5.Selecting the Perfect Theme for WordPress
Selecting The Perfect Theme for Your Blog determines the future of your site. Not only does a good theme makes a good first impression to your user, but it helps your SEO. Yes the structure of your design plays a major role in search engine optimization. In this article, we will share our expertise on picking a design that is right for your industry and your blog.
Pick a Theme that Relates to Your Industry
The most obvious point, but it is the most important one as well. You should pick a theme that relates to your niche, industry, and/or business. If you have a blog about politics, then don’t use a design what was made for a web hosting site. For most bloggers, the option is very simple as they choose a theme that is very generic and add a logo that matches. This might not be a bad option for someone with a low budget who is just starting out.
Strive for simplicity
There are many free themes in the market that has alot of complex features. It might look very good in the display, but it might not be the best for functionality. If you want a theme that has alot going on, get a custom one because that is the only way you can assure functionality. We suggest you don’t get into the fancy work instead go for simple designs because they are easier to modify and are compatible with most browsers.
Check for Browser Compatibility
Always make sure that your new theme is compatible with all browsers. It is good for those themes to be w3 valid and cross browser compatible because you know that you are not leaving any one behind. Some people might suggest that you should not worry about older browsers like IE 6 if it doesn’t work. And most tech designers are now ignoring Internet Explorer compatibility completely. You don’t need to support a theme or a designer when he/she did not put enough time to provide quality work for you. There is still a large audience that use Internet Explorer and other browsers, so make sure you look for browser compatibility.
Be Aware of the Terms of Service
When you are choosing a free or commercial theme make sure you are aware of the terms of service. If a free theme requires alot of backlinks then move on. There are thousands of free themes in the market. You can pick another one. Always follow the terms of service because we appreciate the work of all designers and we want them to keep producing good themes for us.
If you are looking for a free theme, we are working on to release some themes by wpbeginner, but there are some really good ones available in the WordPress Theme Directory. But you may also check out our footer for more resources because there are other themes that are available.
Our Recommendation
There are tons of free themes that you can download. But we recommend that you go for something that you will get guaranteed support for. Commercial themes are a one time fee, and you get life time support. Below are the commercial theme providers that we highly recommend:
ThemeLab – (WordPress themes by our team)
Themify – 20% off coupon “wpbeginner”
If you are looking to get a custom WordPress theme, then please use our Custom WordPress Theme service.
Installing a Theme
Installing a theme is very easy in WordPress. Just follow the steps we are showing you below:
1. Download the Theme
Considering the tips that we gave you above, download the theme files. Unzip the file and upload the theme in your following directory: /wp-content/themes/
2. Activate the Theme
Once you have uploaded the theme, all you have to do is activate the theme. You can do so by going to your wp-admin panel. Look at the sidebar on the left. Click on the tab Appearance > Themes. Find your theme there and click activate.
Once you have the theme activated you are good to go.
Start Your WordPress Blog Part : 5