Perfect Match: Choosing a Theme for your WordPress Website

There are thousands of themes out there and finding the right one for your website can be difficult. Is a free theme any good? Is it worth buying a premium theme? Will it work?

We’ll talk about what to look for and what to avoid in your search for a good quality theme. The right one will display your content beautifully, be responsive, load quickly, and have the features you need for your site.

Transcript

1. Perfect
   MATCH
   Choosing a Theme for your WordPress Website
   

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2. The Basics of
   WordPress Themes
   

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3. THE BASICS
   WordPress Theme:
   A template or “skin” that changes the look 

   of a WordPress website.
   You can change the theme without changing 

   the content of the site.
   

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4. THE BASICS
   Child Theme:
   A separate theme that inherits the functionality
   from another WordPress theme.
   When you want to customize an existing WordPress
   theme without losing the ability to upgrade that
   theme.
   Must have the parent WordPress theme installed.
   

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5. THE BASICS
   Plugins:
   Adds functionality to a WordPress website.
   E.g. Yoast SEO, Jetpack.
   

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6. Before You Choose
   a Theme
   

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7. BEFORE YOU CHOOSE A THEME
   Write down the purpose of your website
   

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8. BEFORE YOU CHOOSE A THEME
   List the goals of your site
   • Sign up for a newsletter
   • Sell products
   • Read your blog
   • Make an appointment
   

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9. BEFORE YOU CHOOSE A THEME
   Decide which features you need 

   to accomplish your goals
   

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10. BEFORE YOU CHOOSE A THEME
    Set a budget
    • Themes can run from $19 to $129
    • Consider joining a theme club (yearly fee)
    • A web host many offer free themes (e.g. WP
    Engine)
    • Budget for plugins, too!
    

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11. What to Look for
    in a Theme
    

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12. WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A THEME
    Free or premium?
    • Refer to your goals and budget
    • If this is a business, go with a paid theme
    • If this is a personal site, free is a good choice
    

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13. WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A THEME
    Free (Pros)
    • Well, it's free!
    • Great way to start a personal website or blog
    • WordPress Theme Directory: strict review process
    • Thousands to choose from!
    

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14. WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A THEME
    Free (Cons)
    • Similar designs
    • Limited features
    • The theme developer may stop maintaining

    the theme
    • May be poorly coded
    • No support
    • Thousands to choose from!
    

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15. WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A THEME
    Premium (Pros)
    • More features
    • Unique designs
    • Better support
    • Usually sold by companies
    • Quality is usually better
    

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16. WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A THEME
    Premium (Cons)
    • Cost: can go up to $129
    • Learning curve
    • Too many features
    

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17. WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A THEME
    Standalone Theme or Framework?
    

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18. WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A THEME
    Standalone Themes
    • All-in-one solution
    • Only need to install one theme
    • Less complexity
    

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19. WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A THEME
    Frameworks
    • A fully functional, minimally designed theme
    • Installing a child theme changes the design
    • Can switch child themes without losing access to
    the core features and functionality of their website
    • Need to install 2 themes:

    Main theme (the framework) and child theme
    

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20. WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A THEME
    Frameworks
    StudioPress (Genesis Framework)

    studiopress.com
    Elegant Themes (Divi)

    elegantthemes.com/gallery/divi
    DIYthemes (Thesis Framework)

    diythemes.com
    

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21. WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A THEME
    Is it responsive?
    • Most theme are responsive, but always check
    • Use the Google Mobile-Friendly Test

    https://search.google.com/test/mobile-friendly
    

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22. WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A THEME
    Is it accessible?
    • Will people be able to read your site?
    • Can they navigate it with a screen reader?
    • Important for businesses
    

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23. WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A THEME
    Is it accessible?
    WAVE Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool

    wave.webaim.org
    Web Accessibility

    webaccessibility.com
    25 Accessibility Testing Tools for Websites

    ambr.in/AluAZu
    

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24. WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A THEME
    Design and Layout
    • Does the design work for your type of website?
    • How flexible is the layout?
    • Can I change the colors and fonts easily?
    

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25. WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A THEME
    Features
    • Does it have the features you need?
    • Can you add some of those features with a plugin?
    

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26. WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A THEME
    Browser Compatibility
    • Check the demo site on multiple browsers 

    and devices
    

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27. WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A THEME
    Plugins
    • Does it work well with the plugins you want to use?
    • Some themes will say which plugins they support
    

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28. WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A THEME
    Translation & Multilingual Ready
    • Will the site be multilingual?
    • Does it support multilingual plugins?
    

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29. WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A THEME
    Page Builders
    • Will the theme work with page builders?
    

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30. WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A THEME
    Documentation & Support
    • Look at the documentation: a great way to see 

    how this theme works
    • Does the developer offer support? 

    What’s the response time?
    

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31. WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A THEME
    Optimized for SEO
    • Does it load fast?
    • Is the code semantic? (describes the content)
    • SiteChecker

    sitechecker.io
    

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32. WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A THEME
    Page Speed
    Pingdom Website Speed Test

    tools.pingdom.com
    Google Speed Test

    ambr.in/cwpn1q
    GTmetrix

    gtmetrix.com
    

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33. WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A THEME
    Ratings & Reviews
    • What have other people said about that theme
    • Look for review articles
    • Go to social media
    

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34. WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A THEME
    Other things to look for
    • Is the version 1.0?
    • When was it last updated?
    • Number of active installs (WP Theme Directory)
    • See a website that you like? 

    Find out what theme they are using!
    • At a WordCamp or MeetUp? Ask other people!
    

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35. Where to Find
    WordPress Themes
    

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36. WHERE TO FIND THEMES
    WordPress Theme Directory (free)

    wordpress.org/themes
    Themify

    themify.me
    StudioPress (Genesis Framework)

    studiopress.com
    

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37. WHERE TO FIND THEMES
    iThemes

    ithemes.com
    Artisan Themes

    artisanthemes.io
    CSSIgniter

    cssigniter.com
    

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38. 1 The Basics of WordPress Themes
    Before You Choose a Theme
    What to Look for in a Theme
    Where to Find Themes
    2
    3
    4
    

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39. Thank you!
    

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