WordPress Website Templates – How to Choose One for Your Site
WordPress offers one of the widest ranges of templates available, and one of the most difficult questions is which one to choose? The thing is, the theme you will eventually select can have a huge impact on the future of your website because the first impressions users will have is important. Also, it is much more than just choosing a theme which looks nice, it has to be user friendly as well.
When it comes to knowledgeable websites, you can’t beat Smashing Magazine. As leaders in design, coding, graphics and WordPress, they certainly know their stuff. They posted an article about what to consider when choosing a WordPress website template, so you really should sit up and take note of what they say. Rather than re-invent the wheel, in this article; I’ll share their suggestions with you to ensure you make the right decision when it comes to choosing a WordPress website template for your site. Here we go!
Free or premium templates?
There are free WordPress website templates and premium ones. The decision today is not as simple as it once was. A couple of years ago, this choice would have been a lot simpler, because back then, free templates were not as impressive as they are today, and there are many themes which are free of charge. If you choose a premium template, you will have more updates, the design will be less recognisable, and there will be no attribution links. Also, premium templates have ongoing support and better documentation. However, choosing a premium template is not all about the advantages. There are some disadvantages as well, such as the price, many unwanted features, as well as more configuration. The choice can be tough, so you can check out the forum, and read what other people have to say about the template. That way, your choice will be a bit easier.
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Feature heavy themes or lightweight ones?
If you choose a feature-heavy WordPress website template, which usually has a lot of background images, videos, JavaScript animation, and similar things, your page will load slowly, which won’t offer an outstanding user experience. A lightweight template is the best choice.
What design to choose?
The fact is, what looks good to you, does not necessarily mean it will look good to someone else. First, make sure to check out the demo. Also, the theme you choose should have enough white space and a nice colour palette. You should find the template exciting.
A responsive WordPress website template is a must:
Many people will visit your website by using their smartphones, phablets and tablets. That is exactly why a responsive WordPress website template should be your choice.
SEO, customization and security:
With a wide range of templates to choose from, look for the ones with an SEO ready, or SEO optimised tag. Also, there are many excellent SEO plugins available. Most of the themes have a customization dashboard. Security is highly important, and when choosing a template, the best choice is to select the one with the most reviews and downloads; also check the rating of the template. By reading the reviews written by others, you can find out a lot about the quality of the template you like. The reputation of the company which created the template should be taken into account.
Conclusion:
Choosing a WordPress website template can be a challenge. There are so many available. The thing you should keep in mind is – there is no such thing as a perfect template. The most important thing for you as the user is to avoid choosing a template which is considered as a bad one. Now you know on which things you need to be focused. There are many template, free and premium ones which are really good, lightweight template are better than feature-heavy ones, and a responsive template is highly important. The design should include enough white space and a proper colour palette, and the reviews, ratings and reputation of the company are often essential. When browsing WordPress website templates, have all those things in mind, and you will definitely find a great one.
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