How To Pick The Perfect WordPress Theme For Your Website

How To Pick The Perfect WordPress Theme and why does it matter?

Choosing the right theme is important for your blog success. With WordPress you have the freedom to select between free WordPress themes vs premium WordPress themes. In-fact a lot of theme providers allow you to try the the as a demo, and then upgrade to the premium version. Before you get all excited and select a theme based on how the design of the theme look, check the technical aspect of the theme and try to find is the specs will support the website you are looking to launch. Keep in mind that every theme is tailored to a specific Business niche. In this article, I will help you choose the best WordPress theme for your site, weather your searching for a local business theme, Directory theme, E-commerce theme, personal portfolio theme or an agency theme I will cover it all. Then I’ll walk you through the differences between a premium theme and a free WordPress theme. Additionally, I will be featuring the theme that I use for my websites/blogs and which I recommend for my clients.

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1. WordPress compatibility
2. What Framework is the theme built on
3. Does it work on all browsers
4. Is it Responsive &AMP (Retina ready)
5. Is it HTML5 & CSS3 READY
6. Does the theme include a Smart loader
7. How many Page templates does it include
8. Font and layout options
9. Widgets
10. The size of the theme
11. Video tutorials and Documentation
12. Reviews and ratings
13. Check theme Update history
14. Theme Community
15. Does it include .psd files
16. Does it include a child theme?
17. Does the theme provide Support

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1. WordPress compatibility

The first thing you want to check on is WordPress compatibility. Make sure that the theme you select will continuously be running smooth with the latest WordPress releases. Finding a reputable theme provider will save you a lot of headache in the future.

2. What Framework is the theme built on

WordPress Codex, Identify the term “Theme Framework” as follows:

3. A “drop-in” code library that is used to facilitate development of a Theme.
4. A stand-alone base/starter Theme that is intended either to be forked into another Theme, or else to be used as a Parent Theme template.

Bootstrap and Foundation by ZURB are one of the Framework providers, make sure the core based of the theme is a solid Framework to enjoy a sleek, intuitive, and powerful front-end framework for faster and easier web development.

4. Does it work on all browsers

Browsers fetch the content of a web page and render it for you to see. The W3C is an organisation that sets the standards for how browsers should render elements in code (HTML and CSS). Without getting too technical,  your theme should operate on any browser without issues, in any scenario, the website should look and behave identical. Selecting a theme that doesn’t operate on “Firefox, or IOS, chrome, explorer etx” will limit your audience to which browser your theme operate on.

5. Is it Responsive &AMP (Retina ready)

In a but shell,  Retinadisplay devices show more pixels per square inch, resulting in sharper images. As the Web is evolving and portable devices are the fastest growing market of the last decade. So, from smartphones to tablets and desktop computers, your website will be accessible and properly optimized for your user’s best visiting experience.

6. Is it HTML5 & CSS3 READY

Finding a theme to build your website on, save a lot of time and money, but as your website/blog grow, and you gain more experience in managing a website/blog you might need to add some custom HTML and CSS, so make sure the theme you select has a compliant, modern and future proof HTML5 markup and CSS3 styling.

7. Does the theme include a Smart loader

Every Theme include a pre-structured template for the necessary resources that the page needs to render. This structure will determine how fast your website load, as fetching usefulness resources in the wrong time will increase the page speed load time, find the theme which load only the necessary resources that you page needs. This will make your website super fast.

9. Font and icons options

Fonts can icons can be simply added to your website by simply uploaded a font .zip file from Fontello , Font Awesome , Google fonts or any other font-icon generator. Some theme do not provide an upload feature to the core code, you can still add this manually through an FTP, but it would be easier to upload from within your WordPress dashboard.

10. Widgets

A WordPress Widget is a small block that performs a specific function. You can add social media icons, optin forms, contact details, and any other website feature you have on particular pages. widgets are usually used in the sidebars. Themes which provide the Widget feature are known as widget-ready.

11. The size of the theme

WordPress theme market is highly competitive, theme developers cannot resist the temptation to add more plugins and functionalities into their themes to increase sales and compete on providing the user with a better looking end product. This is resulting in a huge file sized theme that has to live on your server, and some time you’ll have to increase the “Max Upload File Size” to be able to upload the theme files to your WordPress.

12. Video tutorials & Documentation

Video tutorials is not a widely used approach, but reputable theme who look up to their users, provide videos and explainers to help the user build a professional website.

13. Reviews and ratings

Reviews and ratings are very important when making the decision of purchasing anything online. Checking the reviews will give you and insight of current / previous user experience with the theme.

14. Template files

• home.php: the homepage template.
• single.php: the template for single posts.
• page.php: the template for pages.
• category.php: the template for category indexes.
• author.php: the author template, used when someone wants to find all posts by a certain author.
• date.php: the date template, used when someone tries to look at for instance a certain month of posts on your blog.
• archive.php: this template is used when either category.php, author.php or date.php isn’t there.
• search.php: used when someone searches on your blog, a very important template to look at if you’re concerned about usability, and whether people can find posts on your blog.
• 404.php: used when WordPress can’t find a certain post or page, this is a very important template file to have!

15. Check theme Updates history

The theme providers should have a page where they update their users with the most recent code updates and changes that has been made on the theme, so that the users can know what to expect or how to improve the website performance based on the new introduced technology and features. Checking the Updates history page is the best way to see how involved are the providers with this theme, and additional information such as updates track record, bug fixing issues, any many more details that you never would have considered checking.

16. Theme Community

When searching for the perfect wordpress theme for your blog/wesite, try to find a theme that has an online community. Being a part of a community will have a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common interests, updates, and collaborating on debugging and adressing challenges.

17. Does it include .psd files

A PSD is a Photoshop design file and it’s widely used for web design and works best for the design-to-code process. A web page is first designed in a Photoshop Document (PSD) and then converted to code (using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript). If you want to get a bit artsy you can modifying the PSD file will not change anything in the theme, unless you export modifications in the theme files (PHP, CSS). If you are not familiar with Photoshop, you can still make the changes directly in the theme files, which can also be modified, without having the PSD file, but your changes will be updated on the live site.

18. Does it include a child theme?

A WordPress child theme is a WordPress theme that inherits its functionality from a parent WordPress theme. Child themes are often used when you want to customize or tweak an existing WordPress theme without losing the customization you implemented every-time the theme providers update the theme source code. 

19. Does the theme provide Support

Whether you’re an expert or a beginner, you need a theme Support Team. Almost every theme provide Support, some is inclusive within the theme package and some charge a small annual fee. When you are selecting the right theme for your website, you need to make sure that the support team that you can rely on once needed. Here are some question to ask the theme provider before you make your final decision:

• How many days of week is the team support available?
• How many hours of day do they operate?
• Is the support provided my email/phone or on campus?
• What is their fee for continuous annual support?

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What is the average price for a WordPress theme?

Prices ranging all the way from $10 to $200.

• The mean (average) theme price is $57.54
• Both the median (middle value of all prices) and the mode (most frequent value) theme prices came out as $59.

As it turns out, the majority of WordPress themes for sale right now are priced either exactly at, or around, $59, give or take $5.

What is the difference between a premium and a free wordpress theme ?

The difference between a premium and free theme is simply 1 thing. Every time the theme providers update the theme Core code, you’ll need to install the latest theme version to be eligible to use the updated code, this process is not done manually every-time, but through an API which is connected to your theme. Paying for a premium theme is simply paying for the API link so you can get continuous theme updates.

Theme that  I recommend

I personally use KALLYAS – Creative eCommerce Multi-Purpose WordPress Theme, and I recommend them to all my clients. Kallyas was created on the 23rd of February 2013. The theme is well documented, Include Layered PSD, PHP Files, CSS Files, JS Files, PSD. With continuous consistent software version update, and full Compatibility with all browsers such as: Bthethemeforestwsers IE11, Firefox, Safari, Opera, Chrome, Edge.

Kallyas is great theme for ,agency, business, creative, dental medical care clinic, ecommerce, fashion magazine, graphic designer, health insurance, interior furniture, minimal portfolio, news blog hosting, personal trainer, real estate, retail shop, seo freelancer.

Full list of Features for kallyas theme:

• WordPress 4.6+ compatible
• Bootstrap 3 Framework
• Amazing front-end LIVE Page Builder containing over 100 elements
• One-Click Data Install
• Responsive layout
• Smart Loader
• SEO Ready
• WPML Ready
• Translation ready
• Unlimited Sub-Headers
• Unlimited Colors
• WooCommerce Integration
• DummyData Included
• Unlimited Homepage variations
• Functional NEWSLETTER – MailChimp integration and adaptation
• Lots of different Kallyas premium features and plugins
• Huge variety of sliders (also premium licensed ones):
  • iOS Slider
  • Creative Slider (based on Revolution Slider)
  • Shop Sliders (based on Revolution Slider)
  • Fixed Sliders
    • Style 1 (Simple Slider)
    • Style 2 (Nivo Slider)
    • Style 3 (Wow Slider)
  • 3D Cute Slider
  • Fancy Slider
  • Circular Content & Circular Catalogue carousels
  • Static Content / Hero Scenes (huge variety)
  • Portfolio Slider Frames
  • Laptop Slider, multiple styles
  • iCarousel
  • CSS3 Panels
• 3 Portfolio Layouts
  • Category Layout
  • Sortable Layout
  • Carousels Layout
• Custom pages designs:
  • FAQ
  • Process
  • Contact us
  • Offline / Coming soon
  • Historic / Timeline
  • Testimonials
  • Team
  • Portfolio Item
  • Blog Item
  • Product page
  • Services
  • Careers
• Pricing tables
• Photo Gallery
• Bonus – Holiday page headers
• Animated Header
• Dynamic PHP Contact form
• Built-in Modal window system with auto triggering & multiple window types (iframe, inline content)
• HTML5 & CSS3 Ready
• PSD Files included (for main demo only)
• Great social media support!
• Lots of Built in styles
• Good Documentation
• & many others!!

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Try theme demo

Finally, before you purchase a theme, go to the demo section and try it out. Check the functionalities which the theme provide, If your theme does all of  the point mentioned above correctly, you should be fine. Good luck with your new theme and on your new blog/website.