Welcome to WordPress Wednesdays, a weekly series where we will be focusing on a specific aspect of WordPress that we think administrators should be aware of. Today we address website themes and why you should care about them for your installation of WordPress.
One of the first things that visitors to your website will see when they come to your website is the design. Look and feel for your website are important because it dictates the experience that visitors will have, and the sooner they can get to your content and consume the value you’re putting out there, the sooner your content will be shared with others.
With WordPress, conquering the challenge of look and feel is fairly easy with themes. You can install themes right from the administrative console and do a search through their database for ones that you may want for your website. If the theme you want does not exist, can code and upload your own as well. If neither of those two options work, you can go to many different websites around the Internet which crowd source themes you can purchase as well.
In today’s edition of WordPress Wednesday, we’ll cover themes and the common questions for why this small detail is a much bigger deal than it really is.
Detail #1: Paid Themes Versus Free Themes
The first important detail to look at for your WordPress theme is whether to go with something paid or something free. WordPress by default gives you their theme, but depending on your needs what they offer might be too little. Free themes as a whole can offer what you need but often times lack the full functionality that can get your website to stand out like you want it to.
Paid themes also have another distinct advantage in customer service. Often times with free themes if you find yourself stuck, finding answers to questions may involve a lot of time using the right terms and phrases on search engines, something that you may not necessarily have time for. When you pay for the theme you use, you’ll get answers to questions directly from the source faster and in greater detail.
Detail #2: The Bells and Whistles of Themes
One of the best things about WordPress themes is how they empower end users to create at the highest level. Many themes offer sliders, content widgets, and more which give a homegrown website the same look and feel as much larger counterparts. When choosing your theme it’s important to understand the purpose of your website and whether you need what the theme offers, since you might be spending more money than you need to.
Second, in line with the free versus paid debate, the bells and whistles you get with your theme will depend on if you are paying for your theme or not. The meat and potatoes of good themes are often locked in their free counterparts.
Detail #3: The Best Websites to Find Themes
Finally, the place where you get your themes matters a great deal. WordPress fans will suggest ThemeForest for your needs, since they have thousands upon thousands of solid themes uploaded by the professionals who make them. They even have a community you can check out where you can get all your theming questions answered.
That’s it on our side for WordPress Wednesday! What criteria do you look for when you theme your WordPress page, and where do you look for your themes? Share your resources in the comments below.
