What Is A WordPress Theme?
A WordPress theme is the major reason that WP is so great for entrepreneurs who do not want to learn coding in order to develop and be in control of their own website. Themes are what create the design and functionality of a WordPress website. Through a simple install process you can change the whole look and feel of your website without effecting the core content.
Think of your WordPress theme as the clothes your WP site wears and even though you change the clothes the site remains the same.
It is common to hear them referred to as WordPress skins or WordPress templates but “theme” is the official term used by WP.
Most themes are available for free download in the official WordPress theme directory. But there are many others that can be found by searching the internet but I recommend sticking with only the free themes found on WordPress.org. Using a free one outside of the official theme directory runs the risk of downloading something malicious that will install unwanted elements to your website’s server.
These days there are many paid options, often referred to as premium themes, and they can be a great value because of their higher level of support and because of the time they will save you. In fact I use the premium Headway theme for all the sites that I develop now so that I never have to spend time hunting for the ideal one again.
How do you find the right theme for your website or blog?
I recommend knowing what look and functions you want before you even begin your search.
The goal is to find a theme that fits your business, not fit your business into a theme.
Do you a simple minimalist look or do want many columns and articles displayed at once? What colors do you have in mind? Do you want a fixed width or a flexible width? What sort of features are you looking for? Custom header? Custom colors? Custom background Custom menus? If you know some of these aspects I recommend starting at WP’s theme tag filter.
Keep in mind that there is no such thing as the perfect theme. Unless you are able to code your own from scratch you are going to have a tough time finding a theme that does anything and everything you want it to. But you should have no problem finding a theme that will work and do a great job of representing your business on the web.
If you need help installing a theme I ‘ve created a short video showing you just how to do it.
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