18 Pro Tips for Choosing the Perfect WordPress Theme

For individuals searching for a strong and capable CMS in 2023, there is no shortage of website builders. However, in terms of customization, WordPress.org, an open-source content management system developed in 2003, still reigns supreme.

This has a straightforward explanation: community.

No other platform can compare to the extent to which WordPress has been able to connect with the global community of web designers and developers.

Tens of thousands of themes, plugins, and other assets have been added to the platform by this community over the past 20 years, offering it new possibilities for personalizing the appearance, feel, and usefulness of your website or blog.

The ability to customize WordPress is crucial, and themes are a major component of this. So let’s look at some of the best advice and methods to assist you in selecting the ideal WordPress theme.

How to Install a WordPress Theme

Installing a theme is actually fairly easy after your WordPress website is up and running, complete with its own domain and hosting.

Just go to the Theme > Appearance tab in your WordPress dashboard. Choose the Add New option located at the top of the page after arriving.

WordPress will then let you download the WordPress theme of your choice or upload the.zip file you downloaded after buying your theme. Once the theme is installed, all you need to do is select it under the Themes page and click the Activate button to get your new theme going.

#1 What Is Your Website’s Purpose?

“Never lose sight of who you are. Not everyone else in the world will. You can never be harmed by it, so wear it like armor.

It’s obvious that Tyrion Lannister was right about this. Although he wasn’t speaking particularly about WordPress websites, it’s obvious that getting in line with the intention and rationale behind your website can be just as crucial.

Before you go, just ask yourself these two crucial questions:

Why is my website even here? (For instance: A personal blog, an online store, bragging rights, a tiny company, or a nonprofit that promotes education.)
Who is the target audience for me? (For instance, accountants, aficionados of retro toys, or kombucha drinkers.)

#2 Prioritize Performance and Speed

A sluggish website is the one thing that people detest the most. Although there are many variables that can impact your site’s speed, the theme you choose will have a big impact. All things considered, some themes are faster than others since they are more optimized.

It can be challenging to determine a theme’s level of optimization without giving it a try, but you can quickly get an idea by reading through evaluations that have already been posted and using WebPageTest or GTmetrix to perform a speed test on the theme’s demo page.

#3 Look through Competitor Websites

In many industries, you’ll find that websites tend to share very similar styles. You’ll need to decide whether to offer them what they want or try something different if your audience has certain expectations about aesthetics.

If you’re at a loss for ideas, look over some award-winning websites tailored to your sector and area at Awwwards and Lapa.Ninja.

But perusing these webpages is insufficient. Analyze their design approach and search for recurring themes in their visual language. For instance, the following are some things to watch out for:

schemes of colors
selection of typography
Visual arts
Graphical order
significant functionality

#4 Check for SEO Friendliness

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is key to your website performing well in search results. The quality and consistency of your content and the optimization of your metadata effect your page ranking.

Why is rank important? More people will visit your website if it appears higher on the search engine results page.

You guessed it: in terms of SEO, your theme matters. SEO benefits greatly from WordPress websites that load quickly, are responsive (see above), and have well-written code.

#5 Ascertain Ease of Use

You can update and maintain your website’s content more effectively if the backend is user-friendly. You can concentrate on other areas of your project or business while saving time by doing this.

While you may want to get that fancy-looking multipurpose WordPress theme with a live customizer built in, it’s far preferable to search for something simple and functional if you are new to WordPress. Smarty, keep things simple! Make sure the theme you choose complements your WordPress proficiency and level of comfort.

#6 Confirm Relevant Plugin Support

Plugin compatibility issues can manifest in many ways. These issues ought to be rare if you are particular about the theme and plugins you use. That being said, it’s worth making sure your main theme choices are compatible with any specific plugins you have in mind to power crucial functionality on your website.

For example, WooCommerce is the number one plugin for implementing ecommerce functionality. As such, WooCommerce theme integration is a key consideration if you want to start an online store.

A few additional popular WordPress plugins and features that you might wish to investigate include:

MemberPress Elementor
FriendPress LifterLMS

#7 Look for Customization Options

The first thing you’ll typically notice about a theme is whether or not it matches your vision for your website. Generally speaking, you’ll need to make some adjustments to any theme you choose to get it looking exactly right. Let’s say you’ve done your research and found a theme that’s 90% perfect. For example, you like the page layout, the functionality of the menus, and the overall theme design, but the fonts aren’t exactly what you had in mind. Don’t worry, though; it might still be a good choice for your website because WordPress sites are incredibly customizable, especially when you use plugins. To get started, check out our guide on customizing a WordPress theme.

#8 Analyze Reviews and Ratings

Reviews and ratings for a theme provide a useful preview of what to expect. You’d be surprised at how many user reviews there are for well-known themes.

Every theme in the WordPress.org Theme Directory has user ratings and is rated from one to five stars. Look for themes that speak to your site’s purpose and aesthetic ideal, then read the reviews to see what people are saying.

#9 Confirm Regular Developer Support

If you run into any issues with your theme, it’s always nice to know that you can turn to its developers for advice on how to solve it. Ideally, your theme’s developers should provide you with multiple support channels, actively trying to help their user base.

But support isn’t limited to customer service. WordPress is a platform that undergoes regular updates, some of which massively change the functionality of the core platform. Themes need to be updated on a regular basis to keep up with these changes (things like the new page builder and block editor!)

#10 Check for Multilingual Functionality

There are a lot of tools you can use to translate your WordPress pages and create a multilingual website. However, for this to function, you’ll want to utilize a theme that’s translation ready. Try and look for compatibility with the following plugins to get started:

TranslatePress
Polylang
WPML
Weglot
MultilingualPress
Given that English is used by only 26% of global internet users, multilingual support is a feature that’s worth investing in.

#11 Prioritize Accessible Design Practices

WordPress websites that prioritize accessibility are a win-win for everyone involved. Search for themes designed with consideration for aspects such as color contrast, typography selection, and visual hierarchy, with the goal of delivering a user-friendly experience to individuals with disabilities.

A lot of these aspects can be modified while customizing your theme, but it still helps to have a strong starting point. Also remember to test your chosen theme for compatibility with screen readers and keyboard navigation, since integrating these features into a theme that doesn’t already support it can require a lot of effort.

#12 Search for Ecommerce Support

WooCommerce is the most feature-complete WP plugin for ecommerce websites. Looking for themes that specifically support WooCommerce is a good way to ensure ecommerce compatibility for your website.

You should be looking for dedicated inner pages and templates to seamlessly showcase your products. Even if your theme doesn’t mention WooCommerce specifically, check to ensure that the theme’s demo website contains ample examples of ecommerce content like a shopping cart and checkout page.

#13 Check Pre-Built Template Variety

Pre-built templates and block patterns provide ready-to-use designs for various page layouts, such as the home page, landing pages, blog pages, or contact pages. This can save you significant time and effort when setting up your website, as you won’t need to create these layout options from scratch. When evaluating a new theme for your website, look for the number of pre-built templates and block patterns available within the demo content. Then, prioritize themes with a good collection of templates that match both the layout and the aesthetic you’re looking for

#14 Stick to Reputable Sources

Reputable theme developers also put in more time and effort into producing high-quality themes that follow design and coding best practices. Here are some examples of reliable websites where you can buy and download WordPress themes: WordPress Theme Directory: The WordPress.org repository offers a wide selection of free WordPress themes that follow strict quality and security guidelines. StudioPress: Known for their drag-and-drop Genesis Framework, StudioPress offers a range of SEO-friendly themes with professional designs and great customizability. Elegant Themes: The makers of the well-known Divi theme,

#15 Evaluate Affordability and Pricing

Selecting between a premium and free WordPress theme is one of the most important choices you will have to make.

To make up for their higher price points, premium themes typically have a ton more features. But, WordPress.org really does offer a plethora of great themes in its directory. WordPress volunteers do an excellent job of vetting these themes, which are submitted by third-party developers, to make sure that the code is up to, well, code.

To get started, do a search to find free themes that match your site’s criteria and then check out their demos to get a sense of how the theme would look with your content.

However, if you do decide to spend money on a theme, marketplaces such as StudioPress and Elegant Themes provide great choices. Just be sure to read through the developer’s refund policy and know what degree of support you can expect before you go and make your purchasing decision. On that note…

#16 Double-Check the Refund Policy

The same is true for theme builders; many of them offer a free trial or have a return policy in place for handling dissatisfied customers. Just be on the lookout for this when reading through their features and terms.

If you’re going to invest in a premium theme, it’s important to check the refund policy of purchase to ensure that you have sufficient time to decide on its quality. Many themes offer a 30-day no questions asked refund policy — so that you have plenty of time to test things and con

#17 Take a Mobile-First Approach

Most bloggers and website owners consider responsive design to be essential, but the mobile-first strategy goes one step further. If your WordPress theme is initially created with mobile devices in mind, your design team will be able to focus more of their efforts on the devices that have the most difficult design requirements and a wide range of screen and hardware options.

While not all industries necessitate a mobile-first approach, it’s still a great feature to be on the lookout for to ensure that mobile users have the best user experience possible when accessing your site.

#18 Ensure Modern Browser Compatibility

Because there are dozens of browsers available, and because not all of them render content and images in the same way, good developers make sure their themes work well across the majority of browsers, even though the majority of people use the same popular browsers, like Chrome, Firefox, and Safari.

Why Is it So Important to Choose the Best WordPress Theme?

If you have any friends who use WordPress (the numbers say you probably do), ask them how long they’ve been using their current theme. In most cases, the answer will number in years.

Changing your WordPress theme can be tricky, as it will radically alter the appearance and even the functionality of your site. That’s why it’s better to make a great choice the first time around and stick with it as long as possible.

One of the main components that make WordPress such a fantastic platform is its themes. You have literally thousands of themes that you can choose from. Neve, OceanWP, and Astra are some great examples to look into, if you don’t know where to start.

This is not a choice that should be made hastily. Your choice of WordPress theme will effect your website’s SEO, visitor experience, conversion rates, and much more.

Are you ready to start using your new theme? You’ll first need to pick a WordPress hosting service that plays well with the platform’s unique requirements. Fortunately, we have plenty of plans for WordPress users to choose from!