Still, you may not always find a website template that matches your brand or offers exactly. You also likely won’t find a website template that matches your aesthetic or brand colors. That’s not a dealbreaker, though. It comes down to knowing how to brand a website so you can make any template your own. 

Here, we’re breaking down exactly how to do that. 

Brand your website using your brand style guide

Once you’ve selected a website template, it’s time to remember your brand standards. You’ll need to know your color codes, your fonts, and you’ll want to have your logos and brand photos on standby. 

Each of these elements can be edited in the backend of your website template, with a few simple steps. This will turn a template from “generic” into a branded website that can be easily associated with your business. 

This stage of branding a website is non-negotiable. Why? Because it builds brand consistency — your audience can easily identify your brand across social media, email, etc. They’ll have a similar experience as soon as they visit your site. 

Worried about how to customize these three elements? Most builders, especially Elementor, have customization features as well as drag-and-drop templates. Even if one element of your website template can’t be adjusted to fit your colors, fonts, or images, you can quickly swap them out to be more on-brand. 

Use your brand photos

Most website templates come pre-formatted with stock photos. But again, they may not fit your brand as well as you want them to. You may even want to include brand-specific images, like product pictures or pictures of you. 

That’s easy to do, too. As long as you have the rights to use the photos on your website, just upload them into your website builder and swap them out for what’s already there. 

With a stock photo subscription from Styled Stock Society, you can also find a variety of images to help brand your website even more. Our collections range from flatlays to landscapes, and include models or props you can choose to fit your brand. 

Do you really need images for your website template? We say yes. Visuals are important for connecting with your audience — 91% of people prefer visual content to written content. Photos can tell stories in ways that words can’t, and convey meaning in a way that’s hard to capture over text, or even with a graphic. And while copy is still important, it’s good to have a mixture of the two if you want to create a thoroughly branded website. 

Use your brand voice

78% of consumers are more likely to trust your brand if you create customized content — and that goes for your copy too. People can easily tell when you just copy/paste swipe copy into every part of your website. 

This diminishes trust — you give the impression that you don’t care about your business and that your audience shouldn’t either. And in a time where everyone is writing something, posting something, and trying to get your attention, plain-jane copy won’t cut it. 

That’s why being on brand with your copy is also so important when we talk about branding a website. It’s not just about the design. Copy helps you showcase your personality and leave space for connections to happen naturally. 

Don’t get us wrong. Swipe copy isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but if you’re going to use it, add in some personality that helps highlight your brand and what makes it different.  

Ready to brand your website in minutes?

Website templates exist to help people quickly and easily customize their websites. Designers have already thought through important elements like the layout, code, and desktop vs. mobile responsiveness.

Now, all you have to worry about is dropping in your copy and brand elements (like your stock photography, colors, fonts, etc.). 

It’s important to note that not all templates are made equal. Depending on the platform you use and the template you purchase, you may run into a few snafus with code, non-customizable elements, and issues uploading fonts.

Not with ours, though. Members of Styled Stock Society now have access to our new One Page WordPress Template bonus. And everything we just shared above? You can do all of that in minutes.