Choosing a WordPress theme is one of the things people get stuck on, don’t worry, we’re here to help!
The first stage in building your website is choosing a theme. A website theme is the look of your site and there are thousands to choose, both free and paid.
It’s important to make a good first impression to your site visitor, but the structure of your site is also important in SEO and plays a big role in search engines.
Some people will say don’t worry too much about it, something plain and simple will do fine. The same people will also say it’s a waste of time looking through lots of different themes.
I can tell you, if you don’t like the look of your site you’ll feel less inclined to work on it and it’ll become a chore rather than a pleasure. Choosing a theme you like and that suits your niche/industry is an important part of building your online business.
I’m not a fan of the “Twenty” default themes that come preloaded with WordPress, unless you can code it’s hard to get them to look anything other than plain boring!
My first step was to look for websites that were visually appealing to me, then finding out what theme was being used. You can check if a site is using a WordPress theme and which one here, it also tells you what plugins are being used (some plugins can enhance the visual look of a theme).
As I said, there are thousands of free themes but if you head over to the WordPress themes page you’ll see there are filters to help.
If you’ve chosen an artistic niche then you’ll want a theme that offers color options and the ability to place your own header image. If you’re completely new to this you’ll also want a theme that’s easy to work with. No point having a ton of options if you don’t know how to use them.
Two popular themes are Sugar and Spice and Frontier, Frontier can be adapted to suit almost any niche and the options are easy to navigate.
Of course, because WordPress is so easy to work with you can change your theme as many times as you want, just remember to back up your site first! Also be aware that you’ll probably need to redo your menus and widgets, but once you learn how to do this it doesn’t take long.
Because of the use of mobile devices now you need to make sure the theme is mobile friendly (referred to as responsive) and is compatible with all browsers.
Free Versus Paid
If you’re just starting out with a low budget then a free theme is the way to go. Some developers will offer support but mostly this is a “pro” option. With free themes you’ll probably have to keep the theme name in the footer area. Sometimes you can find answers to questions about free themes in related forums.
Paid themes offer the best support and generally offer much more functionality than free themes. Many also have affiliate programs where you can earn a commission for promoting the theme. There are different licenses you can purchase, some are for single use websites, some unlimited.
Make sure you read the license terms before you purchase or use any theme.
The following video will show you how to install a theme directly to WordPress and how to upload one from your computer.
We hope this has helped you in choosing a theme, if you’ve any questions please leave a comment below or contact us.
HAPPY THEME HUNTING!
Here you can find a step by step checklist for setting up your wordpress website.