[FRE] Building Custom Homepage with Elementor
Introduction
One of the most requested features for FreelanceEngine has been included in this latest release: you can now build custom pages for your freelance marketplace by using Elementor, one of the most popular page builder plugins.
This feature is surely a big help for normal users. You don’t have to be a professional in web development to be able to build a homepage of your taste, using various customization options. You can build up and customize almost every detail and element in your homepage.
Check out these few screenshots to get a feel of how it works:
![](https://www.enginethemes.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screenshot_146-1024x512.png)
![](https://www.enginethemes.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screenshot_147-1-1024x507.png)
![](https://www.enginethemes.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screenshot_148-1-1024x462.png)
How to set it up
1. Install Elementor
We need to install & activate the Elementor plugin first.
Go to Plugins > Add New > Search for “Elementor” and click “Install Now” to start installing.
![](https://www.enginethemes.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screenshot_149-1024x434.png)
After installing, click on “Activate” to activate the plugin.
![](https://www.enginethemes.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screenshot_150-1024x605.png)
Import template files for FreelanceEngine components
Elementor doesn’t include components of FreelanceEngine, so we need to import the template files to use them.
Go to your member area (https://enginethemes.com/member/login/) to download the template files: “FreelanceEngine templates for Elementor page builder”.
Then go to Templates > Saved Templates and click on the button “Import Templates”.
![](https://www.enginethemes.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screenshot_151.png)
Choose the template files we have just downloaded and click “Import Now”.
![](https://www.enginethemes.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screenshot_153-1024x352.png)
When we see the results similar to this below screenshot, it means we have imported the templates successfully.
![](https://www.enginethemes.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screenshot_154-1024x322.png)
Note:
- Import all template files from the member area.
- If that’s not clear enough, you can also follow the steps in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgSX9LwhFP4
Build a custom homepage using Elementor
Firstly, we need to create a new page:
- Go to Pages > Add new.
- Give your page a title
- Click the “Edit with Elementor” button to go to the page building screen.
![](https://www.enginethemes.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screenshot_155-1024x386.png)
The page building screen is as below:
![](https://www.enginethemes.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screenshot_156-1024x522.png)
Click on the “Settings” icon at the lower left of your menu to change the Page Layout option to “Elementor Full Width”
![](https://www.enginethemes.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screenshot_157.png)
After that, you can start to build your own homepage to match your needs.
![](https://www.enginethemes.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screenshot_158-1024x472.png)
Important: After finishing building your custom homepage, you need to set it as the new homepage so it replaces the current default one.
Go to Settings > Reading > Your homepage displays. Select “A static page” and choose your newly created homepage from the select as the new homepage for your site.
![](https://www.enginethemes.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screenshot_159.png)
That’s it. Congratulations. You’ve done it.
For more details, you can also follow the instructions in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIft1mnosjM