WordPress Tutorial Videos - Tips on Choosing a WordPress Theme

Choose your layout

When you sit down to create your first WordPress website or blog, you have one really big decision to make right away, and that is choosing a theme. This is probably the first thing you will do after installing the software, and its main thing because your theme, or layout, is the first thing your readers will see. Your theme represents you and your goal is to make it as appealing as possible.

People will make an instant judgment on the quality and value of your website as soon as they land on your homepage. Your header image should relay the message and purpose of your website. Your navigation bar should be intuitive to the user, and the color scheme should be soft and warm so as not to scare people away.

All of this is made easy if you have chosen the best possible theme for "your" product or service. Let's learn a little more about themes, then take a look at some tips for choosing your best possible WordPress theme.

Look and feel

Keep in mind that themes are just the “look” and to some extent the “feel” of your website. Your theme is like the exterior of your house; what people see first. It can have a nice window covering, pretty colors, fancy decorative brickwork, and overall nice appeal. If people like what they see, they will come in or (click) and stay for a visit. This is what you want: to keep your visitors in the house. And it all starts with having the right theme.

So start with an attractive theme and combine it with suitable templates so that you can give your readers the best possible experience when they visit your website. People often interchange the terms themes and models; falsely associate them as one, but this is not the case.

Remember that themes are the outward appearance or (the skin) of your website, while templates are the behind-the-scenes file system that add certain functionality to your site. All themes come with a default template, but you can add or define additional templates to any theme; these are just files. An example of such a template (file) could be a single page template that does not display headers, footers, or sidebars. So start by choosing the right theme and then expand its look with different templates.

History of WordPress themes

WordPress is a free and open source content management system and for this reason it carries what is known as a GNU General Public License (GPL). This opened the door for web developers to build apps and themes for the software. In the early days of WordPress, developers attached sponsored links in their themes that would be passed on to end users who downloaded them.

The official WordPress themes directory would host these themes for download, but this practice was later discontinued because some viewed these themes as spam. You can still download themes from the official WordPress free themes directory, but only after the theme has been successfully verified by WordPress and approved for end users.

The default option

There are over fifteen hundred free themes available today in the official WordPress directory, so finding a theme shouldn't be that difficult. Deciding which theme to use, however, can sometimes be a daunting task. WordPress provides you with a fully functional theme right out of the box once you install the filesystem. And, depending on your installation method, you will be presented with the Twenty Ten or Twenty Eleven theme.

If you are using the Fantastico installation method via Hostgator you will have the Twenty Ten theme. Now you need to decide whether you want to keep it or switch to another.

Important tip:

Whether you decide to keep and use the default theme or download and use a different theme, never, never, delete your default theme installation. Your default theme contains important core files which are extremely important. If you make any changes to your base theme, those changes will be lost as soon as you "update" the theme. therefore, do not delete your original theme. Instead, make a copy of it or just create a child theme instead.

Search your theme

Before you go half-armed, loading up a bunch of themes, do your homework first. If you are new and this is your first time working with WordPress, I suggest you stick with the default theme until you learn how things work. The default theme is really all you need to get started.

But if you decide you want a different "look" then go for it, but spend some time refining your choices. If you want to mimic the look of another website, take note of the look and feel of “that” website. Does the user of the layout friendly? Is this a one or two column layout? Is the header animated or static? And the colors?

Once you've found something you like, go to the official theme directory and try to find it. Better yet, simply right click on the page and display the "source" page so that you can get the theme name. Obviously not all websites use WordPress, but if you visit "WordPress related" websites, you will be happy to find that almost all of them use a WordPress theme. You will also discover themes that you cannot find in the premium themes of the official theme directory.

Premium themes

Premium and paid themes are not officially sanctioned by WordPress, they are usually created and promoted by individuals and groups. Premium WordPress themes are promoted with the aim of providing you with the "perfect" theme all around. Those who promote them suggest that your website building efforts will be made easier if you use their theme. This is certainly not always the case.

Many paid themes are loaded with so many options that it will make your head spin. There is a learning curve with any theme - which is why it is imperative that you first "understand" how to use WordPress before you jump in and purchase a premium theme.

Yes, premium themes provide more flexibility and functionality as there are many popular options built into the theme. But then again, if you're new, you'll have your hands full from the start and adding another confusing element to the mix will only get you frustrated.

I have used premium themes and there are some good ones, but there are also some bad ones. A great paid theme will set you back around $ 80.00 and usually has a great tracking and support system. A bad one can usually be found for less than thirty dollars. Ultimately, avoid paid themes if you're a beginner and only venture out after you've gained some experience building your first five or ten WordPress websites.