How to Choose a WordPress Theme: 6 Things to Consider 

Anyone who’s ever built their own WordPress website knows how helpful a solid theme can be for getting started. 

A WordPress theme is a set of base files that determines the design and functionality of your website. It includes everything from page layouts to colors and fonts to navigation, shaping the site’s appearance and user experience. 

Themes provide customization options to reflect your brand and design style. They also contribute to functionality by offering features like custom templates and plugin support, while some are optimized for SEO to improve search engine rankings. With themes, you can create a website that meets your needs, whether it’s a blog, portfolio, or online shop.

While design is often a key reason to pick a theme, that’s not the only consideration. Here are six things to consider when choosing a WordPress theme so that you can find something that works for you!

1. Purpose

The first thing to think about when looking at WordPress themes is purpose – what is the key function of the website you are creating? Common functionality includes blogging, an event calendar, or e-commerce. 

Planning for the purpose and the content you have or plan to create can go a long way toward helping you decide what type of theme will be best. It should include page layouts that work with the kind of content you plan to publish and a navigation structure that works harmoniously with that content. 

Then, you’ll want to think about your audience. Does the theme work in a way that will resonate with your key users? Remember to consider how your target audience will navigate and interact with the design. 

2. Budget 

Even if you plan to build a website yourself with a theme, it’s important to have a budget for costs associated with development. 

While there are a lot of free WordPress themes out there, you should take a good look at a premium theme when choosing one. These often offer more features – still at a low cost – and include benefits such as support and updates. 

When you are budgeting, consider the costs and benefits of premium WordPress themes and whether you want to pay one-time or ongoing. Other costs to consider include plugins that you use with your theme to get all the functionality you need. Many of these tools come with annual licenses. 

Your budget can vary depending on your needs and website functionality. 

3. Ease of use 

The right WordPress theme for you is one that’s easy to use and that you can continue to work with over time. 

A good theme should make your life easier by giving you options to tweak things and manage your content hassle-free. It’s a good idea to check out demos or play around with some themes to see which ones feel the most comfortable and user-friendly.

A key consideration when choosing a WordPress theme is how well the theme works on phones and tablets. You want your site to look awesome no matter what device people are using, so go for themes that are responsive and mobile-friendly. Many themes will apply mobile adjustments automatically, and many premium themes will allow you additional control over the design on different screen sizes. 

4. Speed and performance 

There’s nothing more frustrating than a slow website. A lightweight theme will help ensure your site is zippy, which can actually boost search engine optimization. That’s why it’s essential to consider speed and performance when choosing a WordPress theme. 

Signs of a website theme that’s bloated or might run slowly include being packaged with a lot of plugins or being slow when you try to design pages. 

Strong speed and performance lead to better user experience, SEO improvements, and make it quick for you to work on the site. 

5. Flexibility 

WordPress themes have varying degrees of flexibility. Choose a theme that has a base design you love but offers plenty of room for unique customizations so you can make it your own. 

There are themes available for virtually any website, whether it’s a blog, portfolio, e-commerce store, or corporate website. Most themes—and premium themes, in particular—include special blocks, color pickers, fonts, menus, and more to help you adjust and design. 

The other thing to look for is a theme that is compatible with most plugins. These will typically use common CSS that is automatically applied to plugins for a consistent look and feel. You also want to be able to upload and use multiple media types, such as photos, videos, or even documents. 

6. Support and updates 

Now here’s the kicker – your website is only as durable as support and updates. Frequently updated themes and plugins are generally less vulnerable to problems than unsupported options. 

You want your website to run on the latest version of WordPress with all tools functioning in a fully compatible manner. Site updates are good for security and peace of mind!

Choose a WordPress theme that has some level of support from a reputable business or developer. This helps avoid trouble down the road since theme problems can make your entire website unusable. Support is one of the key benefits of a premium theme and is well worth it!

Create sites with ease with Kadence Theme 

Looking for one theme that checks all your boxes? Try Kadence Theme. 

Kadence Theme was built with your needs in mind, from lightning-fast performance to modern features. There are plenty of options to choose from, and everything is 100% customizable. Kadence integrates with almost every tool you might need, including WooCommerce for online shops, GiveWP for nonprofits, The Events Calendar for an amazingly easy calendar tool, and even some builders. 

Explore our starter templates, or try it for free today!