You have chosen your domain name, you have chosen an excellent web host to use, and you have learned how to successfully install WordPress. Now is the time to choose the specific "look" for your website.
WordPress uses a host of different themes to help site owners structure and present their content. Although the default theme may seem attractive enough (the Twenty Seventeen theme is pretty impressive, especially if you add a few essential plugins), there are literally thousands of others to choose from to give your website a unique twist. Although the sheer number of topics to choose from is exciting, it can be overwhelming at the same time. Your website is essentially like your global business card, so the decisions you choose must be made carefully.
So where do you start choosing that perfect theme out of all the options out there? Here are five easy steps to narrow your selection until the right topic becomes a clear winner.
1. Decide whether to go for a free or premium theme
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There are tons of free themes available on the WordPress Directory, which can work for many types of websites. Regardless, it is generally recommended to opt for a premium theme that offers the level of customization you need. Premium WordPress themes come with a ton of additional benefits over free ones. They usually come with customer support, are updated more frequently, generally have more features, and can be customized to meet your specific needs more easily than free themes.
If you choose to purchase your theme, pay attention to whether or not you will be charged a one-time fee (Themeforest, Creative Market, Templatic, etc.) or by subscription, either monthly or yearly (like Elegant Themes or Themify just to name a few). . The last option gives you the freedom to choose whatever theme you like from that particular editor. You should obviously review your budget to help you determine how much you are willing (and able to) spend on a premium theme.
Often times, the more you pay for a theme, the more features you can expect. Most premium themes run in the range of $ 29 to $ 89, so they are not at the same time terribly expensive. At the same time, premium themes usually include premium support, so if you have a question, you can ask the developer instead of relying on the free WordPress.org forums. Since your website is a significant investment, you will definitely want to take the time to consider your options and find out which theme is right for you.
2. Match the WordPress theme to your industry
This may seem like a no-brainer, but it is one of the first and most important factors to consider. You should choose a topic that relates to your industry or business. A website with a floral theme wouldn't make a lot of sense for a woodworking business. Instead, something with wood in the background of the theme would suit much better. Much like an auto parts company website, it would blend in well with an automobile-related topic. If you need help choosing a topic, check out some of these R Marketing Digital posts:
- How to build a church website with WordPress
- Best Medical WordPress Themes for Doctors
- The best real estate WordPress themes
- Best WordPress Portfolio Themes
- Must have WordPress themes similar to Pinterest
Just make sure that the theme you select accurately reflects the services and values of your particular brand. Bottom line: don't confuse your visitors!
3. Determine browser compatibility
It is important to make sure that the new theme you select is compatible with all browsers. Different visitors to your site will likely be using different browsers, so it is essential not to rule out any. Many tech designers may suggest ignoring older browsers like Internet Explorer for compatibility issues, as more and more users are ditching that browser in favor of newer versions like Google Chrome. Regardless, there are still many Internet browsers who rely on older browsers, so be sure to pay attention to browser compatibility with the theme you are planning to use for your website.
Before committing to a specific topic, you should test it across multiple browsers. If you already have a website up and running, the easiest way to do this is to check your Google Analytics to see which browsers your visitors use to enter your site. You will most likely have to check all major browsers, including Firefox, Safari, Google Chrome, and Internet Explorer.
Google Analytics will at the same time identify those who are using the most of your visits. You can use Browsershots.org to test the browsers once you know which ones to worry about. All you need to do is choose the browser and version that you would like to test, and Browsershots.org will generate a test on each one. The results are then displayed for you to evaluate.
4. Select a topic that is easy to edit
Hopefully your business will continue to grow. And as it does so, a number of changes will take place along the way. You can start offering new products or services later in the future, or choose to relocate at some point. Your website needs to keep up with all the changes happening in your business and as such it is important to choose a theme that is easy to edit.
A common mistake is choosing a theme that requires you to dive into the code and change everything around just to make a simple modification. There are a lot of themes out there and while they may look amazing, at the same time they can be quite complicated to edit. Appearances are not everything. Instead, choose a theme that allows you to make changes as you see fit with a few simple mouse clicks.
To check the customization options for a pre-selected theme, you'll want to check features like color options, post types, the variety of blog and page layouts it features, and if you need certain special functionalities (like a calendar, portfolio display, etc. .) come with it.
Identify if the theme comes with shortcodes or at the same time with a page builder. These enable you to add specific functions or page items to your post and pages. Although there are tons of plugins available (you can check out our list of the best shortcode and page builder plugins to see just a few) to help you customize your site, it's a lot easier if the core functionality you need is already included - which is why which integrates tons of powerful customization options into our Total WordPress theme.
5. Check for technical support and updates
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Technical support should be offered for the topic you select, especially if you are paying for it. By support we mean assistance with bugs and theme updates, not theme customizations, if you need customizations you should consider hiring a WordPress theme developer or using a service like Elto as this is beyond the scope of support.
Certain WordPress themes will come with email support, while others will only offer a forum for inquiries. You must determine which option is right for you. Do you agree with the waiting time associated with responses given in a forum or do you need more urgent communication? At the same time you need to find out when the last update of the theme was made and how many updates have been made since the initial launch of the theme. Good themes are usually updated, and especially when new versions of WordPress are released (for example, the Total WordPress theme R Marketing Digital is constantly updated to be compatible with the latest version of WordPress and include the newest features, such as creating landing pages).
It is better to go with current topics. You don't want to risk paying for just one to break your website when a new version of WordPress comes out. You need to be sure that the developers behind the theme you choose will stay up-to-date and keep your themes up-to-date.
Bonus tip: read reviews
Once you think you've chosen your topic for you, take a few minutes to read reviews from other bloggers and website owners. Do a search in Google search on the name of the theme and the name of the developer. Find out what other people have to say about it. That extra five minutes of research could save you a lot of headaches!
conclusion
WordPress provides one of the simplest means of developing and strengthening your online presence. Even those who are not tech savvy can create a website in a few hours with the use of WordPress as the platform of choice. Just follow these quick and easy steps to choose the ideal theme for your site and make it stand out from the rest!
Now what I want to know is how do you select a theme for your site. Do you care about the above criteria? Or is there another metric involved? Please share your thoughts below!
