6 Easy Steps to Choose the Right WordPress Theme, WP Theme Selection Guide (Video How-to)

WordPress Theme Selection Guide

If you want to get online quickly, one of the quickest ways of doing so is to use a Content Management System (CMS) such as WordPress. WordPress is famous in fact for its five minute install time.

There are other CMSs such as Drupal, Joomla and Blogger but WordPress is my choice due to it’s versatility, ease of use and community support.

The problem with being so good and so versatile is the number of options that come along with the system. There are so many widgets, themes, (over 2K in the free WordPress themes directory alone), and plugins, (almost 28K on the free WordPress.org site) it can be overwhelming.

If we consider the alternative premium themes from suppliers such as WooThemes, ElegantThemes and iThemes it starts to get mind boggling. Some blog owners simply give up on the search and either design their own theme from scratch (not for the faint hearted) or design their own theme using programs such as Artisteer (which by the way, is really easy). See my Artisteer review and video tutorials if you’re interested.

Which ever course of action you choose, being able to develop and maintain your own sites with WordPress is an excellent decision.

Choose the Perfect WordPress Theme

So, how do you decide on the perfect WordPress theme template for your website? Well, follow the steps below to be taken though the process of deciding upon the right theme for your website. Deciding on the right theme is not only about design, there are other features you must consider as well.

Just remember, if you don’t like a theme you can always change it. Choosing and/or buying a theme should take no more than a couple of days, not months. Your priorities should be on attracting traffic to your website not spending weeks deciding on any particular theme.

WordPress Theme Selection Guide

This WordPress theme design selection guide will help you consider the right criteria when deciding on a theme design so you save time and get the right theme first time.

Step 1: Understand Your Site Needs

There are many themes for different niches, business, publishing, finance, sales, food, pets, blog, etc.

• What is it you want your site to do for you?
• What is it you want your site to do for your customers?
• What type of website are you publishing?
• What niche are you entering?
• Do you need a blog or a website? A blog features content first, a website features products and services first.
• Free or Paid? Free themes have little or no support, so when the next release for WordPress is available, it may or may not be compatible.

Step 2: List of Features

List all the features you will need for your website. Even if you’re not going to use them immediately, list them. Remember, you home page will generally be different to your content pages. For example:

• Custom header. Usually contains elements like logos, calls-to-action, banner ads, search box.
• Custom logo.
• Colour scheme.
• Navigation, menu options. Do you need more than one menu? Home many menu levels do you need?
• Image and/or text sliders. Slide shows, sliding carousels.
• Blog features.
• Sidebar(s). How many and where?
• Footers. What will you used them for? Privacy policy, contact us, copyright notice, ads, navigation?
• Newsletter sign up form.
• Popup windows.
• Testimonials.
• Multiple page layouts for different topics.
• Video integration.
• Social media sharing buttons.
• Comment (or not) box.
• SEO configuration and integration.
• Banner ads. What will you need?
• Responsive themes. These themes that automatically adjust and display favourably when viewed on mobile devices.

Step 3: Your Skills

Some themes are easier to use than others and so require different skill sets. Do you need a theme which is simply plug-and-play or are you willing to get your hands dirty?

• Are you a coder (HTML, CSS, PHP)?
• Can you use a menu driven design framework (Artisteer)?
• Do you need technical support?
• Do you need a programmer?

Step 4: Research

Now you need to do some research. Be flexible. Look in the free WordPress.org themes area and at some of the demos on the better premium design sites (click for my list of recommended theme designers – free and purchase).

No doubt your budget plays a role in whether or not you want to go for a free or premium theme. Just remember, free themes have little or no support, and if you have any kind of issue with your theme not working on the latest WordPress release, it can be very difficult to get any kind of help from the theme creator.

• Free often comes with a price, so just make sure you understand that if you decide to go that route. WordPress programmers cost money. This is your business, you don’t want you site down for the sake of the £20 to £30 for a premium theme from a good company who will update the theme and provide support.

You are unlikely to find a theme which matches your desires exactly. If you are unwilling to deal with that reality, pay for a custom premium theme or design you own using Artisteer.

• Create a shortlist of interesting themes.
• Look at several demo themes.
• Read other blogs, which themes are recommended.
• Stick to reputable companies and designers for premium themes.
• Try changing a few parameters such as background image, text colour, logos, header images.

Step 5: Investigate the Details

Not all free themes are free! Some themes have caveats applied so be careful. You might find there are restrictions on usage such as the ability to only use the theme only one website. There may be licence restrictions, i.e. not to be used gambling or other unsavoury pursuits.

Another important consideration is updates and support. WordPress is updated quite often, four or five times a year, so themes need to be modified to keep in line.

• Review the license granted carefully.
• Is technical support included?
• Are updates included?
• Are there licence restrictions?

Step 6: Install Your Theme

Gather all your data together. Pick the best theme which satisfies as many of your criteria as possible. Avoid spending weeks on the process, get you site up and running, you can always switch your theme if necessary.

• Note: If you theme does not meet all your needs, look in the WordPress plugins directory. You might find a plugin which does exactly what you need.

You might also be interested in reading my article: Choosing the Best WordPress Theme for Small Business and if you haven’t launched your website yet, make sure you learn about domain names and hosting.