Sell Website Themes and Templates

Millions of businesses need professional websites but can't afford custom design. Themes and templates solve this—pre-built designs that customers can customize for their needs. If you can create polished, user-friendly templates for platforms like WordPress, Shopify, Webflow, Framer, or Notion, you can sell them repeatedly without additional work per sale.

For digital nomads, theme development is pure laptop work with exceptional passive income potential. Once uploaded to marketplaces, your templates sell automatically—customers download and use them without your involvement. You can build themes from anywhere, and your portfolio of products generates income indefinitely while you explore the world.

Platform Options

Platform	Difficulty	Typical Prices	Market Size	Competition
WordPress	Hard	$30-80	Massive	Very high
Shopify	Hard	$150-350	Large	High
Webflow	Medium	$50-200	Growing	Medium
Framer	Medium	$50-150	Emerging	Lower
Notion	Easy	$20-50	Growing	Medium
Figma	Medium	$30-100	Large	Medium

Start where your skills align. If you know HTML/CSS/JavaScript, WordPress or Shopify pay best but are most competitive. If you're a designer but not a coder, Webflow or Framer let you build without code.

What Makes Themes Sell

Successful themes share common traits:

Design Quality

• Modern, professional aesthetic
• Flexible enough for various use cases
• Responsive across all devices
• Attention to typography and spacing

User Experience

• Easy to customize without coding
• Clear documentation
• Demo content that's easy to replace
• Logical organization

Technical Excellence

• Fast loading times
• Clean, maintainable code
• Regular updates for platform changes
• Security best practices

Market Fit

• Solves a specific problem
• Targets defined audience
• Fills gap in existing options
• Compelling demo/preview

The Development Process

Phase 1: Research (1-2 weeks)

• Study top-selling themes in your category
• Identify underserved niches
• Analyze customer reviews (what do people complain about?)
• Define your differentiator

Phase 2: Design (2-4 weeks)

• Create detailed mockups
• Design for flexibility
• Plan customization options
• Get feedback before building

Phase 3: Development (4-8 weeks)

• Build with clean, modular code
• Ensure mobile responsiveness
• Optimize performance
• Test extensively

Phase 4: Documentation (1-2 weeks)

• Write clear setup instructions
• Document customization options
• Create video tutorials if helpful
• Anticipate common questions

Phase 5: Launch (ongoing)

• Create compelling demo site
• Write marketplace listing
• Submit for review
• Plan marketing

Where to Sell

Marketplaces:

• ThemeForest/Envato - largest WordPress marketplace
• Shopify Theme Store - official Shopify marketplace
• Webflow Templates - growing platform
• Creative Market - multi-platform marketplace
• Gumroad - sell directly, keep more profit

Own Store: Higher margins but requires driving your own traffic. Many successful authors sell on marketplaces AND their own sites.

Realistic Income Trajectory

Timeline	Expected Monthly Revenue
First theme (months 1-6)	$0-300
Established theme (year 1-2)	$300-1,500
Portfolio (3-5 themes)	$1,000-5,000
Successful portfolio	$5,000-15,000+
Top authors	$20,000-100,000+

Most theme authors never exceed $500/month. Success requires quality, marketing, and persistence. The winners build portfolios over years.

The Support Question

Selling themes means supporting customers. Expect:

• Installation questions
• Customization help
• Bug reports
• Feature requests
• Platform update issues

Managing support:

• Thorough documentation reduces tickets
• FAQ section addressing common issues
• Set response time expectations
• Consider hiring help at scale
• Factor support time into pricing

5-10 hours weekly for support is common for active themes.

The Nomad Reality

Theme development works well for travel:

Advantages:

• Deep work, minimal meetings
• Async customer support
• Work on your own schedule
• Income continues during breaks

Challenges:

• Large files require good internet for uploads
• Customer support expects reasonable response times
• Platform updates may require immediate attention
• Deep focus work can be hard in noisy environments

What This Pairs Well With

Theme creation builds on web design and web development skills. It's a specialized form of selling digital products. Many theme authors offer custom development for higher-paying clients alongside their products.

Use Notion to organize your development roadmap and customer feedback. Google Drive works for version control and file backup.

Getting started: Master one platform deeply—Shopify, WordPress, Webflow, or Framer are all strong choices. Study what makes top-selling themes successful (design, flexibility, documentation). Build your first template solving a specific niche need. Launch on established marketplaces for built-in traffic. Collect feedback, iterate, and expand your portfolio based on what sells.