Choosing the right theme for your WordPress website is a vital step in the web designing phase. There are thousands of WordPress themes available. Some are paid while others are free. Each theme looks different and is crafted to suit a particular industry.
So, how to choose the right theme for your WordPress website? It depends on many factors such as industry, budget, CMS platform, appetite for customer satisfaction and the available resources. But in general, you can follow specific steps to ensure that the WP theme you choose, suits your particular requirements.
Top 5 ways to choose the right theme
- Simplicity – Try to select a simple theme. It is easier said than done since simplicity is a subjective matter. There are many WordPress themes which are loaded with colors, complex designs, parallax features, a busy layout and garish animations. It is often noted that users are confused with sophisticated layouts and design. A simpler design encourages more user participation.
- No personal interference – Many people make the mistake of selecting a design based on their personal choices. A theme should instead be chosen as per target audience’s preferences. As a Webmaster, you have to understand that personal preferences do not matter. You need a design that would be well received by the target audience.
- Free or paid – You can find both free and premium themes. Both types have their pros and cons. Mostly, developers prefer to work with premium ones because they come with several unique features. On the other hand, free themes may not provide warranty and relevant features. Free stuff may also be bloated with malware or adware.
- Ratings and reviews – Online rating and reviews affect many decisions in our daily life. So, why not themes! This is a proven way to know about a particular WordPress theme’s quality, usability and real world performance. You can read reviews on popular third-party marketplaces. Read the reviews in detail to find any errors in coding, responsiveness, icon sets etc. If you are thinking about a free option, be sure to check its security credentials.
- Responsive themes – Tablets and mobile phones now represent a significant market share. If you are redesigning or launching a new website, it is best to go for a responsive design to be future ready. Remember, if it is not responsive, don’t buy it at all. After installing, test the website on various devices like mobile phone, tablet, desktop, laptop etc.
There are hundreds of other tips and tricks to select the relevant theme. But these basic criteria should get you going just fine. Do some introspection and consult with web developers to add your own insights to your brand’s website.
