You have created a WordPress website for your business or portfolio but don’t understand which WordPress theme to pick. In the vast sea of WordPress themes available right now, it can be confusing to know which to choose. Well, the key is understanding what you want your website to look like, exploring websites in your niche, and writing down what you like. Most importantly, you must discuss what to do with your website development team since they are the people who will be working on it the most.
In this article, we guide you through the factors you must consider when choosing the best WordPress theme. Then, we delve into where and how you can find WordPress themes, both free and paid. At last, we talk about how to install and customize the theme you choose to work with. Bookmark this article or create a checklist as you go on reading this guide. Let’s get started.
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Understanding the Importance of WordPress Themes
For beginners, it might seem confusing as to why you have to pick a theme. “Do I have to just pick colors, layout, and font style for the theme?” It is that and more. A WordPress theme serves as the foundation of the website design and functionality. Its importance shows up in user experience and brand representation. The theme you choose determines the layout, style, and features of your website. Imagine your website as the bare skeleton of a house that you design with a WordPress theme. The best WordPress theme makes it easy to customize almost all the features they provide.
This can be both a fun and confusing process. But you must remember that the WordPress theme you chose sets the tone, functionality, and overall appeal of your website. This is important as it could be the difference between high and low traffic on the website. Your consumers want a smooth-functioning website that is nice to look at but not overly filled with features. The website shouldn’t seem too busy, or it will look chaotic.
Most importantly, the theme should reflect your brand. If your business provides healthcare services, it’s better to use soft tones and white as your background. Bright and cheery colors will not do for a healthcare website but will go perfectly well with a kid’s toys selling business website.
Factors to Consider While Choosing a WordPress Theme
There are 7 factors that you need to consider when choosing the best WordPress theme from an ocean of options. Take a look at the factors given below before making your final decision.
1. Available Theme Features
What makes WordPress themes so widely loved is that they offer a wide range of features to cater to various website needs. The features include everything from customizable layouts to color schemes and typography options. These features let you personalize your website according to your preferences. Different themes provide a different range of features. You must analyze your business needs before deciding on the features. The features should be decided according to the intended website purpose so that your website has the necessary tools for optimal performance and user engagement. Before you pick a WordPress theme, analyze the available features that will help you select themes that work specifically for your business’s website.
2. Functionality
Functionality is a cornerstone of the best WordPress theme, including important elements such as navigation menus, widget areas, and page templates. Themes that have great functionality help streamline content management for you. They also enhance the user experience by providing intuitive navigation, customizable widgets, and dynamic page layouts. Functionality plays a huge role in shaping the overall usability and performance of the WordPress theme, be it advanced customization options or seamless integration with a third party. For example, the GeneratePress theme gives advanced customization options and supports popular plugins like WooCommerce to help create a highly functional ad feature-rich website.
3. Design
The design of a WordPress theme includes visual aesthetics, layout structure, and typography of the text. Keep in mind that a well-built design improves user engagement, reflects brand identity, and leaves a positive impression on the customers. Themes that have a clean and intuitive layout, a context-appropriate color scheme, and an easy-to-read typography make the website look professional and welcoming. For example, the WordPress Astra theme offers elegant design options that have customizable layouts perfect for several types of industries and niches. Not just surface-level attractiveness, the design also plays a major role in usability, accessibility, and responsiveness. It makes sure that users experience the same website with the same ease across different devices and screen sizes.
4. Plugin Support
Plugins help expand the functionalities of a WordPress theme by adding more features. Make sure that the WordPress theme you choose is compatible with a range of plugins. It helps you customize and optimize your website according to your preferences and business goals. You must prioritize plugin compatibility and integration when deciding on a theme. Plugins help make the website more flexible and scalable in creating feature-rich and dynamic websites. For example, the OceanWP theme integrates perfectly with the WooCommerce plugin. This provides a dedicated extension for advanced functionalities like sticky headers and custom sidebars that businesses can use.
5. Theme Support and Feedback
The best WordPress theme provides support and positive feedback, which proves their reliability and commitment. The themes that provide accessible support channels, active community forums, and timely updates leave a positive mark on users. It also adds up to long-term satisfaction. User feedback provides important information about theme performance, usability, and feature requests, allowing developers to improve their themes and efficiently meet user needs. Transparent communication channels build trust and confidence among consumers, creating an inviting environment for theme adoption and usage. Themes also create a lively community of users and developers dedicated to ongoing progress.
6. Documentation and Tutorials
Now, this is a critical factor in deciding on the best WordPress theme. Look for themes that provide comprehensive documentation and tutorials on how to install, customize, and troubleshoot the theme effectively. They must provide you with clear instructions and video guides for you to grasp the full potential of the theme. It will guide you on how to navigate the theme settings, customize layouts, and troubleshoot the common issues you might face. This is extremely important for a smooth website development process. When theme developers provide the required tutorials and information, they help you create a functional and professional website easily.
For example, the Avada theme by WordPress provides extensive documentation and video tutorials that cover theme customization and usage meant for people of all skill levels.
7. SEO Friendliness
If you know the basics of website development and search engine ranking pages, you know how important SEO is. An SEO-friendly WordPress theme will optimize your website’s visibility and search ranking visibility. This ultimately results in organic traffic growth and a prominent brand viability. Certain built-in SEO features boost the theme’s search engine performance, such as optimized code structure, schema markup integration, and mobile responsiveness. You should know that mobile-friendly layouts, fast page load times, and intuitive navigation improve user experience and boost engagement metrics.
Themes that are SEO-friendly contribute to a user-centric design principle. In today’s digital world, where websites fade in the back amidst harsh competition, an SEO-friendly WordPress theme is like a holy grail for new or small businesses.
Where to Find the Best WordPress Theme?
Finding the best WordPress theme for your website is an important step toward creating your online presence. Whether you’re a blogger, a business owner, or a budding entrepreneur, a suitable theme can set the tone for your brand and increase user engagement. Luckily, WordPress provides a huge range of themes. You can find themes available on WordPress.com and the WordPress.org Theme Directory. Here’s how you can explore themes on each page.
1. WordPress Theme Gallery
If your website is hosted by WordPress.com, the Theme Gallery is your go-to resource for exploring a wide range of themes. The Theme Gallery is accessible from your WordPress.com website’s dashboard. It offers hundreds of free and premium themes that have been meticulously handpicked by the WordPress team. These themes are not only visually appealing but also fully compatible with the WordPress core. It leads to smooth integration and excellent performance.
To efficiently navigate the Theme Gallery, go to Appearance and then Themes in the left-hand menu of your WordPress.com dashboard. You’ll find a diverse range of themes shown in thumbnail format. You can explore through different designs and layouts here. Use the Filters link on the right side of the search box to narrow your search results based on specific features, layouts, and goals. You should take your time exploring different options before you select a theme that fits your vision and needs.
Click on the theme to discover more about its features and functionality when you’ve found the best WordPress theme for you. Look for the Open Live Demo option near the top to see the theme in action and decide whether it is right for your website. If you’re happy with your selection, click the Activate This Theme button to apply it to your site smoothly.
2. WordPress Theme Directory
For even more options, the WordPress.org Theme Directory is a vast archive of themes created by third-party developers throughout the world. While primarily designed for self-hosted WordPress sites, the Theme Directory contains a wide variety of themes that cater to all aspects of areas and niches. To access the WordPress.org Theme Directory, go to the directory’s website and use the Feature Filter button to narrow your search by layout style, feature, and industry.
Here, you’ll find a wide range of themes, from minimalist designs to feature-rich templates, all of which follow the WordPress coding and quality criteria. When you’ve found a theme that captures your interest, click on it to learn more and try the sample version. If the theme matches your needs, download it to your computer by clicking the blue Download button.
Installing and Customizing WordPress Themes
Installing the best WordPress theme via the WordPress admin dashboard is easy. It gives access to a large number of themes accessible in the WordPress.org themes directory. To begin, log in to your WordPress admin area and go to the Appearance and then the Themes page. The Add New button opens the theme search interface. Once on the theme search screen, you can sort themes by popularity, recency, or favorites. If you have a specific topic in mind, simply enter its name into the search field to find it instantly. You can also use the ‘Feature Filter’ option to narrow down themes based on specific criteria such as content, features, and layout.
After doing your search, you will be shown a list of topics that meet your criteria. Hovering over a theme’s image shows choices for installing, previewing, or viewing details. Once you’ve selected the theme you want to install, click the Install option to start the installation process. WordPress will then install the theme, and after it’s finished, you’ll see a success message indicating that the theme was installed successfully. At this point, you will be able to activate the theme by clicking the Activate button. After activation, your website will start using the newly installed theme.
It’s important to note that some themes may require further adjusting after activation. This could entail installing recommended plugins, importing demo data, or changing theme settings. If any extra steps are required, WordPress will provide on-screen instructions to walk you through the procedure. The WordPress Theme Customizer allows you to customize themes that do not yet support the full site editor, such as the Astra theme. The Theme Customizer, which can be found by selecting the Appearance menu, allows you to make real-time changes to many different elements of your theme, including homepage settings, color schemes, and backgrounds.
Conclusion
Selecting the best WordPress theme doesn’t have to be a confusing process. When you understand what your brand needs and explore the theme options, you can find the theme that matches your needs. Remember that a customizable theme gives you even more options to play with. This article will guide you through the factors you need to consider when deciding on a theme for your website.
