Other agencies and designers make great clients; they’re always on the lookout for stellar creative solutions, and you understand their needs deeply and personally.
That’s why creating and selling website templates is an effective way to add another line of recurring revenue to your agency’s services.
Wix Partners can submit their designs to the new Wix Studio Templates Marketplace to turn one-off creations into recurring cash flow. With the right layout, attention to detail and business savvy, an already-designed template can be the gift that keeps on giving.
“We’re projecting that 30% of our agency’s revenue will come from templates sold in the marketplace,” says Wing Chan, Wix Partner and founder of Certified Code. “We plan to launch and sell 50 templates this year, and publish 100 more templates for sale every following year.”
By building and publishing templates, you can reach new B2B clients and unlock a new revenue stream in support of continuous growth.
Let’s walk through the steps to create and sell a template.
Craft a personal portfolio for additional sales
01. Identify your template niche and audience
Determine who you’re targeting. Is it edgy startups? Chic boutiques? Professional services?
“Our template creation process begins with thorough market research to identify current needs and potential gaps,” says Chan. “We design niche-specific templates to ensure that site builders feel the template is tailored just for them.”
Pinpoint who you’re designing for and what they desperately need. This is your secret sauce to standing out in a crowded market. Crafting templates that resonate deeply with a specific audience not only enhances your marketability but also ensures that you’re meeting a real demand. Be sure to understand their pain points, stylistic preferences and functional requirements.
“We collaborate closely with designers and developers to understand their daily requirements,” says Chan. He also analyzes his existing customer base to identify gaps in their respective industries, which helps determine which templates to build next.
“Our templates are designed to be easily customizable, enabling businesses in the same industry to quickly launch a website that aligns with their branding,” adds Chan.
A good rule of thumb when designing anything (including website templates): you are not the user. In other words, you’re creating for your clients’ needs, not your own.
For instance, if you’re targeting edgy startups, focus on sleek, modern designs with bold typography and interactive elements that showcase innovation and creativity. For boutiques, emphasize elegant layouts, high-quality imagery and features like lookbooks and shoppable galleries to highlight products stylishly. If you’re designing for executives, prioritize clean, minimalist designs with professional fonts, easy navigation and clear calls-to-action to convey an air of elegance and reliability.
The bottom line: when you know who you’re building for, you’ll know what to include (and exclude) in your templates.
02. Create your templates
Now, the fun part. Check out the Wix Studio design capabilities to see how you can build templates that delight your customers. The platform’s versatility allows you to experiment with different design elements, ensuring each template is unique and tailored to your audience’s needs. Plus, with built-in SEO features and easy integration with various tools, your templates are not only visually appealing but also optimized for performance.
Here’s how to start building a new template:
Go to the custom template section of your Wix Studio workspace
Click ‘+ Create Template’
Choose whether you want to build a template based on an existing site you’ve already created or from a blank canvas
“Remember that when you’re building a template, you’re not just building another website, you’re building a product that will potentially be used as a starting point for potentially thousands of designers across different agencies,” Inbar Golan, Visual Content Expert Team Lead at Wix, says in the webinar below. “That means your product is competing with other templates in the marketplace, so it needs to stand out from the rest, grab your audience’s attention and incentivize them to choose and purchase it.”
Chan says your template should be easy to edit. “That's why, before we release a template in the marketplace, we try to QA all of the elements to ensure they’re easy to customize or replace,” he says. “A quality product leads to recurring customers.”
Another pro-tip for building templates: “Always include realistic content so buyers can more easily imagine a finished product with their own branding,” he says. “Wix Studio also allows you to edit your templates to create new versions easily.”
With Wix Studio, clients will automatically receive any updates or iterations you make to your templates down the road. “If we go back and optimize our previous templates, site owners will be able to get these updated versions for free,” says Chan.
03. Price your templates
Time to talk about money. Pricing your templates is an art. See what the competition is charging, then set your price. Remember: you’re offering value, not just a wireframe. Create different pricing tiers to cater to everyone from the bargain hunter to the high roller.
Offering a range of options, such as basic, premium and custom packages, allows you to appeal to a broader audience. Consider bundling services or offering subscription models to increase your revenue streams. Transparency in pricing and highlighting the unique benefits of each tier can also help justify the cost and encourage more purchases. It’s essential to strike a balance between profitability and affordability to ensure that your templates remain accessible while maximizing your earnings.
“Consider the fact that most people who buy website templates have one main goal: conversions. If you help them reach their site goals (such as getting leads or increasing sales) by building high-converting templates, they’ll be willing to pay for high tier subscription plans, come back for more templates, and mix and match additional templates,” says Chan.
04. Craft a professional portfolio for additional sales
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket by selling exclusively in the template marketplace, show off your masterpieces on a slick portfolio website that complements your efforts. Put your templates front and center to make it easy for customers to find, fall in love with and buy your templates. High-quality visuals, snappy descriptions and a seamless checkout process are non-negotiable.
An intuitive navigation system, compelling calls-to-action, and customer testimonials can significantly enhance the buying experience. Consider integrating a blog or resource section to provide valuable content and establish your authority in the field. Build a Wix Studio website that points to your templates page to attract, engage and convert visitors into loyal customers.
“When you create templates for the Wix Studio Templates Marketplace, you will have your own templates page just like we have at Wix Studio, and it will be a separate dedicated page just for your brand,” says Golan. “But you still need to ensure it’s competitive for when it’s displayed in the general section with other people’s templates.”
05. Promote your templates
Time to shout from the rooftops. Use visual channels as secondary portfolios to showcase some of your templates, SEO practices to boost traffic to your website, and email campaigns to get your templates in front of the right eyes. Lots of agencies are on LinkedIn, so send people to your marketplace profile or website from there by including a call to action in your content. That could look like creating demo videos, sharing success stories and getting clients to create user-generated content (UGC) in exchange for a freebie.
Engaging content, such as behind-the-scenes looks at your design process, client testimonials and interactive tutorials, can help build a strong online presence. Paid advertising, guest blogging and partnerships with industry leaders can further boost your visibility and credibility. The key is to be consistent and creative in your promotional efforts, so potential buyers remember you and your services.
“We have a whole post-purchase flow, including tutorials and onboarding tools to use with the templates, as well as nudges to spread the word or buy more assets from us,” says Chan.
The benefits of creating and selling website templates
Selling website templates offers numerous benefits, including building strong customer relationships and establishing yourself as an expert in your field. High-quality customer service can turn one-time buyers into loyal customers who will recommend your templates to others.
Here’s what you stand to gain from selling website templates:
Strong customer relationships. Templates aren't one-time transactions. Great customer service turns buyers into loyal fans. Listen to feedback, offer support and make your customers feel like they can’t go wrong with your products.
A loyal following. Regularly producing high-quality templates positions your agency as a top-notch web creator. As you establish your expertise, you’ll attract more opportunities and build a loyal following of designers and business owners.
Diversified income. Who doesn’t love multiple income streams? Selling templates gives you that sweet passive income. It adds new lines of revenue and frees you up to take on other exciting projects.
A rich library of products. As an agency, you’re primarily a service-based business built on the back of your team’s creativity and design chops. Why not leverage your expertise to productize your offering?
How to create and sell website templates: FAQ
Is selling website templates profitable?
A well-crafted template that meets the needs of your target market typically goes for $40 to $299 a pop, which provides a steady stream of passive income when scaled up. By continuously improving your templates and adapting to market trends, you can maximize your profitability and build a successful business.
Can I sell my website templates on Etsy?
Yep. There are many digital product sellers on Etsy. Optimize your listings with eye-catching visuals, compelling descriptions and spot-on keywords. Also be sure to take advantage of Etsy’s built-in audience and marketing tools to reach a wider audience and drive sales. By providing excellent customer service and engaging with the Etsy community, you can score a high seller rating that strengthens your online presence and generates more sales.
Is it possible to use custom code in your templates?
“Absolutely,” says Golan. “The more you customize your website up front, the more time designers save when using it as a jumping off point to build new websites.” The right interactions can spice up your template to help it stand out from the rest.
What are Wix Studio’s requirements for template submission?
Looking to showcase your creativity and earn from your skills? Here’s what we’re looking for on our end: a well designed template that follows UX/UI best practices and is on-trend for its industry, a fully-functional design, an easily navigable layout structure and no self promotion within the templates.
Create and submit templates to the Wix Studio marketplace today.
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