Setting up a professional website doesn’t have to be a hassle. It’s never been easier to put your best digital foot forward with a polished-looking, fully-featured website. You just need to use a website building tool like Wix — one of the most cost-effective, easy-to-use options out there. Wix is simple but packed with powerful features that can help you design websites for all kinds of businesses and organizations.
One great thing about Wix is how friendly it is to third-party plugins. Dynamic content is what elevates a website to something more engaging and interactive than just an electronic brochure. When you’re using a website builder that uses simple construction tools and templates, you want to make sure you’re not limiting your expansion options. And whether you’re building a site for a sports club or an ecommerce storefront, Wix works with your favorite Common Ninja plugins.
What is Wix?
Wix is a cloud-based, software-as-a-service platform that allows users to build HTML5 and mobile sites using a simple drag-and-drop interface. Wix uses a freemium payment model. You can download and start using it for free, but some of the hosting options and other features require monthly payments. For users who don’t want to build a site from scratch, Wix offers a wide variety of pre-built templates.
Two products that serve a similar function are WordPress and Squarespace. There are, however, a few key differences. WordPress is a free content management system with site-building tools. It includes “themes” that offer prefab site designs similar to Wix’s templates, but it doesn’t provide hosting, which must be sourced from a third-party provider. As a cloud-based platform that includes site-building tools, Squarespace is more similar to Wix. It includes some helpful marketing tools, but it doesn’t offer nearly as many templates.
Why Use Wix?
One of Wix’s biggest advantages is that you can jump in and start using it for free, but this does come with a few drawbacks. Free Wix sites include ads, and you can’t link to a domain you own outside of Wix. To remove these conditions and access other features, you’ll need to upgrade to a premium plan. Still, the free version gives you a chance to try Wix out before committing to a purchase.
Once you’ve upgraded, there are many options for building the site you’ve always wanted, whether it’s for a personal portfolio or a big professional venture. You can expand your site with Wix’s apps and coding tools, but you’re also free to bring in your choice of supported third-party plugins. No matter what kind of site you’re building, plugins can enhance its usability and appeal to visitors.
For example, you could add plugins that create:
- Pricing and product comparison tables for ecommerce sites
- Tournament brackets for gaming sites and sports clubs
- Automatic stories and RSS feeds for news blogs
Another great thing about Wix is the sheer number of templates they have — more than 900. Whatever you’re doing on the web, Wix probably has a template for it.
The platform does have a few limitations. If you want to develop your site, you really will need to rely on that third-party plugin functionality because Wix’s add-ons will only take you so far. Some developers have pointed out that Wix sites are not mobile-responsive, which can cause display issues. It’s also worth noting that you can’t change templates after launching your site. You have to start over from scratch if you want to use a different template.
Top 7 Wix Templates
Wix’s library has many available templates to choose from. Websites in the more popular categories will have the most options, but there’s probably one suited to represent even the most niche site. Here are some of the best and most versatile templates to get started creating your website with.
1. Best Wix Template for Gaming Blogs
Featuring a retro 8-bit style with animated space invaders crawling up and down the screen, the Gaming Blog template presents a bold visual style. It boasts a fully customizable color scheme. You can also easily integrate social feeds and other external elements. Sites with a competitive angle can take this template to the next level by powering up with bracket-making plugins that let readers keep track of their favorite players’ victories and setbacks.
2. Best Wix Template for Graphic Design Portfolios
The clean, uncomplicated look of the Graphic Designer template makes it a perfect choice for showcasing your artwork and designs. It’s ideal for illustrators, photographers, graphic designers, and other creatives. This template provides a separate page and lightbox viewer for each portfolio image, along with a contact form to help potential commissions get in touch with you.
3. Best Wix Template for Beauty Salons
When you’re in the business of helping people look their very best, it doesn’t hurt to have a sleek, contemporary website with lots of visual appeal. That’s just what you get with the Beauty Salon template, along with features for online booking and social media integrations. You can easily polish this template with a pricing table plugin, making it easier for new customers to navigate the wide range of services that salons tend to offer.
4. Best Wix Template for Restaurants
The Restaurant template serves up straightforward functionality in a photo-rich package that’s sure to whet appetites. For diners who are eager to grab a bite, the landing page features a reservation booking form, links to your menu, and makes it easy to find your online ordering system. There are also additional links for devoted foodies to learn more about your story and culinary processes. The default theme is dark and elegant, but you can customize it to reflect your establishment’s vibe.
5. Best Wix Template for Travel Blogs
Whether you’re planning your dream vacation or living vicariously through your favorite influencer, it’s easy to lose yourself in a good travel blog. Wix’s Travel Blog template provides a full-featured but unobtrusive platform that lets photos and stories take center stage. The navigational header makes it easy for readers to find the content they’re most interested in. You can use social feed plugins to highlight your most captivating Instagram travel shots.
6. Best Wix Template for Children’s Retail
When it comes to ecommerce storefronts, it’s essential to have a look and feel that fits your customers’ expectations. The Kids Clothing Store template provides a streamlined, straightforward design that makes it easy for shoppers to browse, search, and find what they’re looking for. A banner at the top offers a hard-to-miss place to let customers know about sales and special offers. A customer service chat widget makes it easy for them to get in touch with any questions they might have.
7. Best Wix Template for Corporate Conferences
Every conference or corporate event needs a website where attendees can register, obtain basic information, and learn about the speakers. The Corporate Conference template provides all of the essentials in a modern, parallax-scrolling format customizable to your specifications. The landing page concisely provides everything attendees need to know. The template also includes a blog section to generate deeper engagement with in-depth write-ups about speakers, sponsors, and past events.
Conclusion
If you’ve got a great idea for something to put on the web, don’t be held back by the idea that you need a team to build a bespoke site from the ground up. Chances are pretty good there’s a Wix template that can get you most of the way there, and third-party plugins that can add the final touches to complete the site you envisioned.
Wix is affordable and a breeze to use. Best of all, they’ve anticipated the needs of all kinds of artists, entrepreneurs, and communities by creating a massive template library that can get just about any website up in record time. If you need to bring in some dynamic and interactive content, Common Ninja has awesome plugins ready to integrate seamlessly with whichever Wix template you choose.
