By Dave Carr @Review.Casa
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Table of Contents
What are WordPress themes?
WordPress themes are templates that determine the appearance (things like your site’s layout, colours, fonts, and overall design) and feel of your website. They come in various designs and can be customized to match your brand or personality.
You can choose from thousands of themes, both free and premium, from the WordPress ecosystem. Once you’ve found a theme you like, you can install it on your WordPress site and start customizing it to your liking.
You can find themes by searching the WordPress.org theme directory or by purchasing them from a third-party provider.
When choosing a WordPress theme, it’s important to consider things like your site’s purpose, target audience, and overall aesthetic.
There’s no wrong answer when it comes to picking a theme, but some themes may be better suited for certain types of sites than others. For example, a portfolio site would likely benefit from a theme with a grid-based layout and large images, whereas an eCommerce site might do better with a theme that’s more focused on product presentation.
Once you’ve found a theme you like, you can install it on your WordPress site.
If you want more control over your site’s design, you can always create a child theme, which is a theme that inherits the functionality and design of another theme.
How do WordPress themes work?
A WordPress theme is a collection of template files that determine the look and feel of a WordPress website. A theme includes all the necessary code files, as well as any images or other necessary resources.
When a user activates a WordPress theme, they are essentially telling WordPress to use that theme’s template files in place of the default template files. This means that all of the website’s content will be displayed using the theme’s template files.
A WordPress theme is made up of several different template files. The most important template file is the “index.php” file. This file is responsible for displaying the content of a WordPress website.
Other important template files include the “header.php” and “footer.php” files. These files are responsible for displaying the website’s header and footer, respectively.
In addition to the template files, a WordPress theme may also include a “style.css” file. This file contains the CSS code that determines the look and feel of the website.
Finally, a WordPress theme may also include a “functions.php” file. This file contains code that allows the theme to perform certain functions. For example, the “functions.php” file might be used to add custom menus or to display featured images on the website.
How to choose a WordPress theme?
When it comes to choosing a WordPress theme, there are a few things you need to take into consideration. The first thing you need to think about is the purpose of your website. Are you looking to create a personal blog or a professional website? This will help you narrow down your choices and make it easier to find the perfect theme for your needs.
Once you know the purpose of your website, you can start browsing through the various WordPress themes available. There are themes designed for specific niches, such as businesses, news websites, portfolios, and more.
It’s also a good idea to read the reviews of the theme to see what other users think of it. With a little bit of research, you should be able to find the perfect theme for your website.
Once you’ve found a theme you’re happy with, you can then install it on your WordPress site. Installing a theme is easy and only takes a minute. Once the theme is installed, you can start customizing it to match your own style and preferences.
The advantages of using WordPress themes
WordPress themes offer a number of advantages to users. Perhaps the most obvious benefit is that they can save you a lot of time and effort in terms of creating and developing a website.
Another big advantage is that WordPress themes are often far more flexible and customizable than traditional website builders. This means that you can really make your website look and feel exactly the way you want it to, without being limited by what the platform or template offers.
Finally, WordPress themes are typically much more affordable than hiring a web designer or developer to create a custom website for you. In many cases, you can find high-quality themes for less than $100. This makes them an excellent option for small businesses or individuals who are working on a tight budget.
The disadvantages of using WordPress themes
There are a number of disadvantages to using WordPress themes, including:
- Some themes can be difficult to customize: While WordPress themes can be easily installed and activated, they can be difficult to customize. This is because most themes are not designed to be easily customized, and require a fair amount of coding knowledge to change.
- Some themes can be buggy: Because WordPress themes are created by third-party developers, they can sometimes be buggy and cause problems with your website. If you’re not careful, you can end up with a theme that breaks your website or causes other problems.
- Some themes can be expensive: While there are many free WordPress themes available, the best themes can be quite expensive. If you’re not careful, you can end up spending a lot of money on a theme that you’re not happy with.
- Themes can be time-consuming: Creating a custom WordPress theme can be a very time-consuming process. If you’re not careful, you can end up spending a lot of time on a theme that you’re not happy with.
Sometimes WordPress can be a royal pain to work with and the new total site editing features are not making it any easier to make a half-decent site with yet!
So what can you do to help you make a decent site with WordPress?
Here are 9 easy to use WordPress themes you might want to try on your next website.
Divi
Divi is a lifesaver when it comes to visually designing websites.
It’s the most intuitive of the landing page building WordPress themes out there in my opinion.
It offers full site editing and unique integration with Woocommerce to enable you to build product pages visually too.
Thrive Theme Builder
Extra Theme
Extra Theme from Elegant themes is what this website is built with.
It’s a magazine theme with the power of the visual builder from the Divi theme. It’s very easy to set up and work with.
If you want a news or information website then Extra could be the theme for you.
Astra
Astra Theme is one of the most popular themes on the planet.
It’s built for speed coming in at under 50kb you are guaranteed a fast website by using Astra.
With over 180 pre-designed websites you are sure to find the perfect design to start your next project.
OceanWP
The OceanWP theme is one of the most popular WordPress themes.
It is fast, lightweight, and easy to use. It is perfect for any type of website, from small personal blogs to large corporate sites.
The theme is highly customizable and comes with a wide range of features.
OceanWP is also translation ready and supports RTL languages.
Kadence WP
Kadence WP is a rising star in the WordPress ecosystem. It’s fast and allows you to build the website you want.
It works with the Gutenberg editor and integrates with some of the most popular WordPress plugins.
It comes with pre-built websites, custom layouts, and a whole load of other features to help you build your perfect website.
Avada
Avada is the number 1 selling theme on the Envato marketplace by a mile having sold half a million more than any other theme.
Featuring 87 pre-built website templates, a visual builder, a form builder, a performance wizard and a content library you can launch your next project in no time.
Avada’s responsive design means it’s mobile-friendly.
Betheme
Betheme has sold over a quarter of a million copies on the Envato marketplace making it the third most popular theme of all time on Envato.
It features a visual builder, over 650 pre-built websites, a blocks builder, woo-commerce and Elementor compatibility and is super optimized for mobile.
If you are looking for an easy to use theme for your next project then Betheme could be for you.
Flatsome
Flatsome is another popular theme for Woocommerce on the Envato marketplace featuring a visual builder, element library, wireframe kit, 1 click demo content, optimized for speed and drag and drop image grids to name but a few.
Flatsome is a very feature-rich theme to take your next project to the next level.
