1. Start with your industry, not the design
A template built for plumbers already has an emergency banner, a price list and service areas. A template built for restaurants has menus and reservations. Starting with the right pages saves far more work than starting with the nicest look, which you can change in minutes.
2. Decide what visitors should do
Pick one main action: call you, book an appointment, request a quote, reserve a table or visit in person. Choose a template whose home page puts that action first, with a visible button and a form.
3. Check it on a phone
Most local searches happen on mobile. Open the live demo on your phone: is the text readable, are the buttons easy to tap, and does the phone number work as a link?
4. Look for speed and accessibility
Heavy templates with sliders and animation libraries load slowly and rank worse. Prefer themes with self-hosted fonts, little or no JavaScript and clear, high-contrast text.
5. Make sure you can edit it yourself
Modern WordPress block themes let you edit text, photos, colors and fonts without code, and add sections from a pattern library. Avoid templates that require a proprietary page builder you’ll have to pay for later.
6. Check the forms and tools you need
- Booking, quote or enquiry form that emails you and saves requests.
- Price calculator if you sell by size, hours or quantity.
- Blog layouts so you can publish helpful articles for search.
7. Read the license
Open-source (GPL or MIT) templates can be used for your own business and for clients. Premium templates usually allow one project per license. Check before you build on one.
8. Preview before you commit
Try the live demo, click through every page and imagine your own content in it. If you can picture your services, reviews and photos on those layouts, it’s a good fit.
Where to start
Browse business website templates by industry, or see our best website templates. If you want a hand, we’ll set one up for you.
Last updated October 14, 2026.