Theme on your website – what you need to know, which one to choose?

The way users perceive your website is primarily determined by its appearance. Do the colors match? Do the images display clearly and correctly? Is the text legible, and are the headings sufficiently visible? All these aspects determine whether a user will be inclined to interact with your website, and ultimately – take advantage of its offerings.

The appearance and functionality of a WordPress website is largely determined by the chosen theme. In this article, we will present the most important features of WordPress themes, as well as explain their role and, above all – what aspects to consider when choosing the best one.

What is a WordPress theme?

Themes are an integral part of WordPress. They are sets of files that control the visual aspect of a website (frontend), including its colors, images, language, as well as general settings and some functionalities.

When you install WordPress, the site comes with a default theme that is very basic and not very impressive. To improve your website, you can remove it and build your site from scratch. However, this requires advanced coding skills and, most importantly, time. To save time, even the most advanced developers prefer to use ready-made themes, where most of the work has already been done for them.

Every user creating their own website has a certain vision of how they want it to look. Themes are designed precisely to meet the site administrator’s expectations regarding color schemes, general settings (such as header layout or sidebar positioning), as well as to create different language versions. This is a convenient solution for those who like change – the website’s appearance is flexible, because by changing the theme it can look completely different each time. While the design function is very important, one should not forget another equally significant aspect – SEO. Not much is written about it, but a well-chosen theme can significantly facilitate search engine optimization, as explained below.

Types of themes

Within the WordPress environment, we can distinguish two main types of themes – ready-made and custom-made.

Ready-made theme

• Ready-made WordPress themes are publicly available and can be downloaded and installed by any WordPress user.
• You can find them in the official WordPress theme repository as well as on many other websites and theme marketplaces.
• They are often free, but there are also premium paid options with additional features and support.
• They are updated by the authors and the community to ensure compatibility with the latest versions of WordPress, as well as improved security and performance.

Custom-made theme

• Custom-made WordPress themes are created specifically for a particular project or client by a specialist.
• They are tailored exactly to the needs and goals of the project, which means they can have a unique look and functionality.
• Designing and developing custom themes can be more time-consuming and costly compared to using ready-made themes.
• Custom-made themes allow full control over the appearance and functionality of your site, but they may require ongoing support and maintenance.

Advantages and disadvantages of ready-made themes

Advantages:

1. Availability: Ready-made themes are easy to install and configure, allowing you to launch your website quickly. They do not require advanced technical knowledge.
2. Cost: Many ready-made themes are available for free or at affordable prices, which can be beneficial for projects with a limited budget.
3. Updates: Good ready-made themes are often updated by the developers, ensuring they remain compatible with the latest versions of WordPress and secure.
4. Diversity: There is an enormous variety of ready-made themes available in different styles and with various functionalities.

Disadvantages:

1. Lack of uniqueness: Since ready-made themes are publicly available, many other websites may use the same theme.
2. Limited customization: Although most ready-made themes allow some customization, you may not be able to modify them exactly as you need.
3. Performance: Some ready-made themes may be burdened with unnecessary code or features you do not need, which can affect your website’s performance. It is important to choose themes optimized for speed.
4. Lack of control over updates: With ready-made themes, you depend on the developers to provide regular updates and support. There is also a risk that the developer might stop supporting and updating your theme.

Advantages and disadvantages of custom-made themes

Advantages:

1. Customization: Custom-made themes are created specifically for your project, meaning you can achieve complete control over your website’s appearance and functionality. Every aspect of the theme can be tailored to your specific needs and requirements.
2. Unique Design: Custom-made themes allow for the creation of a unique and recognizable website design.
3. Performance optimization: When creating a custom theme, the specialist can optimize the code and structure of the website for better performance.
4. Security: Custom-made themes can be designed with security in mind, eliminating potential vulnerabilities that sometimes occur in some ready-made themes.
5. Full control: You have complete control over updates, support, and maintenance of your theme, allowing for continuous adjustments and improvements.

Disadvantages:

1. Cost: Creating a custom-made theme can be significantly more expensive than using a ready-made theme.
2. Time consumption: The process of creating a custom-made theme can take considerably longer than installing a ready-made theme.
3. Maintenance requirements: After creating a custom-made theme, regular maintenance, updates, and support are necessary. Neglecting this can lead to performance and security issues.

Which to choose – ready-made or custom-made theme?

The choice between a ready-made and a custom-made WordPress theme depends on the specific needs and circumstances of your project. Here are some factors to consider when making this decision:

• Project purpose: If your goal is to create a relatively simple personal blog or a small website, a ready-made theme might be sufficient. A custom-made theme is more appropriate if you need advanced features or a unique design.
• Uniqueness and branding: If you care about having a unique look and want your site to stand out from the competition, a custom-made theme will allow you to create a personalized design that aligns with your brand.
• Budget: Custom-made themes are usually more expensive than ready-made themes, as they require hiring a designer or agency. Ensure that you have an adequate budget for this purpose.
• Time: A custom-made theme may take more time to develop than a ready-made theme, so if you need a quick deployment, a ready-made theme might be more suitable.
• Technical expertise: If you have advanced technical knowledge and can program, you might be able to customize a ready-made theme to suit your needs. However, creating a custom-made theme requires advanced programming skills.
• Functional requirements: If your website needs specific features that are not available in ready-made themes, a custom-made theme might be the only solution.
• Complex projects: Custom-made themes are ideal for more complex projects, such as e-commerce sites, news portals, or web applications that have special requirements.

What to consider when choosing a WordPress theme: 6 key aspects

When looking for a theme, be prepared for the fact that there are countless options on the market. So, how do you choose the best one? First, you need to consider what the website is intended to do and what its main goals are – whether it’s to increase sales or achieve high search engine rankings. Once you have determined the direction in which the site should develop, the range of themes narrows down to those that are most useful.

1. Responsiveness of the WordPress theme

   Responsiveness means that the website displays correctly regardless of the device used. It is not just a useful feature but an essential element you must pay attention to. This is particularly important today when most people primarily use mobile devices. A site that loads poorly or slowly can quickly lead to users abandoning it and choosing a competitor… People expect the website they visit to be legible regardless of the screen size. With available tools such as Responsinator and Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test, you can easily check the responsiveness of specific themes on any device.

2. Development and updates

   WordPress is continually being improved, with at least one update released per year. As a result, theme authors must ensure that their themes are compatible with the current version of the WordPress CMS. Otherwise, various issues might arise – the site could display incorrectly or simply stop working. Therefore, always check the theme’s compatibility with the latest version of WordPress before making a final choice.

3. Paid or free WordPress theme?

   First, it’s important to answer the questions – what exactly are you looking for and what is your budget? You will find thousands of free themes on the market that will certainly meet the expectations of many WordPress site administrators. However, compared to paid themes, free themes are somewhat limited. While a free theme may be entirely sufficient for simple sites, for more complex and larger websites, that might not be the case.

   Paid themes come with extended features and refined details, which might make them appear slightly more complicated to use. Customers usually receive technical support as part of the purchase, which can be very helpful in case of any issues. Nowadays, there are so many paid themes available that the chance of encountering the exact same theme online is minimal. Moreover, even if the same theme is used on multiple sites, thanks to extensions, the sites will still look completely different. Additionally, paid themes are regularly updated, thereby enhancing the website’s security.

4. Appearance vs. functionality

   Appearance is an extremely important aspect of any website. It is the first thing visitors notice! Colors, layout, and images determine whether the site looks modern, minimalist, extravagant, or perhaps overly cluttered, which might overwhelm rather than attract visitors.

   While everyone has different aesthetic preferences, remember that usability should go hand in hand with design. After all, the design essentially forms the foundation of the entire site. Make sure it fulfills its most important functions – that the menu is properly arranged and the content is clear and legible. If you want your site to operate on an international level, it is also worth checking whether the theme includes language versions and translations. If not, you will need to use an additional plugin for that purpose.

   Also consider whether you need all the theme’s features. If you determine that you won’t use them, they might become unnecessary elements that clutter and slow down your WordPress site.

5. SEO optimization

   Although at first glance it might seem that the theme has nothing to do with SEO, a well-chosen theme can significantly facilitate site optimization and help achieve a high ranking in search engines. A WordPress theme affects the site’s performance, stability, and speed, which are important ranking factors for Google. Therefore, avoid themes that are overloaded with features and contain heavy, complicated code.

6. Technical support

   As mentioned earlier, with paid themes, it is assumed that the customer receives support in case of problems or future issues. This is important because such support should ensure updates in line with new WordPress guidelines and enhance the site’s security. However, this can vary. To ensure that a given theme indeed provides such support, the easiest way is to read reviews from other users who have used that particular author’s product. If the feedback is positive and users have received the necessary help, you should have no reason for concern.

Where to get a WordPress theme?

There are many websites where you can find both free and paid themes. One of the most popular stores is ThemeForest. The site is divided into catalogs of themes that you can also search by entering keywords. You will find themes suitable for both WooCommerce-based stores, as well as for blogs or corporate websites.
Another marketplace worth checking out is Template Monster. Here you will find several thousand themes, both free and paid. Unlike ThemeForest, most of the authors here are Template Monster employees, and they usually provide technical support for the themes purchased there.

Free themes are primarily available in the WordPress repository. Here, not only do you have access to product ratings and reviews, but you can also browse themes from the WordPress dashboard and install them with a single click!

In addition to theme stores, there are also numerous independent developers, including Elma Studio, Elegant Themes, and My Theme Shop. Each developer creates themes in their preferred style. For example, Elma Studio offers rather simple and minimalist themes, whereas My Theme Shop provides more varied options, at least in terms of color schemes.