In this article, we’ll be providing some quick industry tips on how to check if a website is using a third-party template.

Like cars, you need to inspect what's under the hood to see if a website is using a template. This is often revealed by the underlying framework of the website (i.e. the platform it’s built on and the markup used for development).

WordPress is typically associated with template websites, while Shopify and Drupal are also popular platforms for template websites. In terms of possibility, a template website can be created on any platform and any website can be duplicated and customised with varying levels of success depending on the developer.

How can I check this myself?

There are several ways you can check to see if a website is using a third-party template:

1. Check for relevant text and links in the footer

   Text may include “theme by …” or “template by …”. If you see this text, it may also link directly to the marketplace where the template is sold.

2. Inspect the front-end source code CSS directory and file names

   Right-click your browser web page and click “View page source”.

   Visually scan CSS directory and file names that end in “.css”.

   Search for “theme” or “template”, see what the proceeding theme/template name is (if there’s an identifier), then search for that name in a search engine (e.g. Google).

3. Reverse image search

   Inspect imagery on the website and try feeding it (a downloaded copy of the image or the direct image URL will be required - be aware of copyright first) into a reverse image search platform (e.g. Google Images, TinEye). If there are matches, one may be a marketplace where the template website is sold.

   Note: Stock images are common and are not to be mistaken for template websites on their own; you just want to see if they are associated with any websites selling the original website template, should it exist.