How to Choose a WordPress Theme: A Simple Guide for Beginners

Are you lost on a platform like ThemeForest, where you’re confused about choosing the right theme and layout for your website? If so, listen to what experts say on how to choose a WordPress theme according to your business or personal needs. There are plenty of WordPress themes available on the rack. But, you must know how to pick the best out of the lot.

If you’re considering building a WordPress site from scratch, you’ve plenty of options, when it comes to shortlisting the right theme or template. More than a blessing, it can be a headache, as the options galore. You’re left confused. For some, searching for the perfect theme can be fun. This informative post sheds light on how to pick the appropriate web template that can propel and bolster your online business growth.

Many local businesses in Tampa Bay, FL, are now hiring the services of specialists in WordPress web design & development who can help choose the right theme. Based on their (clients) budget, needs, layout preferences, functionality, and brand appeal, an expert suggests the perfect template that blends seamlessly.

What’s a WordPress Theme? – A Layman’s Point of View

A theme is more like a conceptual design of a website, portraying how a site will look after it is complete. It shows what the headers & footers will contain, how the menus will function, fonts/typography, background color scheme, content, and the overall layout of the page. Once you pick a WordPress theme, you’re free to incorporate your content, without having to worry about key technicalities.

How to Pick a WordPress Theme – Define the Purpose

Build a Blog Page: As a webmaster, if you want to build a page by incorporating news, views, information, articles, blogs, or tabloid-style posts, look for a theme that fits accordingly. A WordPress theme that emphasizes readability and typography is the right choice. Moreover, it must organize your content in a clear, crisp, concise, and easy-to-read manner. You can hire an expert WordPress developer in Tampa who understands the importance of the flow of text.

Build a Business Site: If you desire to rope in new customers through increased visitor footfalls and site traffic, you choose a theme/template that best portrays your products & services. Incorporate Call-to-Action (CTA) buttons. This helps engage customers and provides a better user experience (UX). 

CTAs improve conversion rates and positively influence a customer’s buying decision. So, pick themes that have dedicated Call-to-Action areas, work portfolios, and a personalized landing page design.

Showcase your Creativity: Being a creative genius in IT, fine art, advertisement, photography, videography, or the web, you desire to showcase your talent to the world. It is to grow your followers and fan base, apart from getting the desired income. This is when you need to know how to choose a WordPress template that best fits your creative needs. You can opt for photogenic layouts, and themes with gallery-specific design.

Selling Products & Wares: Are you planning to build an online store? If so, select a theme that can integrate with Shopify and WooCommerce. It must have dedicated product pages, shopping carts, secure payment gateways, and more. Choose templates that have beautifully designed product sections, with space dedicated to product information.

How to Select a WordPress Theme – Based on Functionality

Mobile Responsiveness: A professionally optimized WordPress theme would seamlessly adapt to all screen sizes, pixel resolutions, browsers, platforms, and devices. This helps create a better user experience. A conceptual web design or layout that fits perfectly with all Android devices and screens, has a better chance of conversion and driving sales.

Content that is readable, easy to navigate, and browser-friendly, helps engages users. Look for a theme that has a “mobile first” approach, and is designed to fit smaller screens. Learn from an expert how to choose a WordPress theme based on mobile-friendliness.

Site Performance: A fast-loading web page or site, irrespective of its size can help improve the CSAT quotient, and enhance user experience. FYI, a template that has increased built-in features, and which is highly customizable, takes a longer time to load. This can result in a higher bounce rate. Visual elements like graphics, Flash banners, sliders, and animations add to the existing weight of your site. Try to choose a theme that has the features you need.

ADA-WCAG Accessibility Compliant: If you’re a company/business based out of the US, it becomes imperative to have a niche that scores high on accessibility. Of late, the government has made it mandatory to build websites that adhere to ADA-WCAG compliance guidelines. Or else, there’s a strong possibility of facing lawsuits filed by customers and users.

A lot of modern WordPress themes & templates make sure the newly created site is fully accessible through certain in-built HTML codes and programs.

Easy to Maintain: When choosing a WordPress theme for designing your site, ensure it is integrated with an active developer. As a web owner, you would want your theme to be updated, as and when there’s a new WordPress release. This helps to keep your website secure. Upon viewing a theme in the WordPress library, a date pops up when it was last updated. There are a few third-party templates that offer such support. It can be beneficial for first-time site owners.

Shortlisting a WordPress Template – According to Budget

Most importantly, you must consider your budget, while choosing a WordPress theme from a list of many. As there are thousands of themes available on different platforms, those with advanced design features & characteristics may charge an abnormal annual fee.

While the majority of the WP themes are free, certain niche products on platforms like ThemeForest can charge a lot, apart from the standard maintenance & upgrade fees. So, choose wisely!

Look for Good Customer Reviews

You need to look for a theme that has excellent customer reviews & ratings. This is how to choose a WordPress themebased on user comments. Perform extensive online research to find positive and negative comments that can help streamline your search.

Look for user reviews where it says good about developers in response to a problem or a ticket. A theme that has increased users and buyers is more likely to have fewer issues. It is because the problems have been rectified over time.

Where to Find the Best WordPress Themes?

You can either look for them on dedicated platforms like WordPress.com Theme Gallery & WordPress.com Theme Directory, or else on popular third-party marketplaces. A lot of freelance creators and small designers sell their themes on these marketplaces. Choose popular platforms that allow you to check information about the author/designer, last update, and customer ratings.

A few popular marketplaces are The WooCommerce Theme Library, ThemeForest, StudioPress, CreativeMarket, etc. These dedicated platforms provide a full gallery of templates to choose from. Depending upon your layout/style preferences and business needs, you can pick a theme that offers increased functionalities, features, and smart integration of diverse analytic tools, Apps, and software.

Are you planning to build a new website that best addresses your business goals and objectives? You must partner with an expert web design company in Tampa that knows the in’s & outs of the web. They can guide you in choosing the appropriate theme for your online store or site. Contact a UI/UX design specialist like VSF Marketing in Tampa that can help build a theme or template, which is according to your needs. Call for FREE quotes and expert consultation.