Choosing the right template without spending your budget

Templates are the fastest start and the slowest trap. Here is how to pick one that will not fight you in week three.

A template is a starting kit, not a ceiling.

The three checks worth doing

Readability of the code. Open the editor right after picking. If the document looks like soup on day one, it will look like disaster on day ten.
Structure over cosmetics. Colors are one click. Layout is the real purchase decision.
Page count that matches you. A one page portfolio should not ship with fourteen empty skeletons.

The starter page loads the same editor, the same preview and the same publishing. Nothing owed, nothing to undo.

Sometimes the best template is the empty one.