With thousands of themes available, choosing the right one can be confusing. It’s important to choose a theme that looks great and functions well for your website or blog.
It’s also a good idea to look for themes that work with your preferred page builder. This will save you time and frustration.
- Responsiveness
When it comes to choosing the best WordPress theme, responsiveness is one of the most important factors. It is an essential element that helps improve the user experience and increase website traffic. Additionally, it can also be an important ranking factor for search engines.
Regardless of the type of business you’re running, it’s crucial that your WordPress site is easy to use. This means that your theme should be simple to navigate, aesthetically pleasing, and well-written.
This will make your visitors feel more comfortable and confident in visiting your site. It will also make them more likely to return in the future.
Responsive themes are designed to offer a consistent, high-quality user experience to people across multiple devices and screen sizes. This is a key SEO factor for businesses, as Google has become increasingly keen on showing websites that are mobile-friendly in its top results.
You can find out whether the theme you’re considering is responsive by checking its documentation. It should include a list of the different resolutions it supports, as well as the size and width of each.
Another thing to look out for is its coding standards. A theme with outdated code is likely to be full of vulnerabilities, so it’s important to only choose those that have been updated in the last few months.
It’s also a good idea to check the theme’s changelog. This will give you a glimpse into the development process and show you which features have been added or changed since its release. This will help you determine whether the theme’s developer is actively working on the project and making updates to fix known vulnerabilities.
- Design
Design is an important factor when choosing a theme because it helps users understand what the site will look like. It also allows them to customize the site without a lot of technical knowledge.
Many themes offer a drag-and-drop interface, making it easy to create a website. Some even have a live preview, so you can see how changes you make will affect the website.
It is crucial to choose a theme that looks professional and matches the aesthetic of your business. For example, if your brand uses a lot of color and fonts, it is best to choose a theme that is compatible with them.
Another important consideration is whether the theme is responsive and mobile-friendly. This will ensure that your website looks good on all devices, from desktops to smartphones and tablets.
Theme developers should be committed to providing reliable support. If they are not, you may run into problems that could cause you to lose money on your website.
A theme should be constantly updated to keep up with the latest developments in WordPress and web technologies. This will improve security and prevent bugs from affecting the site.
Finally, the theme should be compatible with the latest version of WordPress and come with a wide range of pre-made layouts to save you time.
If you are a newcomer to WordPress, it is best to pick a theme that has been used by many people and offers a wide variety of options. This will give you the confidence to build your website quickly and easily.
- Functionality
When choosing a WordPress theme, you will need to think about the functionality that it offers. It may be important to choose a theme that has restaurant menus or shop pages, membership forums, or other special features.
You should also ensure that the theme integrates with other plugins that you might need for specific purposes. For example, a food blogger might attach a recipe plugin or a travel blogger might include a mapping plugin.
The last thing you want is to start building a website only to find out that it doesn’t support the plugins you need or that you’re missing some crucial functionality. If you’re unsure about the functionality of a particular theme, look for reviews and ratings by users or search third-party marketplace websites.
Another factor to consider is whether the theme supports all major browsers. You’ll need to open the theme’s demo site in different web browsers to ensure that it performs properly on all modern devices and appears well across multiple platforms.
Similarly, you should always check the theme’s latest update date to make sure that it is up to date with the latest coding standards and isn’t vulnerable to security issues. This information is usually listed on the theme listing page and is publically accessible on most theme directories.
When looking at a theme, it’s also a good idea to check out the colors, fonts, animations, and layout options that it offers. This will help you decide if the theme will be appropriate for your audience or not.
- Security
There are a lot of things to consider when choosing a theme, including its security. It is vital to avoid themes that are out of date or full of malicious code as they can compromise the security of your website.
You should also make sure that the theme is updated regularly. The internet is constantly evolving, and new coding standards are released every year. Old themes are prone to conflicts and vulnerabilities that hackers can exploit, and it is essential to ensure your theme is compatible with the latest WordPress release.
Alternatively, you can use a WordPress plugin like iThemes Security Pro that provides advanced file change monitoring for your site. It will alert you when any suspicious changes occur to your WordPress files.
In addition to this, make sure the theme is built by a reputable developer. This will provide you with peace of mind that the theme is not a rogue copy of an established and popular theme.
It is important to choose a theme that is SEO-friendly, but beware of themes that have improperly nested headings/multiple H1 headings or confusing navigation menus. These features can negatively impact search engine optimization (SEO).
Another thing to check is the theme’s update history. You should avoid themes that haven’t been modified in more than two years. This can be a sign that the developer has disappeared and no longer provides support.
You should also steer clear of themes that are too feature-heavy and bloated. These often have significant impacts on page load times. Plus, they can cause your website to be too complex and confuse visitors. Instead, look for simple themes that are easy to navigate and don’t have too many features.
- Customization
There are plenty of options available to customize the look of your website with a WordPress theme. You can use the WordPress Customizer to change fonts, colors and even layout. The WordPress Customizer also simplifies some settings that aren’t always easy to find elsewhere on your WordPress back end.
A theme is a collection of template files, stylesheets, and other elements that work together to create the overall design of your site. The look of your site will impact visitors’ perceptions of you and your brand, so it’s crucial to choose a good theme that works well for your needs.
Premium themes usually offer a range of customization options, including color choices and layout options. These can be particularly helpful for making your site stand out from the competition and reflect your brand’s personality.
However, keep in mind that these customization options can bloat your website’s file size and load times, which could affect search engine optimization (SEO) rankings. That’s why it’s best to go with a lightweight theme that advertises itself as small and features minimal file size and plugin dependencies.
In addition, consider whether the theme offers full-site editing capabilities. This new feature allows you to edit your site’s templates in one place, so you can quickly make changes to your site without breaking it or needing a developer’s help.
Lastly, make sure the theme you choose has access to screen readers and other assistive devices. These tools can make your site easier to navigate for a significant portion of your visitors.
Choosing a good WordPress theme can take time, but it’s worth the effort because it will pay off in the long run. A quality theme will give your content a boost, while keeping it responsive across devices and loading in the blink of an eye.