15+ Tips to Choose the Best WordPress Theme for Your Website
WordPress themes are the most important asset for any website builder. These are customizable themes with stunning visuals and lovely features. (Yes, I call them lovely). These themes are the building blocks of all WordPress websites and are almost 50% of the total active websites on the internet.
So start your online business today. Go and book a fine-looking WP theme and launch your website today only. It’s simple, No? Actually, no. Seems so easy but it’s not.
The journey of setting up your online business starts with buying a hosting and then choosing a WP theme and then setting up the whole website. But buying a WP theme requires cross-checking several factors that you may not know. You may be the first WP timer or someone who has failed to choose a good WP theme once. (15 Tips to Consider Before Buying a Premium WordPress Theme)
In this article, I am going to share 15+ such points that will help you choose your best WP theme.
1. Find Your WP Needs:
The very first requirement to look for doesn’t start from the WP library but with pen & paper. This one research material is needed for you and is very important to deal with. Think about what your business is all about. What do you serve with? Whom do you serve? And most importantly what do they want from you and how can you help them?
All these questions lead you to a better understanding of what your website needs and what features should it include. A better aesthetic will add the magic like a cherry on top.
2. Aesthetics:
A WP theme’s most impressive power is its aesthetic looks. This feature only when used smartly, improves your organic traffic & bounce rate by 30-40%. The rest is on the functionality. Understand the WP themes as a balance between aesthetic & functionality. Good functionalities with visually appealing aesthetics wins everyone’s heart.
Once selected, you can’t change the theme too much later. If you want, you must go through hours of CSS coding. Even after doing that, you can’t change the whole look professionally. So better to cross-check the visual aesthetic of your theme twice before buying one.
3. Pricing & Licensing:
Your business needs investing in early stages so be ready with all your piggy banks to share their parts. But there is something more important than investing money in your business. It’s saving money wherever you can. After all, business has a simple rule- Cut the costs and increase the profit.
Whenever you’re investing in a WP theme, look for some of the questions first.
– Does this WP suit your business?
– Does the pricing complement your budget?
– Can this theme help you expand your business?
– Is this theme offering support & updates?
– What goodies are they offering to you?
– Are any discount packages available?
You can opt for a particular theme developer company and directly buy from their sites at RSTheme!
4. Easy Customization Options:
Well, we all know how dangerous it is to mess with a theme’s base codes. One slight mistake and you will fall into a never-ending pit of confusion. WordPress became a hit product because of its customization features. Make sure to cross-check the theme if it offers advanced customization options. Look for easy drag-and-drop options that cover formatting, designing, color palette, and image & block addition features.
5. Monetization and Ads Functionality:
WordPress allows people to earn through their blogs. This makes them a preferable choice for people who love to write their heart out. Starting with free themes is somehow okay but as your blog grows, you must move towards better themes featuring a dedicated place for Google Ads.
If you are running a blog website, a better choice would be going with a theme that is satisfying both- complimenting your business theme and allowing you ads for generating passive income.
Note- Business, service, and portfolio websites are not suitable for ad placement.
6. Check the Reviews:
Social proofs are the reality checks of any business product. Thus before making a purchase, go to the WordPress theme’s customer reviews and read all of them thoroughly. Find what most people are praising the theme for. Look for the weak points of the theme and if your business can compromise those drawbacks.
Note- Don’t focus on the full 5-star reviews as most of them are fake.
7. SEO Friendliness:
Look for a website theme that supports SEO conditions. This is to make your website powerful enough to rank on the first page or even on the first rank. To be noted, the first rank matters the most but here is the reality check- You need to come to the first five results only.
This is possible only when your WP theme has codes supporting the SEO. The WP theme developers mention it in their documentation and their descriptions.
8. Social Media Integration:
Another powerful tool for online business is social media. Look for a website theme that has prior social media integration features on the theme. This will help you share your content and also gain direct visitors from those platforms. This integration will result in more organic traffic, and more quality leads followed by improved sales.
9. Responsive WP Theme:
Mobile responsiveness is the one key to skyrocketing your business in its early phases. Around 60% of the total searches are done through a smartphone. This means a non-responsive website is likely to lose 60% of its clients instantly. Don’t do this blunder instead go to the description and crosscheck this feature.
10. Free or Premium WP Themes:
Are you new to WP? Or are you looking for a full-fledged working online platform? What you choose depends on your motive and budget. My suggestion will always be with the premium themes if you’re serious about the WP
theme and make it a passive income source. But if you’re new to it and only want to explore the CMS system, free WP themes are good to go.
Note- If you’re building your business online, go with the premium themes only.
11. Cross-Browser Compatibility:
It is always unsettling for clients to browse your website through a different browser because your website is not fit for what they use. This becomes a big issue for them, leading them to leave your offerings. Make sure that the theme you’re choosing is compatible with all browsers available.
12. Platform Compatibility:
Your theme of choice must be compatible with the latest WP version available. Being such a massive platform, WP keeps an eye on the security and for that gets updated every now & then. For note, WP 2.5 doesn’t go well with WP 4.0.
Want to use a multi-language website? Use WPML. Looking for WooCommerce? Go with a theme that is compatible with that.
13. New Trendy vs. Old Classy Theme:
Looking for a theme that matches the young blood inspirations or loves the old school song playlist? Luckily WP theme libraries have all kinds of themes that are equally good in visuals and functionality. This depends solely on you in what way you want to connect with your audience.
14. Widgets & WP Functions Support:
Check if your WP themes support widgets such as featured images, multiple post types, extra menus, sidebars, author boxes, sitemaps, and 404 Error pages. Unfortunately, several WP themes don’t support some of these widgets and later cause issues for the authors.
15. Theme Support and Documentation:
Top developers understand that you don’t know all the technical things needed. That’s why they offer their support when you buy a premium theme. Best WP theme sellers offer their free support to the consumers. Most developers now create documentation for their customer base in which they have discussed all the processes & technical necessities that you must know.
Conclusion:
Choosing a WP theme is not as easy as shopping for a product. You must understand the technical as well as artistic aspects of the theme to choose one best suited for your business. The features, widgets, and limitations they offer need to be checked.
In this article, we have covered 15 tips on how you can get a perfect WP theme for your business website. Look for all of them and choose the best WordPress theme.
