A reader emailed me last week and asked for some tips on selecting a theme for self-hosted WordPress. Rather than just respond to the email, I thought it would be much more fun to do a post in case it helps someone else make a decision.
There are literally thousands of WordPress themes to choose from. And like anything else in life, some themes are better than others. But how do you choose when there are so many possibilities? How do you even begin to evaluate the worth of one WordPress theme over another?
There are several elements to consider when choosing a theme for your website or blog. Here they are, in order of importance:
1. Security
The most important thing you can do for your WordPress site is keep it secure. And that includes choosing a secure theme. But how do you know if a theme is secure?
- Secure themes are found in one of two places. They’re either (1) in the WordPress repository, meaning you can find them by going to Appearance > Themes in your dashboard, or (2) premium themes sold by a reputable source. Reputable sources include ThemeForest, Elegant Themes, DIY Themes, StudioPress, Mojo Themes, Templatic, and WooThemes. (That is by no means an exhaustive list.)
- Secure themes are updated regularly. If the theme you’re looking at hasn’t been updated in at least the past year, it isn’t safe to use. Period.
- Secure themes are supported by their developers. Any decent theme has a website or forum dedicated to support for its users. If you can’t find a place to ask questions (or at least an email for the theme’s creator), consider it a red flag and find another theme.
2. Aesthetics
WordPress themes exist because everyone wants a unique look for his/her website. How boring would it be if they all looked the same? So of course it makes sense to choose a theme with a look you love. A few things to keep in mind when picking out a theme:
- Is it easy to read? No matter how awesome a color scheme looks, it doesn’t make sense to use it if no one can read it.
- Can you change the colors if needed? If at all possible, it’s better to choose a theme you can stick with than to change every time you want different colors. If you aren’t comfortable with CSS, you might want to learn a theme like Weaver II Pro that allows you to change the look without coding.
- Does it allow you to do everything you want? If you need a homepage slider, Twitter integration, or other features on your site, find a theme that has those elements already. That cuts down on the number of plugins you need to get the look you want.
3. Usability
Last but certainly not least, it’s important to choose a WordPress theme that meets as many of your needs as possible. If you can’t figure out how to change the layout or use the post templates, you’ll end up with a site that doesn’t quite look the way you envisioned. I have downloaded themes before that had no options whatsoever - what you saw on the demo is the way your site would look, unless you wanted to spend a ton of time customizing. It’s essential to choose a theme with an interface that makes sense, regardless of your comfort level with coding or making changes.
How do you decide what theme(s) to use? Do you base your decision solely on looks?
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My we are posting kind of late
I go for clean looks, and customizability (sp) i like being able to have a different side bar for every page and being able to stick a widget where ever I want . I also don't like spending an arm and a leg but those at typically the best. I used to belong to rocket theme. Yearly subscription and access to every them, me one every month, but have started looking at others recently.
K I'm off to slumber, good points!!
Every now and then I find a free or cheap theme that I really like - Twenty Twelve was just released and it's GORGEOUS - but I agree that the best ones tend to be paid.
Customizability! I've used Elegant Themes for a few web sites and I really like their ePanel, so I've found myself gravitating towards those themes just because they're familiar. I've also found the tech support to be fairly helpful. In fact, I'm contemplating switching my blog to Aggregate, just need some time to sit down and make the switch.
I use Elegant Themes a lot. I get frustrated with their support sometimes because of (1) language barriers and (2) lack of helpful responses, but overall I like their themes. Luckily I don't need support very often.
I haven't tried Aggregate yet so I look forward to seeing what you do with it!
I picked Weaver II because you said it was a good one and didn't need coding. It's still Greek to me at this point.
You've done really well - it looks nice! Just a matter of finding the options you want to change. It can be a little overwhelming because there are SO many choices, but once you get used to the layout, you'll never have trouble doing what you want to do.
I tried Weaver II because it comes so highly recommended, but like kimateyesonthedollar, I wasn't able to make heads or tails of it. I ended up picking Calatropis and I dig it, except for the colors schemes available. At some point I'll just have to go into the code and change them, but for now, they are liveable.
Sorry to hear it was confusing for you! It definitely takes awhile to get used to where all the options are, but once you do, it doesn't get easier than checking a box. That said, I'm glad you found something that works, at least for now.
I'm sure that we will need more flexibility in the future and will naturally gravitate back, but we are just getting started and my boyfriend has little experience, so I wanted something a bit more friendly. For now. =)
I use Weaver II, just like you always suggested.
I really like all the options there, and I don't even have the paid version! There's more I want to change, but of course haven't found the time yet, but I have to say, Weaver II is much better than the past two themes I had (Calatropis and….?? something). They sucked and it made my site look sucky. Not saying it looks professional right now, but it's improved. Weaver II took al ittle time to get used to but I just took a couple nights in a row and a couple beers, told my family that I needed a couple nights alone to figure stuff out, and that was that!
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