TL;DR: How to Install a Template Kit in WordPress
You can install a template kit in WordPress with no code, whether you want a fast all-in-one kit or you’ve downloaded one from Envato or Elementor. Here’s the quick version:
- Install SeedProd: Add the SeedProd plugin and activate your license key to unlock the Website Kits library.
- Choose a kit: Open Theme Builder, click Themes, and pick a kit with the orange checkmark icon.
- Enable it: Flip the Enable SeedProd Theme toggle to On to make the kit live.
- Importing an Envato or Elementor kit: Install the free Template Kit Import plugin, then upload the ZIP under Tools.
- Customize: Swap the logo, replace the demo content, and set your colors and fonts in the visual editor.
You’ve found a template kit you like and you want it live on WordPress without touching code. Or you’ve already downloaded one from Envato or Elementor and you’re staring at a ZIP file with no idea where it goes.
Either way, this is doable in a few clicks. I recently built a site for a friend’s bakery with SeedProd’s Café kit and had it live in under an hour, no code. In this guide, I’ll show you how to install a template kit in WordPress for both routes.
What Is a WordPress Template Kit?
WordPress template kits are a collection of pre-designed page templates and elements that allow you to build a website without code. They have a modern design that you can customize to suit your business branding visually with drag-and-drop.
Template kits include everything you need to build a fully responsive WordPress site. For instance, they will consist of:
- Blog page
- Homepage
- Header
- Footer
- About page
- Contact page
Depending on the kit features, it may also include other pages for services, portfolio, team, testimonials, and more.
These kits can also have many names. Some companies may call them website kits, or website templates, while others will call them WordPress starter templates. They typically do the same thing: build a WordPress website quickly without code.
How to Install a Template Kit in WordPress (Step by Step)
The fastest route for most beginners is a SeedProd Website Kit, which installs in a few clicks straight from your dashboard. SeedProd is a drag-and-drop website builder with over 1 million users, and it has a growing library of professional website kits you can install with one click.
This was the method I used for that bakery site, live in under an hour without writing a line of code. If you’ve already downloaded a kit from Envato or Elementor instead, skip ahead to the ZIP import section below.
Because SeedProd’s kits are called Website Kits, I’ll use that terminology from here on. Follow the steps below to install one.
Step 1: Install and Activate the SeedProd Plugin
The first step is to download a copy of the SeedProd WordPress plugin. To use SeedProd’s Website Kits, you’ll need at least a SeedProd Plus plan, which is the tier where the Theme Builder and Full Website Kits unlock.
Log into your SeedProd account dashboard and click the Downloads tab. On this page, you can download the plugin .zip file and copy your license key.
After downloading SeedProd, go to Plugins » Add New from your WordPress admin area and click Add New. From there, click the choose file button, select the SeedProd plugin file, and click Install Now.
On the next screen, click the Activate link to enable the SeedProd plugin on your WordPress site.
Now that SeedProd is active, go to the SeedProd » Settings page and enter the license key you copied earlier. After pasting it into the License Key field, click the Activate Key button.
With your license key active, it’s time to install a website kit.
Step 2: Choose a Template Kit from the Library
SeedProd’s site kits work with its Theme Builder feature. To choose one for your website, go to SeedProd » Theme Builder and click the Themes button.
On the next screen, you’ll see SeedProd’s website kit library. It includes clean designs for multiple business industries, including:
- Cars and maintenance
- Mobile applications
- eCommerce stores
- Professional services
- Restaurants and cafes
- Blogging and fashion
- Mortgage and real estate
- Events and gaming
I’ll show you how to customize these later, but for now, hover your cursor over the kit you like and click the orange checkmark icon.
SeedProd will add the complete kit into your theme builder dashboard as a list of customizable template parts. Depending on the kit you choose, it will include:
- Header and footer templates
- Homepage and blog templates
- Single page and post templates
- Global CSS template
This is the part of the process I find genuinely fast. For that bakery site, I picked a kit with a built-in menu and contact form, and the whole layout was in place before I’d finished my coffee.
If you choose a website kit with extra pages, you can find them by going to Pages » All Pages from your WordPress admin. I’ll cover editing those in more detail later.
How to Reuse a SeedProd Kit on Another Site
Because SeedProd lets you create custom WordPress themes, you can build your own website kits and reuse them on future projects. That saves you starting from scratch each time.
Build your custom kit with the theme builder, then export the .zip file as a custom WordPress theme. Here’s a guide on exporting a SeedProd WordPress theme.
You can then import the kit to any other site with an active SeedProd installation. Go to SeedProd » Import/Export, click Choose File under the Import Theme Files heading, and click the Import Theme Files button.
After a few seconds, you’ll see a green notification saying the import was successful.
Step 3: Enable the Template Kit on Your WordPress Site
SeedProd’s templates are disabled by default so it doesn’t overwrite your current theme before you’re ready. Replace the demo content with your own before completing this step (I’ll show you how below).
To make your website kit live and overwrite your current WordPress theme, go to the SeedProd » Theme Builder page, find the Enable SeedProd Theme toggle, and turn it to the “On” position.
You can now preview your new website kit in WordPress.
Installing website kits in WordPress with SeedProd only takes a few clicks. Next, I’ll cover the other route, importing a kit you downloaded from Envato or Elementor.
How to Install an Envato or Elementor Template Kit ZIP
If you arrived with a kit already downloaded from Envato Elements or built for Elementor, you import it with a free plugin called Template Kit Import. It reads the ZIP, sets up the templates, and tells you which plugins the kit needs to run.
One thing to know is, Envato discontinued its own Elements template-kit plugin, so the old route many older guides describe no longer works. The current path is the free Template Kit Import plugin on wordpress.org.
To install it, go to Plugins » Add New, search for “Template Kit Import,” then install and activate it. Once it’s active, go to Tools » Template Kit and upload your ZIP file.
The importer scans the kit and lists any required plugins (often Elementor and a kit-specific add-on). Install those first, then run the import again to bring in the templates.
What to Do When a Kit Imports Blank or Errors
A blank or failed import almost always comes down to a missing required plugin. The import tool flags these at the top of the screen, so install everything it lists and re-import.
For Elementor kits specifically, check that the flex-container setting matches what the kit was built for. If layouts look broken after import, that mismatch is usually the cause, and switching the setting before re-importing fixes it.
How to Customize Your Template Kit in WordPress
After installing a kit, you’ll likely want to change a few things. With SeedProd’s visual drag-and-drop editor, the three you’ll touch first are the logo, the page content, and your global colors and fonts.
Add your website logo. Go to SeedProd » Theme Builder, find the Header template part, and click the Edit Design link.
The header opens in the visual editor, where you can click, drag, and drop to customize it.
Click the default logo on the live preview to open its settings in the left-hand panel, then click the trashcan icon to remove the logo image. Now you can upload a custom logo from your media library, add a link to the image, and adjust its size and alignment.
You can also customize the navigation menu, search box, and social media links here. When you’re happy, click the Save button in the top-right corner and check the new header on the front end of your site.
Replace the demo content. Kits come with demo content so you can visualize the finished site, but you’ll need to swap it for your own business details. I’ve used the Freelancer template kit to spin up quick landing pages for portfolio projects.
Instead of starting from scratch, I just swap out the text and images and publish. It’s perfect for side gigs or client work, and it uses the same principles as customizing the header.
To customize your WordPress homepage, click the Edit Design link on the Homepage template. Clicking any heading lets you edit the text directly on the preview or in the content settings panel.
You can swap images the same way you did the logo, and edit the call-to-action buttons to boost clicks and conversions.
Pro Tip: SeedProd’s Button blocks have pre-made templates for easy styling. Click the Templates tab in the Settings panel and select any button style with a single click.
For content pages like About, Contact, and Services, go to Pages » All Pages from your WordPress admin, since these aren’t template parts.
Click the Edit with SeedProd link to open the page in the visual editor. Customizing it works the same way: click anywhere on the preview to edit, and drag blocks from the block menu to add more elements.
For example, you can remove the optin form block with the trashcan icon, then drag over the Contact Form block to add your WPForms contact form.
Set your global colors and fonts. To match your branding across the whole site, click the Edit Design link on the Global CSS template from the Theme Builder dashboard. Expand a heading and change the settings to suit your needs.
You can choose custom colors for links, buttons, text, and backgrounds, and set your typography, layout, and custom CSS. The changes apply across your whole site automatically.
FAQs on Installing WordPress Template Kits
How do I install an Envato or Elementor template kit ZIP in WordPress?
Install the free Template Kit Import plugin from wordpress.org, then go to Tools » Template Kit and upload your ZIP file. The importer reads the kit and lists any plugins it needs.
Install those required plugins first, then run the import again to bring in the templates.
The Envato template kit plugin is gone, how do I import a kit now?
Envato discontinued its own Elements template-kit plugin, so older instructions no longer apply. The current route is the free Template Kit Import plugin on wordpress.org.
Install and activate it, then upload your kit ZIP under Tools » Template Kit.
Why is my template kit importing blank or showing missing requirements?
A blank or failed import usually means a required plugin isn’t installed yet. The import tool flags these at the top of the screen, so install everything it lists and re-import.
For Elementor kits, a broken layout often comes down to the flex-container setting not matching what the kit expects.
Do template kits work with the block editor without a page builder?
Most template kits are built for a specific builder like SeedProd or Elementor, so you install them through that plugin rather than the standard block editor. Block-based “patterns” exist in WordPress core, but they aren’t the same as full kits.
For a code-free kit that installs in a few clicks, a builder like SeedProd is the simplest path.
Will installing a template kit erase my current content?
Not right away. Tools like SeedProd let you preview and customize a kit before activating it. Just back up your site first and replace the demo content before going live.
Can I use the same template kit on multiple websites?
Yes, as long as your license allows it. With SeedProd Pro, for example, you can export your custom template kit and reuse it on other WordPress sites.
Next Steps
You started with a kit and no clear path to get it live, and now you have one, no code required. SeedProd makes it effortless to customize any part of your WordPress site without learning code or hiring a developer.
Get Started with SeedProd Today
Here are some other guides you may find helpful for your business website:
- How to Create Fancy Section Dividers for WordPress Websites
- How to Create a Blog Page on WordPress
- How to Easily Customize Your WooCommerce Shop Page
Thanks for reading! We’d love to hear your thoughts, so please feel free to join the conversation on YouTube, X and Facebook for more helpful advice and content to grow your business.
