KickStarter Installation

KickStarter Setup

Setting up KickStarter takes less than 5 minutes. It's designed to be installed on a fresh WordPress installation — no prior themes, plugins, or configurations should have been set up beforehand.

Want to use KickStarter on an existing site? That requires a different approach — see the "Using KickStarter on an Existing Site" doc.

Requirements

Before you start, make sure you have:

• A fresh WordPress installation

• Kadence Theme (free) — installed and activated

• Kadence Starter Templates plugin (free) — installed and activated

That's it. Kadence Blocks will be installed automatically during the import process if it's not already present.

Step-by-step Installation

Step 1: Download KickStarter

Log in to your WP Templater Account and download the KickStarter zip file from the Downloads section.

Step 2: Upload the child theme

In your WordPress dashboard, go to Appearance → Themes → Add New → Upload Theme. Select the KickStarter zip file and click Install Now. Once installed, click Activate.

Step 3: Import the template files

After activation, go to Site Assist in the top admin bar (added by the Kadence Starter Templates plugin) and click Starter Templates. You'll be prompted to work with WP Templater — confirm this, then select KickStarter.

If Kadence Blocks isn't installed yet, click Advanced Settings — you'll see a note that the plugin is required. Click Finish & Launch to begin the import. Confirm that existing settings will be overwritten.

Step 4: Done

Once the import is complete, your site is ready. Click on See my site, and you'll land on your home page. The Styling Block is displayed — a dedicated design feature that allows you to configure and manage your site’s stylesheet in a structured way. All CSS variables are already loaded in the Customizer under Additional CSS.

What happens during installation

The import sets up:

• The KickStarter child theme (based on Kadence)

• All global CSS variables in the Customizer

• The Styling Block on your home page

• The Free Fallin' template library connection

• Custom functions in functions.phpetuptu