How to Pick the Perfect WordPress Theme

If you are running a business, a website is essential. It is often the first thing potential customers will see, so you want to make sure it makes a good impression. 

Part of making a good impression has a well-designed website. One way to get a well-designed website is to use WordPress and choose a theme that fits your business. 

Here are some tips for picking the perfect WordPress theme for your business.

What is a WordPress theme?

A WordPress theme is a collection of files that work together to create the design and functionality of a WordPress website. A theme includes template files, stylesheets, images, and JavaScript files. 

FYI, There are two types of WordPress themes: free and premium. Free themes are available through the WordPress.org theme repository, while premium themes are available for purchase from third-party websites. 

Though we will talk more about each in the course of this guide.

7 Benefits of Having the Right WordPress Theme

a) Better SEO.

A good WordPress theme will help your site rank better in search engines because it is coded well and follows SEO best practices.

b) More Traffic

A good WordPress theme can also help increase your website’s traffic, making it more visually appealing and easier to navigate.

c) Improved User Experience

A well-designed WordPress theme will improve the overall user experience of your site, making it more enjoyable for visitors to use.

d) More Professional Appearance   

A professional-looking WordPress theme will give your site a more polished and sophisticated appearance. This can help you attract customers or clients while running a business online.

e) Increased Flexibility   

A good WordPress theme is usually very flexible and customizable, allowing you to change things like colors, fonts, layouts, etc., without editing code directly. 

This can save you a lot of time in the long run.

f) Better Support     

Most premium themes come with some form of customer support from the developer, which can be extremely helpful if you ever encounter any problems while using the theme on your site.

g) Access to Premium Plugins and Features    

Many premium WordPress themes come with access to additional plugins and features that are not available in the free versions. This can add even more functionality to your site without paying for separate plugins or services.

h) Higher conversion rates

If your WordPress site has a good theme, it will have higher conversion rates. A well-designed and user-friendly website always attract more visitors, eventually leading to better sales and conversions.

So, the question is, how do you pick the perfect WP theme?

How to Pick the Perfect WordPress Theme

a). Define your purpose

Before choosing the perfect WordPress theme for your business, you must first understand what you want to achieve with your website. 

• Are you looking to sell products or services online? 
• Are you looking to build a community around a common interest? 
• Do you want to share information and educate others? 

Once you have a clear understanding of what your purpose is, then you can begin narrowing down which WordPress theme will help you achieve that goal. 

b). Does the theme support eCommerce? 

If you plan on selling products or services directly from your website, you’ll need to ensure that your chosen theme includes eCommerce functionality. 

There are several ways to add eCommerce functionality to a WordPress website. The most popular option is the WooCommerce plugin, which is free and easy to set up. 

Alternatively, some premium themes include their own built-in eCommerce features. 

If you’re unsure whether a particular theme supports eCommerce, you can always contact the theme developer directly and ask. 

You can also look at the theme’s demo site to see if any shop pages are included. 

c). Does the theme have built-in social media integration? 

No matter what business you’re in, social media is likely a big part of your marketing strategy.  

So, when choosing a WordPress theme, it’s important to ensure that the theme has built-in social media integration.

Most themes will have some form of social media integration, but it’s important to ensure that the theme has the specific features you need for your business. 

For example, if you need to be able to share blog posts directly to Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, you’ll want to ensure that the theme has social sharing buttons.

In short, if social media is a big part of your business, you may also want to look for a theme with social media widgets. These widgets will allow you to display your latest tweets or Facebook posts on your website. 

d). Is the theme responsive (meaning it will look good on all devices)? 

You want to ensure that your site will look good on all devices, from smartphones to laptops. 

A responsive theme has been designed to adapt to different screen sizes. This means that your content will be easy to read and navigate, no matter what device your visitors use. 

There are a few different ways to test whether a theme is responsive. One is to simply resize your browser window and see how the content adjusts. 

Another is to use a tool like Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test. Simply enter your URL, and Google will tell you whether your site is mobile-friendly. 

In fact, the theme should be mobile-friendly by default. 

According to studies, most users will now access your site using mobile devices, which is why you can’t simply ignore this.

Your site should be optimized for viewing on a smartphone or tablet.  If you are unsure if your theme is responsive, it is best to get a new one. 

e). Does the theme offer a portfolio feature? 

If you plan on showcasing your work or products on your website, it’s important to choose a WordPress theme that offers a portfolio feature. This will allow you to create an online gallery to display your items easily. 

There are a few things to consider when choosing a WordPress theme with a portfolio feature. 

• Think about the design and layout of the gallery. Go with a theme that offers a clean and professional-looking gallery. 
• Consider the ease of use. Choose a theme that is easy to set up and use so you can focus on creating beautiful content for your site. 

As a freelance designer, I’ve used several WordPress themes with a portfolio feature on my site. My favorite is the Sydney theme. It’s a free WordPress theme that offers a clean and professional-looking gallery to display your work. 

f). Is the theme secure? 

The other crucial thing you should consider when choosing a WordPress theme is its security. 

Luckily, there are a couple of ways to do this.

First, check to see if the theme has been updated recently. If it hasn’t been updated in a while, there is a chance that it might not be compatible with the newest version of WordPress. 

Additionally, you should read through the theme reviews to see if anyone has reported any security issues. 

You can contact the theme developer directly to ask about security concerns.

An insecure theme is a threat to your website. And if you are not careful, you will lose your site to hackers. 

Still on security, if you cannot afford a premium theme, do not go with cracked or pirated themes. 

They are often bundled with malicious code that can cause your site to get hacked. 

If you want something free, try looking at the official WordPress theme directory. There are free themes there that are completely safe to use. 

g). Is the theme easy to use and customize? 

When it comes to finding the perfect WordPress theme for your business, ease of use and customization should be at the top of your list of priorities. 

A theme that is easy to use and customize will save you a lot of time and headaches in the long run.

You should keep a few things in mind when assessing a theme’s ease of use and customization. 

• Look at the documentation and see if it is clear and concise. 
• See if any video tutorials or other resources can help you get up to speed quickly. 
• Try out the theme on a test site before committing to using it on your live site.

While the theme will mostly cover everything, you still need to make it your own. This will require you to add your own widgets, formatting, and plugins. That is why a customizable theme is so important. 

h). Compatible with the plugins you need

There are thousands of plugins available for WordPress, many of which are essential for businesses. 

The last thing you want is a perfect theme that does not work with essential plugins.

You can check whether a theme is compatible with the plugins you need by reading the theme’s documentation or contacting the developer. It’s also a good idea to check whether the plugin developers have specific recommendations for themes.

Once you’ve found a few themes that are compatible with the plugins you need, take some time to try them out. Install each on a test site and see how easy it is to use. Pay attention to things like the design, layout, and user experience.

i). Should have an active and helpful customer support team

You will encounter challenges at some point in installing or even using your chosen theme. 

You will be required to seek the help of your theme provider to resolve those challenges. 

It is important that you get an active and helpful customer support team that can help you with any installation problems or questions, as well as any problems arising when using the theme for your online store. 

Before settling on a theme, take some minutes to contact their customer support team and ask them a few questions. 

If they provide you with answers quickly and clearly, then chances are that they will also provide you with good service in the future.

j). Optimized for search engines

SEO is big! Most WordPress site owners rely on it to get traffic and generate sales. 

But, most of them don’t know what exactly it is. “SEO” stands for Search Engine Optimization. Think of SEO as a way to tell search engines (Google, Bing, Yahoo etc. ) what your website is about, so that they can show it to the people who might be interested in it. 

The process of SEO is somehow complex as it is, which is why you need a theme that is optimized for search engines as well. This way you will be able to get the most out of your website, and make the most money.

Be sure to look for these SEO-inbuilt features when choosing your WordPress theme:

• Permalinks (i.e. pretty URLs that are easy to read and understand)
• Proper title tags, meta descriptions, and other metadata
• Fast loading speed (your website should load in less than 3 seconds)
• Responsive design (so that your website can be viewed on all devices)
• Clean code (written in HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript)

k). Supports multiple languages

When looking for a WordPress theme for your business, it is important to consider one that supports multiple languages. This will allow you to reach a wider audience and cater to customers from all over the world.

There are a few different ways to go about this. You can choose a theme with built-in language support or install a plugin to add language support to any theme.

The WordPress repository has a few great plugins that add language support to any theme. We recommend using the WPML plugin, which is available for free. 

This plugin will allow you to easily translate your site into multiple languages and manage all of your translations from one place.

If you want an even easier solution, you can choose a WordPress theme that already supports multiple languages out of the box such as BeTheme or The7 Theme.

Take your time

You should never rush into picking a WordPress theme for your business. It’s important to take your time and find one that is the perfect fit. 

There are thousands of themes out there, so it can be tough to narrow down your options. Here are a few tips to help you choose the perfect theme for your business: 

• Think about what kind of message you want your website to send. What kind of image do you want to project? Your theme should reflect this. 
• Consider your target audience. What kind of people are you trying to reach? Your theme should be appealing to them. 
• Take into account the functionality you need. What kind of features do you need on your website? Make sure the theme you choose has everything you need. 

Once you’ve chosen your theme, you can start customizing it to fit your business. Most themes include options for changing the colors and fonts that appear on your website. 

You can even add new pages or change the order of the pages that appear on your website.

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