What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of search engine optimization (SEO)? Is it quality content, backlinks, or keywords? These factors impact search engine rankings—but so does the template you choose for your site.
Ready-made website templates, including ecommerce website templates, serve more than just an aesthetic purpose. They also influence site navigation, page loading speed, mobile responsiveness, and other elements that shape the user experience (UX).
Search engines take UX into account when ranking websites, meaning that a well-structured template could boost your visibility online. More visibility equals higher traffic and (hopefully!) increased sales.
However, not all templates are created equal—and some could actually slow down your website and frustrate potential customers. Here’s how to choose one that follows SEO best practices and why it matters.
How Does Web Design Impact SEO?
Website templates are pre-built layouts where you can insert text, images, and other types of content. Simply put, they make up the foundation of your website’s design, serving both functional and aesthetic purposes.
The way your site looks and functions has a direct impact on UX.
Take website navigation, for example.
If visitors have difficulty finding their way around your site, they may abandon their carts and leave. The result? A poor customer experience, high bounce rates, and lost sales.
Similarly, a website that takes too long to load or doesn’t look good on mobile devices can deter visitors, leading to missed opportunities. According to a Deloitte study, improving site speed by only 100 milliseconds can boost retail conversions by 8.4%, average order value by 9.2%, and page views per session by 8.6%.
Many customers will also walk away if your site has low-contrast text, missing form labels, illegible fonts, or other accessibility issues. These blunders make it harder for people with disabilities to engage with your content, increasing bounce rates and reducing conversions.
So, while web design isn’t a ranking factor, it influences your SEO performance. Consequently, the template you choose for your site can make or break the user experience—and your search engine rankings.
5 Ways Website Templates Support Your SEO Efforts
A well-coded template can make your site more appealing to both users and search engines. From this perspective, it can be even better than a custom-built website. Plus, you won’t have to worry about technical bugs, security glitches, or other errors, as most template providers regularly update their themes to fix vulnerabilities.
But how exactly does a website template support your efforts to climb Google’s rankings? And what should you look for in an SEO-friendly template? Read on to find out.
- Clean Code for Better On-Page SEO
The best templates have clean and valid code, helping search engines understand what’s on your web pages. For example, the <article> tag tells them they’re “reading” a blog post, editorial piece, or news article, which may result in faster and more accurate indexing.
Clean code also ensures your website doesn’t have syntax errors or other issues that could prevent search engines from crawling and indexing its pages. Plus, it improves how your content is displayed in search results, which may increase organic traffic and click-throughs.
Poor-quality templates, on the other hand, may contain necessary code and whitespace, resulting in slow page load times, glitchy behavior, and crawling errors.
For instance, they may contain redundant JavaScript files that conflict with each other, causing the CTA buttons, forms, and other interactive elements to malfunction. These issues can negatively affect UX and hurt your search engine rankings.
- Faster Loading Pages
Clean code takes less time to load, which can increase session duration and reduce bounce. Lightweight scripts, optimized images, and other elements specific to high-quality templates can further improve page load speed.
In a 2024 survey, 38% of consumers said they are willing to wait seven to 10 seconds for a web page to load. 29% will wait no more than six seconds, and only 14% will stay on a website that takes 11 to 14 seconds to load.
Nearly half of consumers will move on to a competitor’s website if yours is too slow, increasing churn rates. This, in turn, can affect your company’s bottom line and reputation.
Pro tip: Most website templates include a demo version. Test the demo URL with Google PageSpeed Insights, GTMetrix, or similar tools to check page load time before and overall site performance.
- Mobile Responsiveness
Google switched to mobile-first indexing in 2023, meaning it prioritizes the mobile versions of websites and apps. Simply put, your website has to be responsive, or it won’t be indexed by Google’s bots.
Wix and other website builders offer responsive templates by default. They work well on all devices and screen sizes, and there’s no need to modify their code to ensure mobile compatibility. This aspect alone can improve the user experience while saving you time and money.
Pro tip: Use Google’s robots.txt testing tool to check if your website’s mobile version is accessible to Googlebot.
- Enhanced Website Security
Premium website templates come with built-in CAPTCHA, SSL certificates, anti-spam features, and other security elements. Some also support role-based access control, preventing unauthorized access to certain pages or settings.
Another aspect to consider is that most template developers offer free updates to fix security issues and ensure optimal performance. Depending on the provider, you may get these updates automatically, which could save you a good deal of time.
With a website template, you’ll still need to safeguard your site and follow best practices like using strong passwords and conducting security audits. However, the template itself can reduce vulnerabilities by providing an extra layer of protection.
- Built-in Accessibility Features
Accessible websites appeal to a wider audience and ensure a better user experience, which may help improve your SEO. For example, they’re compatible with screen readers, allowing people with visual impairments to consume the content.
With that in mind, choose a template that follows the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). At the very least, make sure it has the following features:
- Proper color contrast
- Well-organized heading structure (H1 to H6)
- Visual indicators
- Dark mode
- Easy-to-read fonts
- Responsive design
- Accessibility toolbar
- Keyboard navigation
- Resizable text
- Screen reader compatibility
For instance, the BBC website is responsive and fully navigable via keyboard. Plus, it provides adequate contrast and allows visitors to adjust text size for better readability. All videos have subtitles, and some include transcripts, ensuring accessibility for people with hearing impairments.
Another example is One Percent for the Planet, an NGO that gives businesses the opportunity to support environmental causes.
Its website is mobile-friendly and easy to navigate, has high-contrast text, and uses readable fonts. It also features a clear visual hierarchy, with well-defined headings and subheadings that allow screen readers to easily interpret the content.
Enjoy Full Flexibility with a Premium Website Template
Most website templates will require some tweaking to be fully accessible and optimized for search engines, but this is something you can do one step at a time. What matters is that you have a strong foundation in place and can make changes as needed with just a few clicks.
Let’s say you find the perfect template, but you’re not particularly satisfied with its fonts. If that’s the case, switch to a different font or upload your own fonts for optimal readability and brand consistency.
Making these changes to a custom-built website would require coding knowledge. But if you use a pre-designed template, you can continuously improve and personalize it without reaching out to a developer.
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