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
2. The Basics of WordPress Themes
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.
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.
5. THE BASICS Plugins: Adds functionality to a WordPress website. E.g. Yoast SEO, Jetpack.
6. Before You Choose a Theme
7. BEFORE YOU CHOOSE A THEME Write down the purpose of your website
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
9. BEFORE YOU CHOOSE A THEME Decide which features you need 
 to accomplish your goals
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!
11. What to Look for in a Theme
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
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!
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!
15. WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A THEME Premium (Pros) • More features • Unique designs • Better support • Usually sold by companies • Quality is usually better
16. WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A THEME Premium (Cons) • Cost: can go up to $129 • Learning curve • Too many features
17. WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A THEME Standalone Theme or Framework?
18. WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A THEME Standalone Themes • All-in-one solution • Only need to install one theme • Less complexity
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
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
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
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
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
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?
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?
26. WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A THEME Browser Compatibility • Check the demo site on multiple browsers 
 and devices
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
28. WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A THEME Translation & Multilingual Ready • Will the site be multilingual? • Does it support multilingual plugins?
29. WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A THEME Page Builders • Will the theme work with page builders?
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?
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
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
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
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!
35. Where to Find WordPress Themes
36. WHERE TO FIND THEMES WordPress Theme Directory (free)
 wordpress.org/themes Themify
 themify.me StudioPress (Genesis Framework)
 studiopress.com
37. WHERE TO FIND THEMES iThemes
 ithemes.com Artisan Themes
 artisanthemes.io CSSIgniter
 cssigniter.com
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
39. Thank you!