Designing WordPress Websites with Elementor (Custom Design)

Designing a Completely Unique WordPress Site with Elementor

Many enjoy using the ready-made, professional templates that Elementor offers, but sometimes the desire is to create something entirely different and unique.

Nowadays there’s a common myth that in order to design high-level websites, you need extensive coding and graphic design knowledge. But the truth is that with Elementor, even someone who is not a designer or programmer can easily build a superior and completely unique site just for them.

Here are the key steps:

 

1. Initial Planning

With pen and paper or a digital tool, you need to sketch and decide on the needs and goals of the site, and how it needs to look and function in order to achieve that.

Many tend to skip the planning stage in the website building and design process, and simply jump right into working with Elementor to "create something pretty". The result is sometimes sloppy, inefficient websites that do not serve well their purposes and target users' needs.

So just how important is proper initial planning? Here are some key points:

 

1. Defining Objectives

You need to clearly define what goals the site is meant to achieve, both from the site owners’ perspective and the end-users.

 

2. Content Planning

What content will be displayed on the site? Each page and component should receive a concise content description.

 

3. Identifying Target Audiences

Exactly who are the readers/customers we aim for? Properly characterizing the site's target audiences is mandatory.

 

4. Creating Specifications

Compiling a list of features the site will need to include in order to meet the identified needs.

 

5. Structural Sitemap

Hierarchically arranging site functionality and content flow in a logical manner for users.

Only after properly executing these steps can you move on to the actual design and building stage itself with Elementor in a structured and successful manner.

The more time invested in thorough upfront planning, the higher the chances of ending up with a quality, effective website.

 

2. Developing the Element System

Adding all the different elements needed such as navigation bars, menus, buttons, text, images, video, forums and more. Of course all without any specific design at this stage.

Once we have completed the initial planning of the site, it's time to start actually building and designing with Elementor.

The first step will be developing the element system – adding all the functional components and features we identified as necessary during the planning stage:

• Navigation bars and menus
• Content input forms and fields
• Texts, headlines and images
• Content areas and columns
• Buttons and links
• Media such as video and audio
• Data tables
• Search and filtering functionalities
• Registration forms and more

 

It’s very important to add all the required elements at this stage without special consideration to design – simply as generic components.

Only after we have a complete element system that accurately represents the structure and functionalities planned for the site, can we move on to the next stage – applying our unique visual style with Elementor.

Properly developing the element system is an important key step in building impressive WordPress sites with Elementor.

 

3. Applying and Implementing Design

Defining a unique visual style that expresses the character of the site using colors, fonts, background decorations, animations and more. And consistently and uniformly applying it across all elements.

After we finished building the functional element system, we’ve reached the most fun stage – finally giving color and unique character to our site with Elementor!

Now we can realize the design vision for the site we planned earlier:

• Choosing a harmonic color palette that reflects the brand's nature
• Setting fonts that fit the desired atmosphere
• Incorporating visual effects such as gradients, transparencies and more
• Applying animations and motion for a dynamic look
• Adding graphic elements like illustrations or icons
• Fully and consistently styling all the different elements

The challenge is keeping a unified and harmonic appearance across the entire site – meaning to apply the design system consistently on menus, images, forms and all other components.

With some creativity and patience, at this stage we can finally, in an impressive manner, “bring to life” our WordPress site using Elementor’s flexible tools.

 

4. Template Development

Creating a few templates that contain all the repetitive stylistic settings and elements, and easily applying them to all relevant pages.

When building and designing a large and complex WordPress site, one of the challenging tasks is maintaining a consistent look and feel across different pages.

This is exactly why it’s recommended to develop design templates in Elementor:

A template allows saving a copy of all the stylistic settings of a page – including elements, style and display.

You can then easily apply the same template to other site pages and ensure completely uniform appearance, while tremendously saving work time.

It's advisable to develop 2-3 basic templates for the different page types on the site – for example, a homepage template, inner content pages template, and product or service pages template.

Proper use of templates will lead to a consistent user experience and significant time-saving in developing large scale WordPress sites with Elementor.

 

5. Testing and Alignment

Conducting different testing cycles while modifying and improving required points, both in design aspects and functional aspects.

We’ve finished building and designing the site with Elementor and the outcome looks great. Can we already upload and market it?

Not so fast! First, comprehensive testing and inspection must be performed properly.

It’s important to ensure the site is working fine in several key aspects:

🔹 Cross-browser and device testing

🔹 Load speed checks and optimization

🔹 Fixing bugs and errors

🔹 Analytics analysis and improving weak points

🔹 User experience testing and improvements

🔹 Final design tweaks and adjustments

Only after many cycles of testing and fixes, when the site operates perfectly – can it be deployed and launched with full confidence.

The alignment and testing process is critical to the success of any new WordPress site designed with Elementor. This stage simply cannot be skipped!

With creativity, determination and basic Elementor skills, you can definitely successfully build a top-quality site without the need for a ready-made template. Good luck and enjoy the process!