How To Choose The Right WordPress Theme For Your New Website?
August 21st, 2014 | by Ravi Chahar || 40 Comments |
When you think of setting up a new website then many things come into your mind from which look of your website is a major concern.
You may find many mind blasting situations in which you may get confused and regarding your website you need to choose a WordPress theme.
When any newbies enter in this blogosphere then he/she will find many aspects on the basis of which choosing a theme will be easy.
I am here to let you know about helpful points by which you can choose the best theme for your website. I know for beginners it’s not an easy task to select a theme.
You all must know how to choose the right WordPress theme? It’s difficult to take decision for you, but I can just provide some tips by which you can save yourself by doing some mistakes. Beginners should also know about installing a theme properly.
How to choose a theme for your website which can give your website a blast?
How to choose a WordPress theme? – A question which can be so hard to answer if you can’t keep these points in your mind. Here are some key points using which you can choose a WordPress theme which can give your website a new look.
Many bloggers change the theme of their website if they don’t feel good about their old theme. They must know what to do before changing their theme.
1) Niche is always a concern :- Niche is the topic at which you are going to write about at your website. You may have seen at some websites like Studio Press and others which are themes provider and there are different kind of themes basis on news, blogging, magazine and others. It makes easy for the readers to go through.
2) Check whether it’s responsive or not :- One thing you must keep in your mind when you choose a WordPress theme that it should be responsive and E-commerce. You should know that a responsive theme let your website to be great and Google loves these kinds of websites.
3) Custom widgets should be there :- In a good theme, you must check that it should contain widgets which can be used to customize your website. There should be proper side-widgets, a banner which is great to place banner ads and many else. Try to figure out that the theme you select should have columns in the footer so that you can add about you, recent posts and much more. It’s the matter of choice.
4) How about web browsers :- I must tell you that there are many themes which don’t work fine in every browser. If you install such type of themes at your website then it will not look good in all browsers. Especially in the Internet Explorer. You must check your website after installing any theme.
5) Budget always matters :- There are many free WordPress themes in its gallery and many themes are premium provided by any websites. You may find many premium themes having amazing features in them. They are responsive and have great support. Let me introduce you to some theme providers.
6) Check for reviews :- It is always recommended that you must check the reviews of the theme you are going to use for your website. After reading the reviews, it would be easy for you to choose a WordPress theme which is good to use for your website.
7) Color combination is also a good thing to check :- There are many themes with different colors. It’s the matter of choice that you must check the color combination of the theme. It’s important to check that your readers must enjoy visiting your website. Your website must look great and attractive.
8) Mobile appearance must be checked :- Sometimes it’s not a do must job of a theme to look good everywhere. Some themes don’t have their good appearance in mobiles. You must check your website that it shouldn’t have this problem of bad appearance in mobiles.
9) Codes should be modified :- Themes have many codes of PHP, CSS, HTML, JAVA and else. If you have some knowledge about coding then you may know that you can modify the codes of many themes but there are some themes which are not easy to do any modification and creates the problem. This option may be left by beginners because it’s hard for them to check it. You must know Thesis themes are good to use which provide great features for you to handle it according to your own.
10) Space for Ads :- For bloggers, it’s important to check that the theme they are going to use must have space for ads to put. As making money from a blog is a better way and having space for ads is a must have feature.
Conclusion : Choose a WordPress Theme
Have you selected any theme? Are you clear how to choose a theme for your website? Are you going to use a free or premium theme? It’s dependent on you but keep the above-mentioned points in your mind while choosing any theme for your website. I would like to hear from you.
Hi Ravi,
Your post comes at a time I have been contemplating on my own theme. As you know I use standard theme bought about 3 years ago and the company died late last year.
The theme is really awesome and the kind of flexibility with the code I received was absolutely phenomenal. But it concerns me that the theme is no more coming up with new upgrades. So, probably I should consider a new theme.
I am considering my options and probably I will make the change to its end of this year or maybe sometime next year.
Your points are great and I think those are the things I have been considering along with the fact that I do want to be able to customize the theme to give it the look and feel I want.
Thanks for sharing this awesome tips and you have a wonderful new week!
Regards,
Kumar
Hi Kumar,
There are many themes in the market and you may switch to any other. Having a blog with fully customized theme is great and necessary to have for any blog.
You may use Thesis Themes as they comes with amazing freedom to modify them according to you. They are good in SEO as Thesis, Genesis and many other themes have inbuilt SEO.
Thanks for your wonderful comment.
You too have a nice week ahead.:)
~Ravi
Hello Ravi,
The tips you’ve shared here are apt and classical and I’ll be particular on responsiveness (as that was the main reason I changed the previous theme on my main blog).
You see, almost 70 percent of content consumers do consume content today via mobile devices. It is thus a condition precedent that every site should be responsive – so that it suits every screen accessing it. When I started out, I believed plugins could do the magic. While they did (sometimes), most of the times, I was on my own!
I would also add making sure that every theme one purchases is HTML 5 and CSS 3 compliant…who wants to be lagging behind in technology these days?
Make the day great!
Always,
Terungwa
Hi Terungwa,
No one is lagging behind in the technology now a days and people want latest things.
I totally agree with your point that bloggers must check about HTML and CSS of the theme they choose for their blog.
HTML 5 is the latest version and most of themes are created using it.
Thanks for your wonderful comment.
Have a great week.:)
~Ravi
Hi Ravi,
Every blogger need to do think before having a WordPress theme. As the design, look and easy to do coding should be done and chosen wisely. Also a theme should be easy to edit where one can make changes regardless of taking help from experts.
And with things going Digital, a theme should be responsive as many people are now moved to tablets, phones to search things.
Hi Aditya,
Thanks for stopping by any dropping your wonderful comment.
Have a nice week.:)
~Ravi
Hello Ravi,
I always tell myself this; another thing which attract most when it comes succeeding as a blogger is when designs comes in the equation.
And here is one name known as Ravi telling us what to consider. I am very much attracted to anything red when it comes to online.
The world is indeed taking on new dimension and so considering the responsiveness of the theme can’t be undermined. Mobile is taking over.
Thanks for this lovely piece of yours and do have a great weekend.
Hey Emmanuel,
As we all know that good design of any blog attracts it’s readers, bloggers must take care of it.
Thanks a lot for appreciating.:)
Always feel good to hear from you.
Have an amazing week.:)
~Ravi
Hello Ravi………
We all know that the first impression is the last impression. So, if we fail to choose proper WordPress theme for our blog, then it would be a huge disadvantage for us. There are so many wordpress theme available on the internet. So, it is a bit difficult for the newbies to select the best one for his blog.Thanks to you my friend for providing them a clear instruction which will help them to choose the suitable one.
Now a days Smartphone users are getting increased . So, this thing we should keep in mind and always go for responsive theme as it is perfect for your computer as well as your smartphone or tablet.
Always check that your theme is user friendly or not. As a user friendly theme easily can attract more your visitors to your blog.
All the points you have mentioned here, are very relevant and a great tutorials for the novice.
Keep writing my friend and have a wonderful weekend.
Regards,
Swapnadip….
Hi Swapnadip,
You have mentioned a remarkable line.:)
First impression is last impression, you are right bloggers must concentrate at the design of their blog so that they can have some readers. As having a great Theme is really effective for the blog.
Off course bloggers must check about their theme appearance in smartphones.
Thanks for stooping by and dropping your input.
You too enjoy this week.:)
~Ravi
Hi Ravi,
Excellent post. When it comes to themes the next time I need one I won’t do that alone, because it’s not my area of expertise at all, and not something I have time to mess with ?
Right now I have Thesis BlogSkin, but the designer of this theme is not the kind of person I would refer to anyone. When I purchased the theme he knew I needed help all the way and I even paid for that, but it was like pulling teeth, he wasn’t responding to my questions and need of help. Awful customer service if any!
So, while I kept the theme which I had paid for I asked for my money back for his help desk, because it sucked. So, it’s important to do business with honest people too.
So, eventually I will need to find someone who can advise me on a new theme, but also someone who can help me along the way.
Thanks for the great tips.
Hi Sylviane,
Many people face this kind of problem.
The only mistake we do is to trust everyone blindly. Many theme owners don’t help their customers which is not a kind behavior of them.
People need to choose their theme by checking every aspect.
Thanks for your input.
Have a great weekend.:)
~Ravi
While choosing a theme I always look out for Responsive themes. Since, most of the users are surfing internet using smartphones and tabs, it is imperative that your theme suits on all screen types.
Themeforest has some awesome collection of themes for niche blogs.
Have a great weekend ?
Hi Shabnam,
For bloggers it’s necessary to concentrate at the look, responsiveness of the theme.
Now a days many users are using smartphones so people need to figure out any theme which has better appearance.
Theme Forest, WPZOOM and many else have amazing themes to choose.
You too rock the week.:)
~Ravi
Hi Ravi,
That’s one of those posts I wish I’d know about a few years ago.
When I chose my first (free) theme – for a completely different blog – I chose it for entirely the wrong reasons, and although it looked very attractive, I missed out many of the important features you mention above.
Really useful post for next time I think about changing my theme.
Have a good weekend, Joy
Hey Joy,
You know for beginners it’s not easy to have proper knowledge about choosing the right theme.
Many may choose wrong one and don’t think about their niche.
As you know there are many themes for different niche.
Thanks for stopping by.
You too have a nice week.:)
~Ravi
Very nice and interesting tutorials bro Ravi. I’m actually gonna change my theme very soon. I need something professional.. Anyways, thanks for sharing and do have a nice weeks ahead.. ?
Hi Victor,
Thanks for stopping by.
Have a great week.:)
~Ravi
Ravi,
This is a really good post.
When I started out last year, I was a big believer in the free themes. I thought to myself, “what’s the point in paying for a theme when they have all these here for free?”
Boy did I learn my lesson. Many of the free themes I choose opened up pathways for viruses and malware, etc. because they weren’t updated enough or something.
Anyway, long story short, I went out and purchased a paid theme and now I’m kicking myself for not having done that sooner. Every point you mentioned there accurate and worth noting because you have to consider all those factors when you’re choosing a theme.
I’m contemplating redesigning my site and one of the things I want to really focus on is the color scheme because whether newbies believe it or not, color scheme is important. I’ll definitely refer to this post as sort of a check list for when I make that decision.
Thanks for this. Hope you have an awesome week.
– Andrew
Hey Andrew,
You know in the starting days of blogging most of bloggers have this question as why they need to pay when they have free themes. And the answer they get after using them.
Free themes don’t have their support and their coding is not that much efficient.
There are many themes provided by many websites which have amazing features in them. They are responsive and easy to configure.
Great to see you again.:)
Have an awesome week ahead.:)
~Ravi
Hi Ravi,
Nice post shared. It includes all steps to choose the right wordpress theme.
Now a days, every blogger should go with responsive theme as technology upgrading and most of the people are using smartphones, tablets, etc.
Your article will help to choose the right and best theme.
Thanks for sharing.
Hi Nisha,
Welcome to my blog.:)
Good to see you.
Beginners should know such things while choosing theme for their blog because many bloggers face problems in their selection.
As I have mentioned in the post that newbies should take care about their niche, theme’s responsiveness and many more things.
Some people make efforts to encode their theme to make it appear like their own way so they should choose a theme which is easy to encode.
Thanks for your wonderful input.
Have an amazing weekend.:)
~Ravi
hahahaha, Wonderful Image Admin ! This image tell how to choose right WordPress theme for WordPress Blog ! I really appreciate these tips & great points those must need to check out in a WordPress themes to choose for a Blog ! Thanks Admin !
Hi Monika,
Welcome to my blog.:)
You know images have a great role in blog posts.
Thanks for your input.
Have a nice week.:)
~Ravi
Hey Ravi,
Well as you already know, I bought Thesis probably four or five years ago and I still love it. Now the only issue I have is that they aren’t upgrading the older version and they don’t recommend taking an older version and moving it to the newer version so I’m kind of stuck.
But they have said that they will not abandon the lower version and as updates are needed they will be addressed. So I’m not going to worry about it until I have to because I’m so use to working with this one and I still love it so I’m good.
The other thing is that when I went this route I didn’t take anything you mentioned here into consideration because I just went upon the recommendation of a good friend. Now I know better but I’m also lucky that I went with one of the best ones out there.
Great share and a MUST read for new bloggers. Especially today with all the new things that are coming out.
~Adrienne
Hey Adrienne,
After getting bloggers try to modify it according to their own as you have designed your Thesis theme in a magnificent way.
It’s really hard to switch any new version or any different theme if you have fully customized your theme because it may create problem later. It’s hard to design your new theme like your old one. So, it’s better to have your old theme till you have it’s support team with you.
There are many things to consider when it comes about the selection of any theme. Beginners should know them.
Thanks for your remarkable input like always.
Have a rocking week ahead.:)
~Ravi
Hi Ravi Chahar,
Very informative article you selected the most demanding topic. It is necessary that you have a responsive theme because mobile users are growing rapidly now a days. So, you should not only focus your desktop visitors as well as be sure about your website’s mobile appearance.
Thanks for sharing such a nice article.
Hi Mairaj,
Welcome to my blog.:)
There are many factors which should be taken care of while choosing a theme.
Bloggers need to choose the best theme for their blog.
Thanks for your comment.:)
Have a good day.
~Ravi
Hello Ravi, WordPress Themes, HUM? I never knew there was so much to them?? I am not even sure how I came about the Attitude theme, I think I visited a site that had it and felt Yes this is what I need…
I never really thought to much about all the things you have pointed out here today.
Looks like I now have some homework to do LOL Thanks for sharing.. Chery :))
Hey Chery,
While choosing a theme for your blog you need to do some research.:)
You know we can’t take any risk regarding the design, coding of our blog theme. Our blog musk look good with proper widgets and all color schemes. It can be possible only if we have a theme easy to encode.
Good to see you around.:)
Rock this weekend.:)
~Ravi
A very nice post Ravi ? Themes from ThemeForest are always best.According to me you should choose the theme which is responsive,loads fast,easy to navigate,smartphones friendly.If you have a good theme then visitors like sharing their experience on your blog and stay a long time.And one more thing you should never use a nulled theme.
Hi Ashraf,
First of all I would like to welcome you at my blog.:)
Yeah! Theme Forest is the leading website which provides many responsive and good looking theme but if you look around in the market you will find many other providers too.
I agree that readers stay at the blogs which have great theme, mobile friendly and much more but if you know about coding then you should go for Genesis or Thesis.
Thanks for visiting.
Enjoy your stay.:)
~Ravi
Hi Ravi Chahar
Themes are most important thing in website which should be friendly,responsive and load fast.We should always prefer premium one rather then going for free ones.The sites you have listed are worth one for choosing our loved themes between great share
Hey Shameem,
Whenever you visit any blog then it’s the catching point that you will look at the design of the blog. having a theme which can give a better look is always recommended. You need to choose the best theme for your blog.
It’s doesn’t matter whether you choose premium themes or free themes. If you are able to encode the theme you use then you can use any free theme.
Thanks for your visit.
Hope to see you again.:)
~Ravi
Besides all these valid point, i think you just forgot to mention the typography , SEO factor and page loading time. A very good theme if not coded well can ruin your all hard work with in a minue. Am i right Ravi? Keep in touch
Hi Rakesh,
Yeah off course these are also the main factor you need to check while choosing any WordPress theme.
But Rakesh except Thesis, Genesis and few other themes most of themes don’t have inbuilt SEO so it’s not a major concern to think about.
Thanks for your input.
Enjoy your visit.:)
~Ravi
Hi Ravi.
Choosing the right theme is very complex for me as there are so many themes. Also, I have so many websites, it gets very hard for me to decide which is the right theme to use.
But your post has made it all that easier.
Thanks for sharing.
Regards.
Marcel
Hi Marcel,
There are certain points you need to keep in your mind while choosing theme for your website.
If you have knowledge about languages then you can modify any theme according to you. But responsiveness and many other features are important.
Thanks for taking time to read this post.
Have a wonderful day.:)
~Ravi
Hi Ravi.
With so many themes available, honestly, I find it real tough to choose the right one.
But the tips you have listed for picking the right theme are just way too awesome…thanks for sharing.
Regards
Marcel
Hey Marcel,
There are many themes to use and for sure you are going to get confused. But you know there are some things you should keep in your mind while choosing any theme for your blog.
It should be responsive. Easy to encode and much more.
Thanks for your input.
Have a wonderful day.:)
~Ravi