WordPress Series: How to Choose a Theme

Choosing the right theme from the start will determine your blog in the future. You need to take time to choose the best WordPress theme for your blog. There are many aspects you need to think about. One of them is SEO optimization. If you were new in this blogging world you probably don’t know what SEO optimized means. Briefly, an SEO-optimized theme is one that is easily read by search engines and indexed easily. Most people in the world use Google, Yahoo, or Bing to search for what they are looking for, and you want your blog easily indexed by these major search engines.

Pick a right theme for your niche

Pick the theme that is related to your niche blog/business. For example if your blog is about sports then choose a theme related to sport. So people know what your blog is about. People say a picture is worth a thousand words. Choosing the right design and right graphics for your theme — and most importantly the one you like most — is key. Take time to find the right theme for you. And if you really need a unique theme, hire a professional web designer. Your blog design or theme will be your identity in the future.

Simple is beautiful

Everybody likes beautiful, neat, and nice design. But beautiful doesn’t mean that your blog is full of animation and images. Always look for a theme that is simple but looks nice. And remember, page load time is one of the SEO factors. Find a theme that has been optimized for SEO.

Cross browser compatibility

Before you use your theme, make sure that you check it in other browsers. I have written in my previous article about some tools that you can use to check your theme’s browser compatibility.

Don’t change your theme

Changing your theme will affect your search engine position. It will take time for search engines to re-index your content since a different layout means different content. So be careful when choosing your theme; if necessary, don’t change the theme at all. You can change it gradually, but still keep the same layout.

Have a unique theme

Why should you use a unique theme? Your theme is your identity, so buying a premium or specially designed theme will be good for you in the future. Or if you know a little about web design and PHP, try to make one — it would be fun. I made this blog’s theme myself. It’s not perfect but I like it.

Testing

Before you decide to use a theme, please fully test it. And after using it for a while, always test it and keep researching and improving it. Find ways to keep optimizing it. There are many articles out there that can help you improve your WordPress blog.

In the end, keep updating your skills. Learn basic programming and design, and have fun with your blog.