The Importance of Selecting the Right WordPress Theme

Posted on Apr 06 2014 by in Blog 

Over the years, the number of websites built with WordPress has continued to grow. While using WordPress allows you to easily create a website, there are thousands of different themes to select from. Before you get too far involved in the creation of your website, take a moment to learn more about the importance of selecting the right WordPress theme.

There are many different factors that can make a WordPress theme standout among others, whether it is a free theme or premium theme. Instead of focusing on just the aesthetics of the WordPress theme, you should also consider some of the underlying specifics of the theme that will end up affecting the way your website is presented on different devices, how quickly your website will load, the amount of customization, and overall browser support.

WordPress Theme Browser Support and Responsive Design

It is easy to focus on how your website looks on the browser that you are currently using; however, you also need to realize that not everyone is going to be using the same browser or have the same size screen. A growing number of internet users spend more time on their mobile devices than on desktop computers to browse the internet. With this in mind, it is important to find a WordPress theme that offers a responsive web design. This is easy to test, when previewing a WordPress theme, adjust the width of your browser and see how the site responds the changes in size. In addition to a responsive design, also be sure to test your site on other browsers, especially Internet Explorer, as IE offers the least amount of compatibility for newer design features.

WordPress Theme Page Load Time and Code Bloating
With an increase in mobile usage, it helps to have a website that will load quickly on all devices. There are many different free online speed tests that will allow you to determine how quickly a site loads. Once you have performed a speed test, view the source code of the theme and take a look at the HTML of the WordPress theme. If you notice a lot of different links to external scripts, then the WordPress theme that you are considering may end up taking a long time to load.

Open Source - Word Cloud

 

WordPress Theme Customization
Browser and device support, along with page load time, are crucial to providing a good user experience; though, there is one final aspect to look at – customization. Go through the theme settings and see if you are allowed to change background colors, fonts, sidebars, and other layout changes easily.

In the end, find a WordPress theme that allows you to create a website that matches your needs. While load time, responsive design, browser support, and customization are all important, you want to be able to build a WordPress site that you are happy with. Have fun looking through the variety of WordPress themes available from our excellent package, and take your time choosing one that works well and offers everything that you are looking for.