WordPress has cemented its presence in 2021 by powering almost 40% of websites. With Covid-19 wreaking havoc for over a year and layoffs being a serious cause for concern, it’s hardly a surprise that the creator economy is booming. Blogging has become mainstream and has evolved into a veritable income source for many from being just an online diary.
Blogging is essential in any content strategy. With Google and YouTube offering a better chance at receiving traffic than Facebook and Instagram, getting your blog up and running the right way in 2021 is significant. First impressions always count, and having the right template dressing your blog is non-negotiable.
There are plenty of resources out there that offer great content on all things to do with WordPress. This article is about getting you started on your blogging journey. Helping you choose the right WordPress blog template, while keeping it simple. With that in mind, remember that opting for a great design that offers a user experience par excellence is mandatory.
What Type Of Themes Are There?
With thousands of WordPress website templates available, it can seem quite the task to pick the right template for you. There are 3 types of WordPress templates or themes to get you started. In addition to controlling your blog or website’s look, WordPress themes also play a critical role in Search Engine Optimization (SEO), but that is a conversation for another day.
There are three types of WordPress themes that you should consider:
- Free
- Premium
- Custom
Free
Caption: Sydney is a Free WordPress template found on aThemes
The easiest way to find many free WordPress themes would be to visit the WordPress.org themes directory. The amazing thing about free themes is that they’re 100% free. WordPress themes can have a huge impact on site performance, SEO, look and feel, and a blog’s extensibility. Given this, it would be prudent to not just pick the best-looking theme but also to read about it, research it, and read all the reviews. Carry out diligent research to make sure the theme isn’t just aesthetically pleasing. It should perform well, and be optimized for SEO. Ignoring this basic checklist can really hurt your blog.
Premium
Caption: Food Blogger is a Premium WordPress theme on templatic
Premium themes are very high-quality WordPress themes developed by small or large companies. In most cases, you have to pay for them. It would be safe to state that premium themes generally range between $50 – $100. The cost can be worth it since premium themes offer the following benefits. High-quality code, be optimized for SEO, are current concerning web standards, optimized and performance-focused. Have flexible customization, and receive full support. Anyone well-versed with PHP and HTML can put create a WordPress theme and make it available. However, some people know what they’re doing, while others don’t. Poorly written themes can really hurt your site’s performance because it won’t be responsive for one. It can negatively impact your SEO efforts.
Custom
Caption: Salbi is a custom WordPress theme
Custom WordPress themes can be the way to go if you want to give your site a sophisticated and original look. They are often required for e-commerce stores and other unique types of websites. Custom WordPress themes are developed specifically by web designers and developers and offer flexibility and various options. On the downside, though, custom themes can be costly. Usually running into the $500 – $3,000 bracket depending on how sophisticated they are and how skilled the designer is. The more custom graphics they have, the more expensive they tend to be. Another option to get the look and feel of a custom theme, is to customize a premium theme. This can be done at a lower cost.
Where Do I Find A Theme?
When choosing a great template, remember you aren’t spoilt for choice; this is because there are many options out there that you can tap into. We look at 3 great options that you should certainly shortlist when choosing a theme for your blog.
WordPress
You can easily get plenty of great-looking themes on WordPress itself. WordPress is great simply because it’s a one-stop-shop for all your blogging needs. It’s rather reminiscent of a plug-and-play facility. If you’re just getting started, you can download many WordPress themes for free on the WordPress Theme Directory.
Envato
There are plenty of excellent resources that can offer a great list of templates for WordPress; it goes without saying that Envato is certainly an option you should consider since the focus is to make your blog truly stand out. If you do not already know, ThemeForest is a great and vast marketplace of pre-made themes for sale for WordPress and a variety of CMS platforms and HTML websites. ThemeForest is owned by Envato, which has several different websites under its brand, like CodeCanyon and AudioJungle, to name two. They are, without a doubt, an influential leader in this marketplace. Those who typically purchase themes from them are advised to do a thorough check of the template they are looking to download to ensure that they don’t require half a dozen plugins post-installation to function.
WordPress.org
Without a doubt, it’s a no-brainer that WordPress.org is an excellent place to find WordPress themes, so let’s talk about this first. Most WordPress theme searches start right at the source, which is the WordPress.org theme directory. Boasting well over 5000+ themes and used by millions of WordPress users worldwide, this is a marketplace that is still growing. It is a marketplace that has exceptional free and premium themes for all types of websites. WordPress uses extreme care when they review each theme submission, and that alone is one significant reason you should consider choosing a theme from here. To put it simply, this particular market has strict guidelines that themes need to adhere to, meaning a product found here will be of quality.
The list goes on when it comes to highlighting the various resources for choosing a WordPress blog template that you like. But the above three options are a great starting point when choosing a theme for your WordPress blog.
Parting Thoughts: Choose Minimalism
Throughout the history of design, you will realize that minimalism is an art form per se. Minimalism has been a philosophy that has made giants like Apple truly stand out and carve a vast audience for themselves. When starting or with a template for your blog, choose a minimalist design that is easy on the eye.
Consider understanding and embracing modern web design principles, which states that Less is More and that the barest elements are enough and aesthetically pleasing for a design to function. What should be anathema is clutter, and this should be the guiding principle when it comes to creating your own blog.
As shown throughout this blog post, WordPress itself offers some great free templates that can help you power your blogging journey well past 2021.
Whatever theme you use, remember that it is a great theme and a combination of relevant plugins that can lead to a great deal of success in having the right WordPress blog template. Choose an analytics plugin like MonsterInsight, an SEO plugin like Yoast or RankMath, and a WordPress commenting plugin to truly make your blog stand out.
Got any questions or queries? Let’s keep this conversation going in the comments below.