, colors, typography, to match product packaging design or align with your brand guidelines. This ensures consistency across every customer touchpoint and reinforces your brand’s credibility.

5. Consider Industry Compliance

When building a professional website for regulated industries like wellness and health supplements, choosing the right template becomes even more critical due to compliance requirements and consumer trust factors.

Companies in these sectors face unique challenges that general-purpose templates simply can't address. This includes everything from age verification systems and dosage information displays to mandatory lab testing result sections and complex legal disclaimers.

For instance, businesses selling specialized wellness products like HHC gummies must navigate federal hemp regulations and varying state laws while presenting their products professionally and transparently.

A thoughtful website redesign that incorporates templates specifically designed for these regulated industries can dramatically reduce launch time by providing pre-built compliance frameworks, product information layouts, and trust-building elements that would otherwise require weeks of custom development and legal review.

6. Outsource to a Professional

Although templates make it possible to create a stunning website without any coding or design experience, getting started can still be a challenge.

If you’re getting stuck trying to choose a template, you might consider outsourcing to a professional web designer or strategist. Of course, this is a bit of an investment, but it is worth it to speed things along while creating an effective website.

Tips for Customizing a Website Template

Once you choose your website template, remember that it’s important to add branded touches to make it your own. Swap out the images, create custom copy, and tweak the color palette to make it reflect your brand to a T.

As you customize your template, remember to stay consistent in your stylistic choices from page to page. Your customizations should create a cohesive brand experience across the entire site.

Final thoughts

A website template is your ticket to speeding up your website’s time to launch. Fortunately, there are tons of templates to choose from, so you’re sure to find an option that works for you.

Are you ready to streamline your design process with a dynamic template? Browse Squarewebsites’ stunning templates to find the perfect starting point for your website design.

Author’s Bio: Jeremy Moser

Jeremy is co-founder & CEO at uSERP, a digital PR and SEO agency working with brands like Monday, ActiveCampaign, Hotjar, and more. He also buys and builds SaaS companies like Wordable.io and writes for publications like Entrepreneur and Search Engine Journal.

How Website Templates Help You Launch Faster Without Sacrificing Style