Choosing your WordPress theme

Having decided to use WordPress to run your website/blog, you will need to choose a WordPress theme.

Your theme will determine what your website will look like – there are a huge number of possibilities, limited only by your imagination (and theme authoring ability or the size of your wallet).

WordPress comes with two themes. These are fine functional themes, but using them for your website shows a lack of imagination – not really the impression you are trying to give. It is essential that you choose an alternative.

Fortunately, there are hundreds of free themes available – some very good, some not. They come in a variety of layouts, but having looked at dozens of them, for a money making blog/website, I now have a strong preference for a single column with one or two sidebars on the right (one for navigation and one for highlighted information and advertising, for example). But feel free to try alternatives.

Take a look at the WordPress Theme Directory to see if you can find something you like, or do a Google search.

You are looking for a theme that:

is consistent with your niche;
engages your target visitors – you have only 10 to 30 seconds to make a good impression;
inspires both you and your visitors to contribute content;
matches your specific content – this can really help to draw people in;
is eye-pleasing;
has clear easy to use navigation;
is uncluttered and easy to read;
has a consistent look and feel across all pages;
has graphics and icons that enhance the overall look; and
will stand the test of time – can you and you visitors look at your theme for the next year or longer?

There will be a lot to look at. Big things matter, like the size and style of the header and the background. But small things may matter too, like the use of a small icon for links. Avoid anything that is likely to annoy your visitors.

When you have made your preliminary decision, install the theme and test it thoroughly. Do not assume that it will just work – some themes are “broken” or will not work with WordPress 2.7. Make at least three test posts (of reasonable size) and add comments to one or two of them. Use more than one category for your posts. Then look closely at the page views for:

the front page;
a single post (with and without comments);
categories;
archives;
searches;
comments; and
any other WordPress features that you are likely to use.

Some aspects, such as color, do not matter as they can be changed. Changing the position of, for example, the sidebar is not quite so straightforward. You may wish to start off with a relatively simple theme and develop it as your website ideas develop. WordPress makes this whole process quite straighforward.

Before making your final decision, think about your niche and the first impression you want your visitors to have. You need a theme that gives your visitors “the picture” of what your site does for them and gives them a reason to keep returning.

Next week I will cover what you should actually do with your website.

Bookmark It