The Various Dos and Don’ts of Picking a WordPress Theme

6th March 2023

Wordpress themes

There are more than ten thousand WordPress themes available right now. They are so numerous that sorting through them all would take days. Thus, how can you limit it down to select the best one for your website?

Obviously, you want to pick a theme that will help your content stand out while also being mobile-friendly and quick to load. Yet, it can be difficult to choose the finest theme from the pool because there are so many to choose from.

Before you spend money on a theme or spend hours tailoring one, familiarise yourself with these dos and don’ts for choosing the best WordPress theme.

The Dos

  • Think About What You Want in the Way of Features and Create a Prioritised List

Prior to settling on a theme, it’s crucial to prioritise the features you need and those you can do without.

You can narrow your search for free WordPress themes in the Themes Repository by selecting certain attributes, such as translation readiness and header flexibility, that are important to you. Having a plan for the final look in mind is crucial before making a final decision. For instance, you need to be aware of whether you want a single column or numerous columns on your site.

WordPress themes benefit from a minimalist approach. Starting from the ground up, you want to make sure that the theme you choose has only the elements that will help you achieve your site’s aim rather than extraneous ones that will just make your theme look cluttered.

  • Choose a Mobile-Friendly Template

What we mean by “responsive design” is making your site usable across a wide range of devices, not just desktop computers. For it to be viewed and navigated easily on mobile devices, with intuitive menus and widgets, make sure your site can adapt to devices that aren’t desktop computers by using features like a fluid site grid and flexible pictures. One type of mobile-friendly theme is one that automatically adjusts to the screen size of the device being used to see it.

Let’s say you found the perfect theme, but it doesn’t work as well on mobile devices as you’d want. You’ll need to make some adjustments to make it work for you. Here are several do-it-yourself strategies for making your WordPress theme more mobile-friendly.

The Don’ts

  • Don’t Go With a Cluttered Theme

The most important thing to remember is that a theme with too many unnecessary features is bad for your site. While having plenty of features is certainly appealing, it may have serious consequences for how quickly your site loads. Try not to give in to the temptation of adding every cool feature you can think of.

Adding flashy media players or games could be appealing, but they could also cause your site to load more slowly. In addition, introducing new features might heighten the possibility of security flaws, as these additions are typically developed to fulfil that feature’s intended purpose rather than to keep the site safe and secure.

  • Don’t Select a Theme with an Unreadable Font

Again, this relates to keeping people on your site by quickly grabbing their interest. It’s essential to make it simple for your visitors to explore your site and locate the information they seek. Ensure the fonts are clean, elegant, and easy to read. Holgada and other geometric sans fonts, along with character serifs like Temeraire, were among the most widely used typefaces online in 2021.

Changing your theme’s font shouldn’t be difficult if you’re comfortable with CSS. Nevertheless, some free themes may have fewer customisation options, so consider that when making your theme choices.

Conclusion

Overall, it is important to pick a WordPress theme that is responsive, easy to use, and customisable. There are many great themes available, so take your time to find one that fits your needs. Once you have selected a theme, be sure to implement it in accordance with your marketing strategies. With a little effort, you can create a beautiful and functional website that will help you grow your business.

If you are looking for a company that offers WordPress website maintenance packages, look no further than our services here at ThriveWP. We are UK-based experts in WordPress support, site care and management services. Call us today and let us deal with all the malware concerns of your WordPress page in no time!

Gavin Pedley

Gavin Pedley

Gavin is the guy behind the award-winning ThriveWP. He has over 18 years of experience creating, developing, hosting and managing WordPress websites.

Gavin regularly shares his expertise via the ThriveWP blog and Youtube channel, where he creates informative and helpful WordPress tutorial videos.

Connect with Gavin on FacebookLinkedin or Twitter.

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