WordPress is not only a blogging platform as the most think. Yes, from the beginning, WordPress was considered as a blogging platform, but later, it converted into a powerful website builder with an SEO friendly and safe enough, easy in use content management system (CMS).
WordPress is very easy to use, multipurpose, and versatile enough to create a lot of different kinds of websites, even for basic users without any developer skills. This flexibility and simpleness in use are the main reason why WordPress quickly has grown so high in popularity, and today it is the most popular CMS worldwide.
WordPress websites can be used in a lot of different ways. You can build a simple blog, business or service website, and even online store.
According to last stats, now more than 75 million or 60% of websites are built on WordPress. But despite this fact, all these sites look and perform in very different ways, because of the endless variety of themes and templates that control and manage the visual aspect and features of each WordPress site.
What is the difference between a theme and a template?
The theme is the design of the website, its visual aspect, and appearance, and the template is the layout of every single page of the site.
WordPress themes
WordPress theme is a collection of additional codes that need to be installed on the WordPress core directory to add more functions to the site. All WordPress websites need a theme that manages the essential features, such as the visual aspect and layout of a site. The theme has a diversity of personalization options to let users create a perfect website and adapt it to their needs and purposes.
Some themes and templates also provide additional features created to support specific niches and services, such as corporate websites or online stores.
Choosing the right WordPress theme or template
The right WordPress theme or template for your website depends on your site’s purpose and needs, your skill level, and of course, budget.
Consider your site’s purpose
All WordPress themes and templates are available for users of different skill levels, from simple ones to more complex and full of different functions.
The most important is to select the template that is appropriate for your needs and website idea and purpose. If you are not a web developer, then look for theme features and tools that can let you personalize and control your website without the need to edit its code.
Pros and Cons of free and premium themes and templates
There are thousands of WordPress themes and templates that can be purchased or downloaded for free from the WordPress Theme Directory and numerous marketplaces. You can find a wide variety of themes and templates as for personal blog purpose, business and corporate sites design themes, service and accounting website templates, and much more on theme directories such as TemplateMonster and ThemeForest.
Free themes provide essential basic functionality to the WordPress site, but free themes and templates usually aren’t very flexible and customizable, and developers not often offer upgrades or support. Whereas Premium paid themes and templates do include online support and updates and sometimes also the official community forum of the theme developers.
Keep your theme simple, clean and updated
Most free and premium WordPress themes and templates come with a wide variety of different flashy tools and amazing options. Keep your theme options and templates clean, simple, and updated to make it easy for you to maintain and manage the site and also easy for your visitors to use. Choose for your website the theme with easy to read fonts and customization options.
Choosing the right theme or template is one of the essential points in your decision for your website. The right theme or template is the image of your website and provides your brand and message in the best way. The site must be easy for you to manage, and also has to welcome visitors with an intuitive interface, navigation, and engaging content.