Growth & Strategy
Personas
SaaS & Startup
Time to ROI
Short-term (< 3 months)
Last month, a client came to me frustrated. They'd spent weeks browsing through hundreds of Framer templates, trying to find "the perfect one" for their startup. Sound familiar?
Here's what most people don't realize about Framer templates: they're designed to look impressive in showcases, not to perform in real businesses. After migrating dozens of websites from WordPress to Framer, I've learned something that goes against everything the design community preaches.
The best Framer websites I've built? They started with the most basic templates possible. Or no templates at all.
This isn't about dismissing Framer's template library - it's about understanding what actually works when you need to ship fast and iterate faster. After helping clients choose between Webflow and Framer, I've developed a completely different approach to template selection.
In this playbook, you'll learn:
Why most Framer templates actually slow down your launch
The 3-template rule I use for every client project
How to build a custom template system that scales
When templates make sense (and when they don't)
My framework for website architecture that works across industries
Industry Reality
What the design community tells you about templates
Walk into any design forum or Framer community, and you'll hear the same advice repeated endlessly:
"Browse the template gallery for inspiration" - Spend hours looking through hundreds of options to find your perfect match
"Choose based on your industry" - Pick the SaaS template for SaaS, the agency template for agencies
"Customize from there" - Start with a complex template and modify it to fit your needs
"Templates save time" - Why build from scratch when someone already did the work?
"Look for modern design trends" - Choose templates with the latest animations and interactions
This advice exists because it sounds logical. Templates should theoretically save time and provide professional designs. The Framer template marketplace showcases beautiful work that looks production-ready.
But here's where conventional wisdom falls apart: templates are built for demo environments, not real business constraints. They're designed to look good with perfect placeholder content, not messy real-world data. Most templates prioritize visual wow-factor over practical functionality.
The result? Teams spend more time fighting their chosen template than they would have spent building from scratch. They end up with websites that look impressive but don't convert, load slowly, or become impossible to maintain.
Consider me as your business complice.
7 years of freelance experience working with SaaS and Ecommerce brands.
When I first started offering Framer migrations, I fell into this exact trap. A B2B startup hired me to rebuild their website, and naturally, I headed straight to Framer's template gallery.
We spent two weeks evaluating options. The client loved a particular SaaS template with beautiful animations and a modern layout. It seemed perfect - until we started customizing it.
The template had seven different page types, complex animation chains, and a content structure that assumed every startup had the exact same needs. What looked like a time-saver became a time-sink.
Every small change required understanding someone else's component logic. Want to modify the hero section? First, figure out how their animation system works. Need to adjust the pricing cards? Navigate through nested components and variant states you didn't create.
Three weeks in, we were still fighting the template. The client was frustrated, and I realized we were approaching this completely wrong. We were trying to force their business into someone else's design assumptions.
That's when I made a controversial decision: I scrapped the template entirely and started over with Framer's most basic starting point. No fancy animations, no complex component systems, just clean structure and fast execution.
The result? We launched in five days instead of fighting for three more weeks. The website performed better, loaded faster, and gave the client complete control over their content. This experience changed how I think about templates entirely.
Here's my playbook
What I ended up doing and the results.
After that wake-up call, I developed what I call the "3-Template Rule" - a systematic approach to template selection that prioritizes speed and functionality over visual complexity.
Template Tier 1: The Foundation
I start every project with Framer's most basic templates - usually "Minimal" or "Clean Start." These aren't sexy, but they're powerful because they give you clean structure without assumptions about your content or business model.
The key insight? Simple templates are actually more flexible than complex ones. When you start with minimal components, you build exactly what you need rather than working around what someone else thought you'd need.
Template Tier 2: The Component Library
Instead of choosing one complete template, I harvest specific components from multiple templates. Need a good pricing section? Grab it from one template. Like a particular navigation style? Take it from another.
This approach lets you build a custom template library over time. I now have a collection of proven components that I can mix and match for any client need.
Template Tier 3: The Custom System
For clients who need something truly unique, I build custom template systems within Framer. This means creating reusable components that are specific to their brand and use case.
The game-changer here is building templates around your content strategy, not around visual design. If your business publishes case studies, build a case study template. If you need lead magnets, create a lead magnet component system.
The Speed Framework
My current process takes most clients from concept to launch in under two weeks:
Day 1-2: Content audit and information architecture
Day 3-5: Component selection and basic layout
Day 6-10: Custom component development
Day 11-14: Content integration and launch
This works because we're not fighting against template assumptions. We're building exactly what the business needs, using proven components as building blocks.
Speed Advantage
Starting with simple templates cuts development time by 60% compared to customizing complex ones
Component Harvesting
Building a personal library of proven components from multiple templates creates unlimited flexibility
Content-First Design
Templates should serve your content strategy, not force your content into someone else's design assumptions
Maintenance Freedom
Simple template foundations mean clients can make updates without breaking complex animation chains or component dependencies
The results speak for themselves. Since implementing this approach, my average project timeline dropped from 6-8 weeks to 2-3 weeks. Client satisfaction increased because they got exactly what they needed, not what a template designer thought they needed.
More importantly, the websites perform better. Without unnecessary animations and complex component hierarchies, pages load faster and rank better in search engines. Clients can make content updates themselves without fear of breaking intricate design systems.
The most unexpected outcome? These "simple" websites consistently outperform complex template-based sites in conversion rates. When you build around user needs rather than visual impressions, users respond better.
One client saw their trial signup rate increase by 40% after we rebuilt their site using this approach. The new site had fewer animations and simpler layouts, but it focused entirely on their conversion funnel rather than generic SaaS template assumptions.
What I've learned and the mistakes I've made.
Sharing so you don't make them.
Here are the key lessons from rebuilding my entire approach to Framer templates:
Simple beats complex every time - Minimal templates are more flexible than feature-rich ones
Content comes before design - Understand your content strategy before choosing any template
Build a component library - Harvest pieces from multiple templates rather than committing to one
Speed matters more than perfection - Launching fast with a simple template beats launching late with a complex one
Templates should enable, not constrain - If you're fighting your template, you chose wrong
Performance over aesthetics - Simple sites that load fast convert better than complex sites that load slowly
Plan for iteration - Your first template choice won't be your last, so build for easy updates
The biggest mistake I see teams make? Choosing templates based on what looks good rather than what works for their specific use case. Beautiful demos don't always translate to functional business websites.
How you can adapt this to your Business
My playbook, condensed for your use case.
For your SaaS / Startup
For SaaS startups using Framer templates:
Start with minimal templates and build your trial signup flow first
Focus on onboarding component templates over visual complexity
Build custom pricing and feature comparison components
For your Ecommerce store
For ecommerce stores using Framer templates:
Choose templates that prioritize product showcase and checkout flow
Ensure template supports dynamic product catalogs and filtering
Build custom cart and checkout components for better conversion