Things to Consider Before Getting a Theme
WordPress is a platform for creating websites using popular programming languages like HTML & CSS.
WordPress themes are pre-designed website templates having all the necessary elements, which can be modified or changed according to our needs.
There are many types of WordPress themes available in the market, but there are a few things that should always be kept in mind before getting a WordPress Theme.
WordPress themes are generally divided into two categories: free and premium.
(premium themes cost you around $50 to $100 but they also offer support and update).
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How to choose a perfect WordPress Theme?
1) Choose the right platform
Before choosing any theme for your website, you should know the difference between free and premium themes.
Free themes are great for personal blogs, but if you want to create a website (for business or anything else), then it is highly recommended that you choose wisely.
You can use free themes as base templates & modify them according to your needs, but they do not include all features available on premium themes.
If you want to create a business website and don’t want to spend your time modifying free themes, then it is recommended that you go for the premium ones.
We recommend, Astra as a free theme and Themify Ultra as a premium theme.
2) Landing Pages
Before getting a theme, it is important that you determine the purpose of your website.
Are you planning to create a blog or want to start an online store (shop)?
If your goal is to create a blog, then it’s better that you get a theme having a single page; this will save some precious time and money.
But if you are serious about creating an online shop, then it is recommended that you get a theme having separate pages for About Us, Contact Us, Menu page etc.
3) Design & Style
Design is another important point to consider before getting a theme.
A good design will always keep your website looking awesome and eye-catching.
You can find many free themes on the market, but most of them are simple; they lack creativity and style.
So, before buying a theme for a WordPress website, make sure it has a good design and unique style like Themify Ultra.
4) Unique Features
Many themes available in the market claim to provide useful features like SEO compatibility, responsive layouts etc.
But these claims are false because all free & premium themes come with these features built-in.
Therefore, it is important to know that you should not rely on these unproven claims before buying a theme for your website.
5) Compatibility
Before getting a WordPress Theme make sure it works well with different web browsers (Chrome, Opera, Safari etc).
Also, check the support; some themes don’t provide support at all; sometimes the support is provided in forums or you will be charged for getting help.
You can also check reviews before buying a theme; they always provide accurate information about any issue with themes.
6) Maintenance
Themes usually come with updates, so it is important to choose one having an update feature built in.
So if your website goes offline after a few months due to an error in the theme, then you can download & install the updated version of that particular theme.
7) Plugins
Before getting a WordPress Theme, it is also important to check plugins compatibility with themes;
If your theme does not include some necessary plugin like WPML (for multilingual websites), then consider buying a theme having compatibility with the plugin.
8) Child Themes
Some themes come as parent and child themes;
Parent themes are useful because they provide support, updates and are compatible with many plugins
Whereas child themes save your time by providing all these features in a single product.
You don’t need to start from scratch if you have chosen a good parent theme.
9) Support
One of the major benefits of WordPress is its support.
You can get help easily by putting queries in different forums or checking the support section on the WordPress website.
Different themes come with their own support sections, but it’s better that you choose a theme having fast & reliable support channels because it will save your precious time.
10) Developer
It is also important to check the developer profile before choosing a theme for your WordPress website.
It is always recommended that you choose one developed by experienced WP developers because they are familiar with all the latest updates & plugins.
If you choose a WordPress Theme developed by less experienced developers, then there are good chances of bugs due to incompatibility with the latest plugins and updates.
So choose a theme by checking the developer profile.
11) Quality vs. Quantity
Premium WordPress themes have a lot of features, but before getting a theme for your website, you should know what your business needs are.
For example: if you want a simple blog template with only blogging capabilities, then you don’t need any premium features on your blog.
On the other hand, if you are running a corporate business, then you need Business & Magazine themes that provide professional features for corporate sites.
So, choose WordPress Theme by checking the type of your website needs.
12) Easy to Install
Most themes come with installation instructions; it is also important to check whether they are easy to install or not.
Because if you find any technical errors in installation, you will not be able to install them correctly.
13) Regular Updates
It is always recommended to choose a theme that provides regular updates.
Because if your website runs on an old version of a WordPress Theme and WP releases new features or security upgrades,
then it may cause different glitches in the theme that could lead to downtime.
So, check the update feature before getting a WordPress Theme.
14) Backups
It is the most important point of consideration, you should back up your website regularly because sometimes it becomes quite necessary to have a backup option.
So choose a theme that provides easy backup options or consider adding a plugin for automatic backups of your site on a regular basis.
15) Shortcodes
Shortcodes are the special codes that help in saving time by letting you add some dynamic features to your site.
You can create slideshows, image galleries, and sliders using shortcodes.
Some themes come with shortcodes whereas some require plugins to run shortcodes.
If you choose a theme that needs a plugin for shortcode, then check the number of shortcodes it provides.
As some premium themes offer more than 200+ different options and those are good enough for creating advanced websites.
16) Price
Last but not least; choose a theme wisely.
It is obvious that you should invest money in the best WordPress themes only because it is a long-term investment and you can’t replace your site in just a few days.
So, if you have checked all the points and found everything okay then go ahead with your choice of theme or templates, but if not then simply rethink the options again.
Our recommended theme is Themify Ultra – it contains all the things I mentioned and other features.
Wrapping Up
With these considerations in mind, you should be able to find a theme that matches your brand and meets the needs of your audience.
Remember, it’s worth taking some time upfront to get this right so you don’t have to make changes down the line.
We hope this list helps!
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