How to Use WordPress Themes for Your Website
WordPress is the most popular Content Management System (CMS) on the web. This content management system can be used to create websites, blogs, and online stores. In this tutorial, you will learn how to use WordPress themes for your website.
What is a Theme?
WordPress themes are the templates that you see when you first create a new blog or website. These themes allow you to design the outer shell of your site as you see fit. In other words, you can treat them as a blank canvas and paint your design on it. Themes come with all the features you need to get started and are completely free to download and use.
Why Should You Use Themes?
If you are looking for a quick and easy way to get up and running with a new website or blog, then you can’t go wrong with a WordPress theme. Themes make setting up a new site easy and fun. They also make maintaining and upgrading a site much easier. Themes allow you to get your content out there quickly while not having to worry about any of the techy stuff.
WordPress themes make it easy to design and style a new site. This is because they are already designed to look good while being easily customizable. In other words, you don’t need to be a designer to make your site look good. All you need is enough skill to know your way around Photoshop or another design tool and the willingness to learn.
Use Themes With Care
Themes are great when you want to quickly create a new blog or website. However, this doesn’t mean that you should just throw them on your site without careful consideration. It’s always a good idea to test out a theme before putting it on your site. This can be done by either downloading a free copy from WordPress themselves or by contacting the theme’s author via email and asking them to provide you with a test copy. It is also a good idea to review the theme’s documentation before you start using it.
You shouldn’t use themes if you are unsure of how to use them properly or if you are planning on making major changes to them. This is because you might end up with a bloated website that is difficult to maintain. You should use themes with caution and only after you have tested them out on a demo site or an affiliate site that you have built previously. This way, you can be sure that you are not going to run into any major problems while using them on a live site.
What are the Basic Differences Between WordPress Themes?
There are a few major differences between WordPress themes that you should know about. These are outlined below.
Responsive Design
A theme that is responsive will automatically resize and adjust the copy within it so that it looks good on multiple devices. This means you can view the site on a large screen TV as well as a tiny smartphone screen.
It’s a good idea to look out for responsive themes because it makes writing copy for the web much easier. You no longer have to worry about whether or not the content will look good on a phone or a computer screen. With a responsive theme, everything is built with this fact in mind.
Custom Designs
The best part of a theme is that it comes with various pre-made designs that you can use to build your site. You don’t need to worry about spending hours designing a template from scratch. Instead, you can simply choose a design that suits your needs and go from there. You can also add your own text, photos, and other items to the design.
Translation Ready
If you are planning on translating your site into another language, then you should look out for themes that are translation ready. This means that the theme will already have language files included so that you don’t have to worry about entering text into the template manually. You can also use the built-in drag and drop builder to add content to your site without needing to know any HTML. Of course, you can also use HTML to add content to your site if you know how.
Extensions Ready
Extensions are additional features that you can activate within your WordPress dashboard. These features can be useful and add additional functionality to your site. You can find a list of WordPress extensions here. One of the great things about extensions is that they can make your site much easier to use and navigate. If you have never used extensions, then it might be a good idea to try them out. Just remember that some extensions can be a little buggy, so you should avoid using them if you aren’t sure how to use them properly.
How to Install WordPress Themes
Installing a theme on your site is very simple. As mentioned previously, you can download them from WordPress themselves or from the theme’s author. Once you have downloaded the theme, you should look for the.zip file and extract it on your desktop. Now, you can go to your WordPress dashboard and click on the Add New button. After this, you will see a blank slate where you can begin designing your site. You can also click on the settings tab at the top of the screen to bring up more information about the theme you have just installed.
When to Use a WordPress Theme
As a general rule, you should use a WordPress theme for any site that you plan on keeping up for longer than a year. This is because once the initial design and content are in place, it can be tricky to make significant changes to the site. Themes also make upgrading your site much easier. If you have used a theme before, then you know that the layout and design of your site will be flexible enough to work with different colors, fonts, and layouts. In other words, you can design your site however you want and the theme will make it easy for you to maintain the design as you grow.
Useful Tips
Although using a WordPress theme is a great way to get up and running quickly with a new website or blog, it is still essential that you read the documentation that comes with the theme. This will help you get up and running quickly while not having to worry about any of the techy stuff. Also, make sure that you backup your site regularly, both physically and digitally. This will save you a lot of heartache in case something happens.