When it comes to choosing a WordPress theme, the choices can be overwhelming. There are thousands of options, some of which are paid and others of which are free. Each theme has its own unique features and benefits and you might think that multiple themes can achieve the look and feel that you are hoping to achieve with your website.
So with all this choice, how do you choose a great WordPress theme that works well for you, your business and your web visitors? Here are four things that you should look out for when choosing your theme:
#1 A Good Design
The majority of WordPress themes feature a range of different layouts, fonts and animations. For some businesses this is great, but for the majority you don’t really need an all singing all dancing website. Simple is often the best. Choose a theme with a clear layout which helps you support what you want to achieve. A website needs to look good, but most importantly it needs to be optimized for the user. The site should not be overly complex or difficult to use. Web visitors should be able to access what they need to quickly and easily.
#2 Responsive
There was a time when responsive design was optional. In today’s digital world, a responsive website built for your users is essential. This is because a huge amount of website traffic is generated from mobile devices. Google will display mobile websites first so if your site is not responsive, you are missing out on countless opportunities to secure new business.
#3 Page Builders
Page builders are great for creating appealing and user friendly websites. The majority of premium themes will feature page builders already installed. Fusion Builder is just one of these. Using a page builder can make the process of creating landing pages super quick and very easy so you can really maximise the opportunities to secure a sale.
#4 Updates
The digital landscape is constantly changing; from SEO through to security, it is crucial that your WordPress themes are updated on a regular basis by the theme developer. Themes which are rarely updated can present a whole range of problems from usability through to vulnerabilities in terms of security. Even if you really like the design elements of a particular theme, make sure that it is updated. If it hasn’t been updated for more than two years, it’s probably best to choose an alternative.
#5 Free or Premium
This is one of the first things that you should consider before you start to look for a theme. Do you have money available to purchase a pro theme? If you are choosing a premium theme, does it offer everything that you need for your website? Premium themes are often very affordable. The quality is usually quite high and they are usually sold by companies so the support is usually good. Customisation of these themes is relatively easy but they are more complex in terms of their design. Free themes on the other hand tend to offer more streamlined designs, there are limited options for customisation, updates are not as frequent or they may stop completely, you don’t generally receive any support and many of the free options are sometimes difficult to work with. Also check whether your web hosting company can support the theme that you have chosen in terms of space and server demands.
Finding the right theme for your business is never as easy as it may seem. The process is complicated and it may take trial and error before you settle on a theme that fits your business well. Take your time, draw up a list of must have features for your website and don’t settle on a theme just because it looks nice.
