How to Install Template Kits in WordPress (Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners)

Hey there! Do you want to create a beautiful, professional-looking website, but don‘t have the skills or time to design it all from scratch?

As a web developer with over 15 years of experience using WordPress, I highly recommend starting with a template kit.

Template kits allow you to quickly apply stunning designs across your entire website in just a few clicks. In this detailed guide for beginners, I‘ll show you how to find, install, and customize template kits in WordPress.

Why Website Templates Help Non-Designers

Here are some key benefits of using a template kit to build your WordPress site:

• Saves Time – No need to design layouts and styles from scratch. Just install a kit and customize it. Most people can launch a complete website in a few hours!

• Beautiful Designs – Template kits are professionally designed by experts to look fantastic out of the box. Even the free kits beat custom themes from amateur designers.

• Brand Consistency – Using matching templates across all your pages creates a unified brand image. Visitors instantly recognize your site.

• Seamless Experience – Complementary homepage, about, contact, and inner page designs lead to a polished site.

• Backed by Research – Studies show websites with cohesive designs convert better. Templates get new sites up to pro standards fast.

In short, a template kit empowers almost anyone to quickly launch a high-quality WordPress site without advanced design skills.

And quality web design matters, because 38% of visitors will stop engaging with a website if the content or layout is unattractive. Save yourself lots of time and money by starting with pro templates.

Now let‘s dive into how to use template kits in WordPress…

Step 1: Install a Page Builder Plugin (Required)

To use template kits in WordPress, you first need to install a page builder plugin.

Page builders provide easy drag and drop editors that enable you to customize every part of a template kit.

The best free WordPress page builder is SeedProd. It has a fantastic and growing library of website kits that you can install with one click.

To get started, install and activate the SeedProd plugin just like any other WordPress plugin:

1. Go to Plugins » Add New
2. Search for ‘SeedProd‘
3. Install and Activate the plugin

After installing SeedProd, head to the plugin settings and enter your license key to unlock access to the template kits and other premium features.

Now the plugin is ready to use. Time to find a great template kit for your site!

Step 2: Browse the Template Kit Library

With SeedProd installed and activated, navigate to SeedProd → Theme Builder in your WordPress dashboard menu.

Here you‘ll find the full template kit library. SeedProd offers website kits tailored for different industries like restaurants, travel blogs, agencies, online stores, and more.

You can preview any kit by hovering over it and clicking the magnifying glass icon.

This opens the template kit preview so you can view all the different page designs. Click the navigation links and buttons to see more pages.

Once you find a template kit that fits your needs, hover over it and click the checkmark icon to install it.

All of the template files will be automatically added to your WordPress site. But don‘t worry, they‘ll remain disabled until you are ready to launch the design.

First, we need to customize the kit…

Step 3: Customize the Template Kit

With the kit installed, it‘s time to personalize it! Let‘s dive in and edit the header, footer, colors, and other settings:

Navigate to SeedProd → Theme Builder again. Here you‘ll see a list of all the template "parts" that make up your kit.

Edit the Header

Let‘s start by customizing the header template. The header appears at the top of all pages and typically includes:

• Your logo
• Main navigation menu
• Social media icons
• Other branding elements

To edit the header, hover over it and click the "Edit Design" button. This will launch the drag and drop editor.

In the editor, click any element to open the left sidebar settings. Replace the logo, delete any dummy menu items, and drag over blocks like social icons to add them.

Headers are crucial for consistent branding, so take your time to customize it exactly how you want.

When you‘re happy with the header, click "Save" to store your changes.

Update the Footer

Next, let‘s update the footer template. The footer appears at the bottom of all pages and commonly includes:

• Contact information
• Menu links
• Social profiles
• Copyright notices

Again, click the "Edit Design" button to launch the editor. Delete, add, or update any element just like you did for the header.

Many businesses add a call-to-action like an email signup form to the footer. This allows folks to subscribe from any page on your site.

Once your footer is set up, click "Save" to keep your changes.

Follow this same process to customize any other template files that are part of your kit.

Step 4: Modify the Global Settings

At this point you have the templates customized, but we can take it a step further by modifying the global settings.

Navigate back to SeedProd → Theme Builder and hover over the "Global CSS" option. Click "Edit Design" to launch the editor.

Here you can change the overall fonts, colors, spacing, and other design elements that apply throughout the template kit. This enables you to quickly modify the look and feel to match your brand.

For example, you may want to:

• Choose font styles for all headings and body text
• Pick accent colors that match your logo
• Increase spacing between elements
• Make buttons larger

Tweaking the global settings is an easy way to adapt the template to your style. Click "Save" when you‘re happy with the changes.

Okay, your kit is fully customized and ready to launch…

Step 5: Enable Your Template Kit

The last step is to enable your template kit. This makes it live on your WordPress site.

Head back over to SeedProd → Theme Builder and turn on the "Enable SeedProd Theme" toggle at the top.

Now visit your website and you‘ll see your new design is active!

Tips for Additional Customization

Here are some more tips for customizing template kits:

• Add Custom Images – Most kits include stock photos you can use. But uploading your own images makes the design feel more unique. Replace hero photos, team members, logos, and any other images.

• Edit Page Layouts – Change column sizes, reorder blocks, remove unnecessary sections, etc. Adapt each page layout to fit your content.

• Advanced Edits – Open any template‘s CSS panel to tweak colors, spacing, sizing, animations, and any other styles.

• Integrate Plugins – Add features like contact forms, galleries, calendars, and more by integrating your favorite WordPress plugins.

Take your time playing around with all the settings. Tweaking a template kit to perfectly fit your brand is a fun and rewarding process!

Next Steps and Resources

I hope this guide helped demystify template kits and how to use them in WordPress!

Here are a few suggested next steps and resources for launching your new site:

• Add Your Own Content – Now it‘s time to swap the dummy text for your own messaging. Create pages and blog posts to bring your templates to life.

• Install Essential Plugins – Consider key plugins like security, caching, contact forms, SEO, and analytics. Here are 13 must-have WordPress plugins.

• Launch Your Site – Remove the "coming soon" page, make the site live, and spread the word!

• Learn WordPress – If you‘re new to WordPress, start with our beginner‘s guide and video tutorials.

I hope this tutorial helped you start designing a professional site with template kits in WordPress. Happy website building! Please reach out if you have any other questions.