The WordPress theme is an essential element when designing a site because it defines the design of the site and its appearance.
Thus, the creation of a WordPress site systematically requires the use of a theme. But how do you choose the theme that best suits your needs? What are the criteria to take into account? Find all our tips for choosing the right WordPress theme for your site!
What is a WordPress theme?
The role of a WordPress theme is to customize the overall appearance of a website. Therefore, the appearance of the site can be modified thanks to the theme, which allows you to benefit from a more or less tailor-made design. The theme can be installed in the same way as an extension.
It is quite possible to install it yourself or call on a WordPress support service for its installation. After the installation of the theme, it can be configured to select the best features among those offered. However, the theme chosen for a site does not change its content in any way.
The number of pages, blog articles, e-shop products, so many elements cannot change, but their presentation can be modified according to the chosen theme.
How to choose your WordPress theme?
Each WordPress site has a predefined theme, and different criteria can be taken into account to choose it well. Let’s see these different criteria to make the right choice:
The appearance of the theme
The WordPress theme has, above all, an aesthetic objective. Its appearance is, therefore, one of the most important criteria to take into account.
Indeed, a well thought out and attractive design can make all the difference for a site. Thus, it is necessary to choose a theme that can be personalized to agree with the graphic charter and the logo of your site.
Functionalities
A WordPress theme can also have many features that will allow you to customize it according to your needs. So, when you browse the WordPress catalog, pay attention to the many features offered to know if this theme will give you the desired result.
The most common features allow, for example, the addition of a slider, a form, icons, or even widgets. Indeed, these are all the features associated with the theme you choose that will allow you to create your preferred WordPress site.
Responsive design
For each website, it is now essential to have a responsive design. A responsive design means that the chosen theme will have an adapted display depending on the screen size or the type of device viewing the WordPress site in question.
Thus, the choice of a responsive WordPress theme ensures that the site will be displayed on a computer screen as on a smartphone screen, or even a tablet.
Ratings and reviews
Ratings and reviews also allow you to form an opinion on each WordPress theme offered in a catalog. Some themes are downloaded more than others, and some theme creators are also more popular than others. Many criteria are noted and commented on, such as the theme’s design or its different features.
The notes will allow you to make a first sorting in the choice of your WordPress theme. Comments will also be a good way to determine if any mistakes have been made in the development of the theme. See in the comments if it appears that some features are missing.
Relying on ratings and reviews can thus save valuable time. This will prevent you from downloading a WordPress theme that does not fully meet your expectations.
Customer support for installation, configuration and technical questions
Finally, the WordPress support set up for each theme is also important. Thus, if you encounter difficulties installing the theme and configure it, or if you have any technical questions, it is then possible to contact WordPress support for the theme in question. The creator of the theme can then intervene and respond to the various requests.
It is essential to have a dedicated team that responds as quickly as possible to satisfy its customers. We are in a world where people ask many questions and the scenarios can differ considerably.
The theme must be SEO Friendly
A theme must be adapted for optimum natural referencing and meet several technical criteria, particularly those mentioned above. The content of a website is not everything, and many criteria must be considered, such as the technical aspect and the cleanliness of the code used for the WordPress theme.
It is from there that well-optimized content will strengthen your positions on search engines like Google.
Premium or non-premium WordPress theme?
Some platforms promote premium WordPress themes. This means that they have passed verification tests on the one hand and because there are designers who are experts or elite profiles. They total many sales on their theme (s) and regularly update their work.
A significant guarantee insofar as certain themes do not meet the expected success. This results in the abandonment of the theme and, therefore, its updates.
A site that offers one or more themes with good customer feedback and its own sales platform can be considered a sure value. The premium designation is not universal and simply meets strict criteria regarding the coding of the theme. Its code must be clean as they say in the middle. If an indicator tells you several hundred or thousands of sales over a short or reasonable period, there is no reason to neglect the theme.
How to find a WordPress theme?
To find a WordPress theme, you can go to the official catalog offered by WordPress. But there are many other catalogs that offer to download themes for a WordPress site.
Once the theme has been downloaded, all you have to do is log into WordPress. Click on “Themes,” “Add,” then “Upload a theme.” You must then choose the downloaded file in “.zip” format, then click on “Install.” The theme can then be activated afterward.
However, if in doubt about the right way to install and configure a theme, you should call a WordPress professional.
Note: If you have a child theme, install it after your main theme (parent) and activate it. You should activate the child theme to avoid reworking your personal settings on the next updates.
Watch the video below for a list of the best WordPress themes for 2021:
