What to consider while selecting WordPress themes for websites
Since the WordPress library is filled with various free and paid themes, there is a likelihood that you get overwhelmed while selecting themes for websites of yours. Although the WordPress themes store allows you to preview a theme before installing it, you will not get a clear picture until you install and use it yourself.
WordPress is an open-source platform – that means anyone can develop a theme and put it on the WordPress themes store. There are thousands of themes available on WordPress that has been designed by individuals or organizations – but it does not mean that all of them passed the quality control test.
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Remember, for your visitors, your theme is your website – they look at it, interact with you through it, and make an impression based on that experience. Your selected theme must deliver because your entire brand identity builds on it.
So It is the user's responsibility to consider a few things that will help select the right WordPress theme. And, those critical factors are discussed throughout this article. If your shortlisted theme satisfies the below-mentioned guidelines, you can consider it for us.
Tips For Choosing Themes For Websites
You can use these tips even to judge your Wix and Weebly themes. So let's explore them one by one.
Price
If you are looking after free themes for website of yours because of budget constraints, make sure that you do not compromise on quality. If that free theme can fulfill your needs, use it – else, if you do not have any price constraints, go for the premium theme as they have more features and are easily customizable. Beware of free themes with fewer downloads – they might be having malware or not well coded.
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Look & Feel
Your theme should be visually appealing and easy to navigate. You must plan how you want your website to be seen. Different types of websites give a different look and feel. For instance, a Food blog, eCommerce, Engineering services all require different themes to convey their brand message. For instance, if you intend to set up an online store with WooCommerce, WordPress storefront themes are the industry's best ones.
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If you do not have any idea, check out the websites of those already working within your field. If they are using WordPress, you will be able to know which theme they are using. Perform an audit based on your requirements, and if you think that this could work for your business, you can shortlist that theme.
Note: Themeforest templates are not free as one has to pay for them, but you can download a ThemeForest free template for your website every month if they are available.
Customization
You would not find a theme that's default layout would match your exact requirements – that is why almost every theme is customizable. But the question is up to what extent?
While too few customization choices limit creativity and the ability to optimize user experience, too many could slow your site.
If you could, you must test a customizer demo and check if that theme can be customized as per your tailored needs.
Responsiveness
Since more than half of the website traffic comes from mobile and other handheld devices, it is imperative to choose a mobile responsive theme. It is crucial to have a responsive website; otherwise, you would lose a lot of traffic.
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The responsive theme can change the page layout after detecting the browser window's size.
You can check the demo of your shortlisted theme on a mobile device before installing it to ensure if it is a responsive theme. Also, you can shrink your browser window to get an idea of how the layout is changing.
Plugins Compatibility
Ensure the theme you select would support all of the essential plugins necessary to run an eCommerce store, blog, and more. You can check out the details within their descriptions.
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SEO Friendly
Your theme helps you create pages for your websites, and if that theme is poorly coded, it would tell bots that your site is not of good quality – this will affect your SEO ranking.
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Ensure that the theme you use is SEO friendly because a better SEO would lead to better traffic and more business. Also, make sure that your theme works well on all of the web browsers.
Performance-oriented
The more features-loaded theme you select, the more your site loading speed will affect. Do not choose the theme that looks fancy because of too many features – you might not be using all those features in the future. Google likes those websites that load faster, and adding too many features to your website will slow down your website.
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Updates
It is essential to select that theme that stays updated. Because updates make sure that new versions do not have any bugs that can severely affect a site, if the shortlisted theme is updated consistently, you can consider that for your website.
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Apart from all of the factors mentioned above, make sure that your premium theme comes with customer support. Before you select a particular, do not forget to read customer reviews – you may look for the theme having a higher number of active installations.
Source: Pixabay
Source: Pixabay
Design Website Prototype Before Choosing Website Themes
It is recommended that first, you design a website prototype based on your needs and requirements, and when you finalize it, you can look out for various themes for websites of yours.
To make a prototype, you can use Wondershare Mockitt.
Mockitt is a design prototyping tool that allows its users to create a website prototype based on their requirements.
Irrespective of your website type, you can use Mockitt to get a better design prototype.
Mockitt allows you to select its template that is ready to be customized, or you can create an entirely new project from scratch.
You can use various widgets and icons to be placed anywhere on the working screen by drag and drop feature.
Design as many screens as you want and then create internal links to give them the look and feel of an original website.
Mockitt allows you to share your design with your stakeholders for their feedback and approval when you complete it.
So keep using Mockitt until you create that design that can fulfill your requirements. And when you finalize the prototype, based on that design, you can select your theme.
Ensure that your shortlisted theme should allow you to create a similar website of which prototype you have made using Mockitt.
Conclusion
Choosing an appropriate theme can be a tedious task. However, if you shortlist your options using the above parameters, not only will you enjoy working backend, but also you would be able to facilitate your visitors with a better user experience.
