Themes
Themes help many sites to apply a motif to the visual layout and design. After choosing web hosting, you will be able to pick different themes to build your blog.
Themes are basically templates that are technically stylesheets. Themes determine the appearance of a website and how your website will display a WordPress powered website.
Themes are customized from the WordPress admin area under Appearance » Themes.
We all have to start with a theme for the framework and style of our sites. But there can be so many to choose from!
WordPress Themes
WordPress offers a plethora of choices when it comes to choosing themes for websites. The great part is that many of the are free to get one started.
There are plenty of premium themes that provide more that just visual appeal. Premium themes can deliver elements with functionality, customization of fonts, colors, layouts and more.
Knowing which themes may work better than others or which one is what you are looking for can be challenging.
There are so many choices; sometimes, the themes and settings can be like a virtual candy store for your screen.
Deciding on a WordPress theme is more than just looks and appearance. There are many functionalities that can benefit your website to choose from.
- Do you want a sidebar to display widgets and images?
- Will you be displaying ads?
- Do you want to have an e-commerce store and have products displayed as a grid?
- Do you or anyone on your team know to code and will they be working with CSS or PHP?
- Do you want to have contact forms on your site?
- Do you want to customize colors, fonts, or columns?
There are many choices for the functionality, purpose, and elements. Defining if you will be selling products can influence the type of theme you may need.
There are themes available that include the capabilities to create a e-commerce website. You can start with a blog and also sell merchandise on another page of your site.
The great thing about your virtual design is that you are able to update, tweak, or change it at any time as it does not have to be permanent.
Premium Themes
There is a difference between the free versions of themes and the paid premium themes.
It's truly best to have more than one theme available as a back-up in case some coding breaks. Having a back-up theme helps you determine if an issue that may occur could be affected by the current theme in use by changing to an alternative choice.
Truth is, once you have pick an evergreen theme, it is best to purchase the premium version of that theme.
There is much value to purchasing a few themes. Having multiple premium themes available at hand gives your better control over your site including various functionality and appearance customization.
Contact the theme developer first to learn about support and response times should the need arise. Also ensure the theme is updated concisely with the newest updates of WordPress.
Be sure to know the difference between a parent theme and a child theme. If you choose a child theme, you will need a framework to ensure all the capabilities and functionalities of that theme do work properly.
Otherwise, your theme will have trouble functioning. It's like placing wallpaper on no walls. It will not work.
The Blogwarts Academy suggests various themes to determine what may be best for your blog. Resources for selecting themes can be found below. The list will only continue to grow as more themes become available. Be sure to purchase your choice themes now.
Disclosure: Some of the links are affiliate links. If you decide to purchase any of these resources, a small commission may be earned at no additional cost to you.