Most of us aren’t programmers or designers which may seem like a disadvantage when it comes to creating a website. However, that is good news. Why? Because you’ll be able to focus on what really matters, which is getting traffic. You don’t want to be sending hours and hours of programming and designing when you could be publishing great content instead.
Now, that’s not to say a good design doesn’t matter at all. Your website should look good and offer a friendly user experience. However, to get started and start making money, you don’t need something super fancy.
Thankfully, this is where WordPress themes are useful. WordPress themes take care of most of the design for you while allowing you to easily customize things like the font, color, and layout.
Choosing a WordPress theme
First, when picking a theme, you want to be a little careful. You don’t want to pick a random theme just because it looks good. There are other important factors to consider besides looks.
Other important factors are:
- Speed: Themes that are designed poorly and bloated will slow down your website. Make sure your theme is fast.
- Updates: Your theme should be well-supported and updated regularly. This will keep the theme secure and working with the latest browser and device changes.
- Customization: A good theme will allow you to customize key components such as layout, fonts, and colors.
Of course, other factors are being mobile and SEO-friendly. A great indicator of a good theme is to see how many reviews and downloads the theme has. If a theme has lots of downloads and positive reviews, it’s probably a good choice. Let’s look at a few popular WordPress themes…
Best WordPress themes for blogging
Choosing a theme is often a personal preference. I personally use GeneratePress Pro on all my sites. They do have a free version, but the Pro version has more features and allows you to import existing designs from their site library.
If you’re on a budget or just getting started, don’t feel pressured to buy an expensive theme. There are some good free ones out there.
I recently took a poll in my Affiliate Niche Builders Facebook group about favorite WordPress themes. These were the results from 138 votes:
The top 3 themes are GeneratePress, Kadence, and Astra. These all have free and paid versions and are highly recommended. Take some time to browse each of the theme’s features, try them out, and see which one you like the best. You can always change themes if you decide you don’t like one.
Installing your theme
If you’re experienced with WordPress, you probably know how easy it is to install a theme. If you’re brand new, then here’s a little guide:
- Click ‘Appearance’ on the left-hand menu of your WordPress dashboard (when you are logged into the admin)
- Select ‘Themes’ from the sub-menu
- Click ‘Add New’
- Browse or search for themes by name in the search box
- Click Preview to see the theme or Install to install them
- Click ‘Activate’ once the theme is installed
- Themes can be customized by selecting ‘Customize’ under the ‘Appearance’ menu
Takeaways
- You don’t need to be a designer to have a good-looking website
- Free themes are perfectly fine to start
- Your theme should be updated regularly and have lots of positive reviews
- GeneratePress, Kadence, and Astra are some great themes to try first