how to choose Free or Premium theme for website

Are you new to WordPress and wondering how to select a free theme for your website? With so many options available, it can be overwhelming to choose the right one. In this blog post, we will guide you through the process of selecting the best free theme for your WordPress site. Please follow the below step for getting best theme according to your business.

• 1

  Determine Your Website’s Purpose and Target Audience

• 2

  Look for a Responsive Theme

• 3

  Consider the Design and Layout

• 4

  Check the Theme’s Features and Customization Options

• 5

  Check the Theme’s Compatibility with Plugins

• 6

  Read Reviews and Ratings

• 7

  Conclusion

1. Determine Your Website’s Purpose and Target Audience

The first step in selecting a free WordPress theme is to determine the purpose of your website and its target audience. This will help you choose a theme that aligns with your website’s goals and caters to your audience’s preferences.

The first step to choosing a WordPress theme is to decide what it is that you want from your theme. Take the time to think about the aims of your WordPress website. For example, do you need it to have a blog page? Do you want to embed videos? Are you planning to offer sign-ups or capture customer data?

Once you’ve established what you need from your theme, you can make the first steps to shortlisting potential options. After all, there’s no point starting to look at WordPress themes unless you know what you need yours to provide. 

At this stage, it’s also worth thinking about the kind of budget you’re working with. There are free theme options available, and – if your requirements are fairly basic – you may find your ideal theme costs absolutely nothing. On the other hand, paid-for themes vary in price, and the cost can increase quickly for feature-rich WordPress theme options.

A good tip is to take a look at existing WordPress websites that are similar to what you want to create – and that operate within your niche – and evaluate their themes. What do you like? What do you think could be improved? This will help you to create your theme ‘checklist’, and work from there.

2. Look for a Responsive Theme

It’s essential to choose a responsive theme that looks great on all devices, including desktops, tablets, and mobile phones. A responsive theme ensures that your website is accessible to a larger audience and provides an optimal user experience.A responsive theme is one that looks and performs to the same standard on a mobile device as it would on a desktop. 

Responsive themes will adapt to fit the screen of whatever device a visitor is using to access your website, without losing any of the functionality or quality of the user experience.

3. Consider the Design and Layout

The design and layout of your website play a significant role in creating a great user experience. Choose a theme that has a clean and organized layout, easy-to-read typography, and a color scheme that matches your brand.

When choosing a WordPress theme, it can be easy to get tempted by an all-singing, all-dancing design that’s full of cool quirks and features. 

WordPress themes come with various color, font, animation, and layout options that may look exciting, but can end up being off-putting to users.

Remember, you’re designing a WordPress website for your audience. Think about how you would respond if you were trying to read content on a website that was filled with annoying animations and pop-ups, or that used different colors and fonts throughout.

If there’s too much going on within your theme, you’ll end up confusing your audience, they won’t be able to find the content they’re looking for, and they’ll end up leaving (and more often than not, finding what they need on another website!). 

Whilst having a website that looks good is important, remember what the main aims of your website are, and make sure the theme you choose isn’t hindering your online goals.

4. Check the Theme’s Features and Customization Options

Make sure to select a theme that comes with the features and customization options you need. This may include features like custom headers, footers, sidebars, and menus. The more customization options a theme has, the easier it is to create a unique and personalized website.

Choosing a theme that supports key WordPress plugins is essential if you want to provide the best functionality and user experience.

When choosing a theme, remember that it’s often plugins that will help to elevate it and provide the functionality that you’re looking for. 

WordPress plugins can help to improve various aspects of your website, including design and performance.

Some of the most popular and useful WordPress plugins include:

Yoast SEO (Helps to improve the overall SEO of your website).

Jetpack (Includes website analytics, spam filters, and automated social media posting).

Woocommerce (Transforms your WordPress website into an online shop).

WP Forms (Creates a contact form with a dynamic drag-and-drop interface). 

 It’s a good idea to make sure any theme you choose supports these WordPress plugins, as well as any others that you determine to be essential for your site. If you’re unsure, contact the theme developer to ask which plugins your chosen WordPress theme supports before you commit.

5. Check the Theme’s Compatibility with Plugins

Plugins add functionality to your website, so it’s essential to choose a theme that is compatible with the plugins you plan to use. Some plugins, such as WooCommerce for e-commerce websites or Contact Form 7 for contact forms, are commonly used, so
make sure your theme is compatible with them.

The great thing about using WordPress for your website is that you can customize almost every theme to look exactly how you want it to. 

When selecting a WordPress theme, make sure you pick one that offers you the option to customize elements such as the font, colors, images, layout, and pages. 

Customizing your theme will allow you to introduce your brand to your website, allowing you to ensure that your business’s colors and style runs through every page. 

Picking a theme that you can customize also means that you can decide exactly which pages your website includes. You may decide that an about page isn’t necessary, or you may want your blog page to be the main focus. Whatever navigation layout you prefer, you should be able to create it with a customizable WordPress theme.

6. Read Reviews and Ratings

When you buy anything online it’s always a good idea to read the reviews – and buying a WordPress theme is no different. After all, those reviews are there for a reason – so make use of them to help inform your purchasing decision. 

When you’ve found a theme that you like the look of, take some time to read the reviews to find out what real-life users think about it. 

WordPress theme reviews

Always read the reviews for your chosen theme to help you make an informed decision.

The last thing you want to do is download and install a theme only to discover it’s out-of-date, or full of malicious code. Low quality or out-of-date themes can leave your website vulnerable to cyber attacks, as well as impacting performance elements of your website, such as page load speed.

If a theme has no reviews, it’s probably best to avoid it and choose a different one. The more high-rated reviews a theme has, the more confident you can be that it will enhance your web presence.

Conclusion

Choosing a free theme for your WordPress site can be a daunting task, but by following these six steps, you can select the best theme that aligns with your website’s goals and target audience. Remember to choose a responsive theme with a clean and organized layout, customization options, compatibility with plugins, and positive reviews and ratings. Happy theme hunting!