Author: Dennis Hüttner
What is a WordPress Theme?
A WordPress theme is the basic layout or design of your website. It is based on various programming languages such as CSS, HTML, and PHP. Why do themes exist? Many elements on websites are often similar, such as fonts, dimensions, and spacing. Menus or footers are usually standardized – the entire basic structure of the page is comparable.
To avoid having to reprogram these components repeatedly, a basic framework – the so-called theme – is developed. All website content is inserted into this framework. There are different templates for individual subpages. All content you add to the pages is integrated into this existing template. This ensures that posts on your website look uniform, and the structure of the subpages resembles that of the homepage.
Themes are programmed by developers. In principle, anyone can develop a theme and upload it to WordPress, which is why there is a large selection. Free themes are often provided by companies, usually in a „light“ version that can be extended with a paid Pro version. The free themes are ideal for beginners as they allow for quick website setup.
How do you find the right theme?
When choosing a theme, the basic layout should match your website. It’s best to sketch out your website (old school). Consider which subpages you need (site map) and how the website should be structured (wireframe). For example, do you need a four-column footer? Should the logo be centered above the menu?
Once you have defined all the important points for your website, you can look for a theme that offers exactly these functions.
How do you decide if a theme is good? Download it and perform a local installation on your laptop or PC. Test it out, because not every theme is suitable for every website. Choosing the right theme often requires some experience.
Which theme is suitable for your WordPress website?
A theme for sales pages requires very good page speed and must be optimized for conversion.
A theme for a niche site – for example, if you want to earn money through affiliate marketing – should offer the possibility of a product filter. It is practical if you can easily import products (e.g., from Amazon). In addition, product comparisons and tables should be easy to create.
Themes for corporate websites and shops should be designed very cleanly and simply, as this appears professional – especially on corporate websites. Individual page design and good compatibility with plug-ins are also important.
Themes for blogs must also be optimized for conversion. You should be able to determine whether the entire content or only an excerpt is displayed.
An essential criterion that every theme must meet: The last update should not be older than three months. Many different technologies are used around your website, such as programming languages, browser technologies, and various end devices, which are constantly being developed further. Therefore, your theme must always be kept up to date to meet current requirements.
On WordPress.org, you will find a lot of information about themes, including ratings and comments from users, which can help you with your selection.
All themes we present are easy to use, feature a clear design, and offer numerous customization options. They are well-programmed and ensure that your website functions smoothly. Furthermore, they can be easily edited with major page builders such as Elementor, Divi, Gutenberg, or Brizy.
Dazzling is a free theme primarily designed for business websites. It offers several useful features, such as an integrated slider and a blog. Directly below the slider, you can place a call-to-action button. Dazzling’s design is simple and clean. However, the customization options are limited.
The Illdy theme is well-suited for shops, as testimonials can be created very easily. You can move different sections of the website up or down and insert icons. The design is clean and minimalist. However, Illdy is less suitable for content-heavy pages.
The Enigma WordPress Theme is attractively designed and offers animations as well as many effects, such as the snowflake effect. The slider is excellent, and many features are very well implemented. The header is well-executed, especially the integration of social media icons, phone number, and email. The Go-to-Top button is also a practical addition. The design is attractive, but the customizability of the website is limited. Furthermore, the many effects can be distracting.
Shapely is very beginner-friendly and easy to use. Recommended for anyone starting to design their website. The design is clear and clean with a chic parallax effect (the object appears to move). The website is clearly laid out with large dividers, allowing the customer to quickly find the information they are looking for. Further advantages: multiple options for buttons and the menu is always visible as a sticky headline. Shapely allows you to choose different color schemes for buttons and text. You cannot change the font, and the header font color (black/white) is fixed.
The Mesmerize theme is very easy to use and offers numerous design options, such as icons on buttons, color schemes, and divider design. The colored buttons, in particular, are highly visible, but their color cannot be customized. Bright pink and green may not suit your website. Mesmerize offers many presets, allowing you to quickly and easily insert your content. A disadvantage of free themes is that you never have full control over your website’s design. You must weigh what is important to you.
The Optimizer theme is exceptionally simple and intuitive to use. You can design the homepage according to your wishes. The website is responsive, very fast, and search engine optimized. The background, buttons, and header can be customized in any color. The text can also be designed in any font and color. Additionally, Optimizer supports WooCommerce. However, the available widgets are limited.
Hestia offers a very clear design, is easy to edit, and is extremely beginner-friendly. You can customize many areas of the website to optimally align them with your customers and their needs. Hestia also supports a complete online shop and is compatible with WooCommerce. Customers can subscribe to a newsletter, and the contact form is easy to edit, including color adjustment. You can also set up a blog, edit texts, and adjust the backgrounds and colors of the buttons. Experiment to find out what best suits you and your website.
OceanWP is the second most frequently installed WordPress theme and offers everything you need to build a functional and well-designed website. OceanWP provides various layouts for pages and different container sizes. You have multiple styling options for page titles, as well as the ability to customize buttons and the contact form according to client wishes. Different pages can be individually designed, including the header and footer.
One disadvantage is that the multitude of styling options can seem somewhat cluttered and scattered, which can be overwhelming for beginners. Additionally, the paid versions of the templates for Elementor and Gutenberg are relatively expensive.
WordPress Theme – Astra in Detail
Astra includes numerous templates. A template is a ready-made website that you import. You then customize the entire site (its content) to your preferences. To do this, you download, install, and activate the Astra Theme. The templates are very diverse, and the number of pages they contain also varies. This can be the first criterion. What do you offer, and how many pages are appropriate for your website? Are you planning online sewing courses? Then you might need four pages: Home, About Me, Classes, and a page with useful tips. You add your content using a page builder.
Templates are great for beginners as they cover many important points. This is practical and saves you a lot of time. For example, the footer (at the bottom of the page) already contains pre-made areas such as the imprint and privacy policy. Breadcrumbs (navigation links that appear in a post) can be designed just as easily as dropdown menus. In the sidebar, if you have a blog, you can insert individual widgets, such as latest comments, posts, or the archive.
You can leave the default settings unchanged or customize many details individually. You have the option to change the typography (size, font weight, or line height), as well as the hover color (the color the link changes to when you hover over it with the mouse). The background color, text color, link color, and button color are also customizable. You can also change the width of the page or its content, as well as the size of the logo. Icons for Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp are possible.
Is that all easy peasy lemon squeezy?
No, not quite. One problem is that you can spend endless amounts of time on details. In e-commerce, a well-designed and professional website is essential for your success. The website is your location, your business, your shop window, your merchandise, and your service. You will already have enough work with your online shop: describing products, processing orders, shipping goods – that’s how you earn your money, not by choosing the right font. A professional can help you in the shortest possible time.
Another problem is that you might start working with a theme and then realize that you need the Pro version for important functions. This can be annoying if no budget has been planned for it. However, you can extend themes with many functions using plug-ins.
Furthermore, the SEO in the paid versions is significantly better.
Do you have questions?
Eliana Gramer
Head of Web/Digital
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