TL;DR: How to Build a Website with Templates (No Code Edition)
This guide shows how to build a website with templates using two visual, beginner-friendly tools: Thrive Theme Builder and Thrive Architect. No coding. No overwhelm. Just a clean, structured process that turns a blank site into something professional, fast.
Instead of wrestling with dozens of themes or wasting days building page-by-page from scratch, this approach gives full design control — without needing to touch a single line of code.
You'll learn how to:
- Set up your tools and create a site structure in minutes
- Customize each page using pre-designed layouts and drag-and-drop editing
- Launch a site that looks great, works on mobile, and loads fast
The full walkthrough includes real examples, common beginner questions, and tips to avoid the usual WordPress pitfalls.
Scroll down to get started — everything is broken down step by step.
WordPress can be overwhelming.
With so many templates, plugins, and tools to choose from, it's easy to get stuck before even building the first page. Most people just want a clean, professional-looking website — but end up buried in options, unsure where to start or what to trust.
This isn’t a rare experience. It comes up constantly in forums and communities — especially from beginners trying to make their first site. Just scroll through Reddit and questions like these appear almost daily:
This guide cuts through the noise.
It shows exactly how to build a simple, professional WordPress website using templates — no coding, no bloated tools, and no guesswork. Just two plugins: Thrive Theme Builder and Thrive Architect.
Everything else is laid out step by step.
Can You Trust This WordPress Tutorial? Here’s My Experience
Hi! I'm Chipo and I’ve been in the WordPress space for over a decade.
I started where a lot of people do — on WordPress.com, figuring things out by trial and error. Eventually I made the leap to WordPress.org, fumbled my way through plugins, themes, broken pages… and somehow stuck around long enough to start helping freelance clients do the same.
Since then, I’ve built, broken, and rebuilt more WordPress sites than I can count — always looking for better tools and faster ways to get things done.
This guide is based on what I actually use now when I want full control of a site’s design, without getting tangled in code or wasting time on bloated templates.
Before You Get Started
Before jumping into the tutorial, a few essentials need to be in place. This guide assumes a self-hosted WordPress setup — meaning the site is running on WordPress.org, not WordPress.com.
💡 What’s the difference?
WordPress.org gives full control over themes, plugins, and design — ideal for using tools like Thrive Theme Builder and Thrive Architect.WordPress.com, on the other hand, is a hosted platform with more restrictions and fewer customization options. This guide won’t apply to WordPress.com sites.
✅ Here’s what to have ready:
- A domain name
This is the website address (likeyourbusiness.com). Domain registration is typically handled through the hosting provider or a domain registrar like Namecheap or GoDaddy. - A web hosting plan
Hosting is where the website lives. Look for a WordPress-friendly host that offers fast load times, good support, and one-click WordPress installation.
Thrive Themes tools work well with providers like SiteGround, WPX, or similar. - An installed WordPress site
Once hosting is set up, WordPress should be installed (most hosts offer one-click setup). From there, the dashboard will be ready for Thrive plugins.
Once these are in place, it’s time to start building.
Why Should You Use WordPress Templates to Build Your Website?
Before I learned about templates, I used to build everything manually. I'm talking block by block, element by element. It often took three or four days just to finish a basic landing page.
The process felt slow and draining, especially when the end result still looked average.
Templates offered a better way to build. With a solid visual structure already in place, I could focus on the flow, the message, and the design — without wasting time on layout decisions from scratch.
I discovered Thrive’s tools before ever joining the team. At the time, I was just looking for something more efficient. I’d tested other platforms, but Thrive’s templates were the first to truly streamline my workflow. They were designed for speed and flexibility, and they made the entire process feel doable.
Some of the benefits I've experienced while building with templates:
- Faster setup — projects move quicker from idea to launch
- Visual editing — changes happen in real time, with no code
- Consistent layout — pages align visually, without effort
- Simpler updates — content adjustments take minutes, not hours
Templates help create websites that feel polished and professional — even with limited time or design experience.
How to Build a Website Using WordPress Templates (Step-By-Step)
After you purchase a domain name, set up your web hosting, and install WordPress, it’s time to work on your site.
Depending on your chosen hosting provider, you may need to come up with a site title and tagline before you can start customizing the actual website.
Use these steps in this tutorial to build a stunning website using WordPress templates:
Step 1: Download and Install Thrive Theme Builder and Thrive Architect
When you use the right tools, building your website will feel like a fun, fulfilling adventure and not a tiresome chore.
That’s why I recommend using Thrive Theme Builder and Thrive Architect, the ultimate website-builder duo.
You can dramatically elevate the flexibility and uniqueness of your website if you use a WordPress theme builder and page builder.
And these particular tools complement each other, helping you create any type of website to stand out.
The best part about this website builder bundle? You don't need to be an expert web designer or know HTML, CSS, or PHP to use it.
Thrive Theme Builder helps you build and customize every aspect of your website design without typing a single line of code.
Thrive Theme Builder in Action
Once you’ve created your website’s structure, you’ll hop in and customize your web pages with Thrive Architect.
Creating custom webpages is 100 times easier in the Thrive Architect editor thanks to its drag-and-drop functionality and library of professionally-designed, customizable landing page templates.
Thrive Architect in action
With this kit of conversion-focused tools, creating compelling calls-to-action (CTAs), conducting insightful A/B tests, and generating conversions will become seamless.
As a result, you get to build an impressive online presence your target audience will love.
These tools prioritize mobile responsiveness and SEO, helping you create a website people and search engines will love.
Step 2: Launch Thrive Theme Builder and Choose a Theme
Once you've installed and activated Thrive Theme Builder, it's time to create a design for your new website.
All of our themes come with a set of fully-customizable, professionally-designed templates that are perfect for your brand – no matter what niche you’re in.
All themes from Thrive Themes are built with lean, clean code and are optimized for speed
This is a major advantage for you because you don’t need to worry about purchasing a WordPress theme from another platform and wonder if it will work the way the developers say it will – or if it’s compatible with the rest of your plugins.
- Lots of white space for easy reading and navigation
- Harmonious color schemes that you can customize with one click
- Clean typefaces
- Optimized for desktop and mobile devices
- ...and so much more.
And it gets better with our Thrive Theme Builder Setup Wizard...
Step 3: Use the Setup Wizard to Create Your Website Structure
The Thrive Theme Builder Setup Wizard is your key to creating your website’s design in minutes.
Simply follow each step in the Setup Wizard to select your templates and start outlining your website immediately.
Setup wizard in Thrive Theme Builder.
Setup wizard in Thrive Theme Builder.
Setting up your website is as simple as:
Selecting your main brand color for your new theme
Picking a conversion-focused header
Selecting a Homepage template
Picking a Single Blog Post template (e.g. with a sidebar or without a sidebar)
Choosing a Blog Post List template
Selecting a Page template
Choosing a Menu template
If you’re building an eCommerce website, Thrive Theme Builder will include several WooCommerce settings to help you create a design for your online store, too.
By the end of the Setup Wizard, you'll have created a clean site structure that you can now go in and customize using Thrive Architect, our page builder plugin.
Next, you'll need to set up your core post and page templates. These are page designs that you can save as single templates and then apply on other pages of your website.
That way, you won't need to design each web page from scratch. For example, let's say you build a standard blog post template.
Whenever you create the post, this pre-designed template will automatically load and all you'll need to do is fill the page with text & media, and publish the page when you're ready.
Thrive Theme Builder also provides templates for specific pages, including:
- 404 Error Page
- Standard Blog Post
- Default Page
- Blog List Page
- Blog Archive Page
- About Page
You can also create and manage as many extra page templates as you need from the templates area of Thrive Theme Builder.
Step 4: Customize Pages Using Thrive Architect’s Templates
When you select a Homepage template in Thrive Theme Builder, a homepage is automatically generated for you, and you'll find it in the "Pages" section in the WordPress Dashboard. It's titled "Generated Homepage".
Launch the page in Thrive Architect to finalize the design and add engaging copy and visuals.
You'll also need to create the rest of your pages. Start by select the "Add New" button at the top of your WordPress Dashboard and select "Page".
When taken to the next screen, name your new page and select the bright green "Launch Thrive Architect" button.
Thrive Architect will provide you with 4 options:
1. Normal Page
2. Blank Page with Header and Footer
3. Completely Blank Page
4. Pre-built Landing Pages
For quick building, select the "Pre-built Landing Page" option.
In the Landing Page Library, you can select a Smart Landing Page from any of our companion themes.
Our Smart Landing Page sets are designed to help you create stunning, conversion focused pages in minutes.
Landing page template sets in Thrive Architect
It's as simple as perusing the Landing Page Library, finding a landing page template you like, selecting it, and customizing its design to fit your branding.
Watch this video to learn how to use smart landing page sets like a design pro:
But you can also use Thrive Architect's page block templates to build super impressive pages for your site.
Instead of selecting "Pre-Built Landing Pages" when you launch Thrive Architect, pick one of these options:
1. Normal Page
2. Blank Page with Header and Footer
3. Completely Blank Page
Thrive Architect's drag-and-drop editor is on the right side of your screen.
Customize Your Page With Thrive Architect's Selection of Design Elements
This plugin provides a large selection of design elements (image, video, stylized boxes, widget areas, etc.) and page block templates to help you create impressive webpages.
A selection of block templates from Thrive Architect
What is a Block Template?
Block templates are pre-designed sections you can easily add to your pages with just a click. These templates are made up of various elements like text boxes, images, contact forms, and buttons, all arranged in visually appealing layouts.
You can quickly customize these templates to match your brand, saving you time and effort in designing your website pages from scratch.
In a couple of clicks, you can drag and drop, re-order, and edit your custom site pages – all while inheriting your chosen theme fonts, heading formats, and colors.
And here in the Thrive Architect editor you can create and customize all the pages you need for your website -- from your homepage design, to engaging about pages, contact pages, and so much more.
You're in the driver's seat here. Our templates don't limit you. If you want to switch everything up and create your own unique design, you can go right ahead and do that -- all on your own.
Step 5: Test, Optimize, and Launch Your Website
Once you've customized all your pages and tested each one to make sure there aren't any broken links, unlinked buttons, images that won't load...
It's time to hit publish on all your pages and launch your website. Share your new site on your social media channel and mailing list.
To grow your audience, you’ll also need to focus on Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and also use Google Analytics to track your site’s performance metrics.
For SEO, we recommend All in One SEO or Yoast. For Google Analytics, we recommend using MonsterInsights.
FAQs: How to Build a Website Using WordPress Templates
A theme controls the overall design and layout of the entire website — including headers, footers, and blog pages. A template refers to the layout of a specific page or post, such as your homepage or contact page. A page builder is a plugin (like Thrive Architect) that lets you visually create and customize pages with drag-and-drop tools inside your theme. All three work together to shape your website.
Start by defining the main purpose of your site — whether it’s for a business, a blog, or an online store. From there, look for templates that are lightweight, mobile-responsive, easy to customize, and well-supported. Avoid themes that come bloated with features you won’t use, and make sure the design aligns with your brand.
Customization options depend on the tools used. Thrive Theme Builder lets you modify your theme layout (headers, footers, blog structure), while Thrive Architect allows full visual control over individual pages. Other common methods include using the Full Site Editor (for block themes), the Customizer, or creating reusable templates within your page builder.
Some core plugin categories to consider include:
- SEO optimization (e.g. All in One SEO, Rank Math)
- Security and backups (e.g. Jetpack, UpdraftPlus)
- Performance and caching (e.g. WP Rocket, WP Super Cache)
- Lead generation (e.g. Thrive Leads, WPForms)
- E-commerce (if needed — e.g. WooCommerce)
These enhance functionality and help your template-based site perform better.
Costs vary based on tools and goals. A basic site with a free theme and shared hosting might cost $50–$100/year. A more advanced setup using Thrive Suite, premium hosting, and essential plugins could range from $250 to $800/year. Factor in ongoing costs for hosting, domains, and any paid tools or services you use.
Next Steps: Build Your WordPress Website In Less Than an Hour
Now you've seen how simple it is to build an impressive, conversion-focused website using Thrive Theme Builder and Thrive Architect.
Our plugins are designed to make web development easy for business owners with any technical experience.
Whether you’re a blogger, solopreneur, course creator, or startup owner, you can use our tools to build any type of website with ease.
As you get more comfortable with the tools, you'll find it easy to create sales pages for your offers, and other types of pages to get more leads and customers.
For more resources on how to build a conversion-focused website and create an enjoyable user experience, check out these tutorials:
- How to Create a Clean, Conversion-Focused WordPress Website
- How to Create a User-friendly Website with the Right Tools
- How to Create a Quiz as a Lead Magnet
- 17 Best WordPress Plugins for Entrepreneurs
And there you have it!
