WordPress is an exciting platform for business owners and bloggers alike. However, WordPress can be overwhelming with the wide variety of themes available. If you’re having trouble deciding on the best theme for your site, read the tips below to help get you on the right track.
Plugin Compatibility
If you go to the official WordPress website, you can have a free site complete with WordPress installed. This is a fine option for hobbyists, but if you’re serious about building a reputable blog or business, then you need to purchase a domain and a hosting package. Doing this will allow you access to all the plugins you may need without limitations. Also, you’ll have complete control over your site.
The Right Theme For Your Niche
Not all WordPress themes are created equal, and many themes developed are suited to a particular industry. Some of the top WordPress themes are best used in graphic design or the home business niche. If you’re an aspiring chef or an architect, these themes won’t work for you. Do your research to find the best theme for your brand.
Security Features
When choosing a theme, try to get one with great security features. If you’re planning on having many visitors come to your site, chances are you’re going to get a lot of spam comments, or worse, someone trying to hack in and cause problems. If an otherwise great theme is lacking these features, make sure you have a solid security plugin installed that can carry the weight.
Support
You may be surprised to learn that many of the top WordPress themes have non-existent developers. This can be a problem if your site goes down due to improper coding or otherwise. When you have poor support, you may be left stranded with the only option being is to start from scratch.
Ratings
This may be common sense for some, but install a theme with high ratings. High ratings denote great functionality, support, and ease of use. If a theme doesn’t have ratings or reviews readily available, a reputable theme will have reviews readily available after a quick Google search.
Multilingual
Having a blog that caters to one language is fine, but if you want to reach a wider audience, you need to utilize a theme that supports several different languages. Users from non-English speaking countries will appreciate the fact that they can enjoy your site without needing to translate the text themselves.
Mobile Functionality
Although many themes support the use of mobile devices, there are just as many that are lacking. It’s crucial to have a mobile compatible theme as you’ll isolate much of your audience if you don’t. If you are not sure that your theme is compatible with mobile devices, talk to the theme developers or resize your browser to make sure the site resizes properly. If your site is free of glitches and looks decent after resizing, then it will look good on a phone or tablet.
Simple To Use
Too many themes are not user friendly. These themes were built for designers who love to tweak the code to their liking. Most who have a WordPress blog don’t need these features. Choose a theme that’s intuitive, not easily broken, and is easy for yourself and others to use.
Browser Compatibility
Even if you’re convinced that one browser is above them all, it’s still a wise idea to
get a WordPress theme that’s compatible with multiple browsers. You never know when you might have to use an alternate browser.
SEO Optimized
Most who use WordPress want to be able to rank high on Google and Bing to capitalize on all the traffic. More traffic means more visitors and more money if that’s what you’re after. Making use of WordPress themes that are easy to optimize for search engines will save you time and frustration in the long run.
Page Builders
This feature isn’t a necessity, but it helps tremendously when fleshing out your site. Themes with a page builder often come with a plethora of templates to help you build landing pages, sales pages, portfolios, and other useful areas.
As you can see above, having the correct WordPress theme when you create your website can make a huge difference in the way your site performs. Operating a website is much like running a business, and you need it to operate smoothly with as little resistance as possible. When you choose a great theme, your readers will appreciate the work that you’ve put into your site, and they’ll be likely to return.