There’s something so exciting about building your brand on the world wide web. You put yourself out there and anyone can find you, and the opportunities are endless. If you’re looking to make professional connections, sell products, or tell a story, then you’ll want to create a stunning website. We all know you shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover, but let’s face it, a well-designed website is way more effective than a poorly-designed one.
For those of us who aren’t a web design extraordinaire, designing a website that is both functional and beautiful can be a challenge, which is why at The Everygirl we swear by this major hack. Make a personal website using Squarespace and take advantage of their amazing design template options!
As variety is the spice of life (corny, but true) we thought we would share our favorite templates for a multitude of website needs. There are so many templates to choose from, but we wanted to save you some time by curating a list of our faves — we’re helpful like that.
Use the coupon code “EVERYGIRL19” for 10% off your first Squarespace purchase.
Before We Get Started
Before we jump into some of the amazing template options Squarespace offers, there are a few helpful tips to consider. To start, do your research. Squarespace has plenty of great templates to choose from, so you’re bound to find one you love. (Honestly, you’ll probably find more than one!) We think it’s helpful to look at websites that service similar needs to yours. Take note of what you do and don’t like about those websites. What works and what doesn’t? Can you easily find the information you need? Because the templates are customizable, there is no reason you can’t build your dream website! This research can help narrow down your options and save you some time.
When reviewing your template options, make sure to take advantage of the preview tool that allows you to explore the templates more in-depth. You can preview each template and a variety of pages on a screen that mimics desktop, mobile, and tablet. For example, if you know you want to blog regularly, be sure your template has a robust blog option. This is especially helpful if you know your audience is more likely to visit using a particular device. Hint: mobile is usually super important.
You should also consider what you need out of a template. Are you a storyteller who wants ample room for text? Does photography show off your brand best? How much functionality do you need in terms of shopping, booking appointments, and RSVPing to events? Choosing a template that prioritizes your particular needs will be a big help when designing your website.
For The Freelancer
Avenue: You need to show off your work, but it can be tricky to find a clean and organized way to highlight many projects. This is why Avenue is an ideal template for a busy freelancer. The grid layout is easy to navigate and allows you to provide quick access to all of your work. The grid acts as a preview of your projects, and when a user clicks on a square in the grid, they will be given access to more photos and text which you can use to provide information about your work. You’ll be booking more clients in no time.
READ: How to Create a Freelance Portfolio When You’re Just Starting Out
For The Blogger
Tudor: Being a triple threat is no easy feat. As a blogger, you’ve mastered the art of photography, writing, and creating original content. You need a template that works just as hard as you do, which is why we really appreciate how beautiful the Tudor template is for blogging. This minimalist template allows you to clearly represent blog posts on your home page via photos and text. Once they click on a blog post preview, your user will be transported to your post. Because you’re so savvy, you’ll want to take advantage of features that allow you to add social icons, sidebar ads, and newsletter subscription boxes. This template also offers helpful page options for subjects like “contact” or “about.”
READ: The 8 Things to Do Before You Launch Your Blog
For The Store Owner
Foster: It’s time to show off your goods. The template is not only super easy to use when setting up an online shop, but it also allows you to show off your products in a variety of ways. Like all Squarespace templates, this one is customizable. This allows you to choose how you want your products to appear on the screen. You can highlight select products, and you can create pages that allow your customer to buy the products. The design of the template is simple, allowing your products to shine. The backend of Squarespace commerce sites is also really easy to use — be sure to do research on the various integrations for shop owners (like Shipstation and Stripe) so you’re ready to go from your first order.
READ: 10 Steps to Launching Your Business This Year
For The Photographer
Wexley: As a photographer, having a website that successfully shows off your work is pretty make or break. Long gone are the days of meeting with clients to show them a physical portfolio of work — most clients will want to see samples of your work before they even contact you. The Wexley template provides a mosaic gallery that adapts to the size of your images, making it an optimal website template for photographers and creative professionals.
READ: 7 Ways to Grab Reader Attention with Your Homepage
For The Job Searcher
Sofia: Get modern! When you’re job searching, having a polished resume is great — but you can only fit so much information onto one page. Consider creating a website designed to show off your past work, resume, and references. You can also use the site to explain what opportunities you’re looking for. We like the Sofia template because it allows you to cleanly and clearly show why you’re a must-have employee.
READ: The One Thing That Will Take Your Website to the Next Level
For The Bride
Sonora: Your big day deserves a big website! Keeping your wedding plans organized is way simpler with this pretty template. The Sonora template gives you a great place to show off all your romantic engagement photos, and it allows you to remind guests of any important wedding details. As a bonus, you can keep your invitations chic and simple. Add information about directions, registry, and RSVPs to your website instead of your invitation – you can check out some of our editor’s wedding websites made with Squarespace here!
READ: How to Create a Wedding Website
Use the coupon code “EVERYGIRL19” for 10% off your first Squarespace purchase.
This post was in partnership with Squarespace, but all of the opinions within are those of The Everygirl editorial board.
The post A Template Is the Key to Making Your Website Look Professionally Built—Here’s How to Pick the Right One appeared first on The Everygirl.