In many cases, free is great but when it comes to websites or blogs, free is never great and this I can proclaim a statement of fact from experience. This is even more important to note if you are intending to use WordPress. Granted, there are so many freebies available for wordpress including thousands of themes and plugins with hundreds of websites offering free WordPress themes or templates but if you are serious about creating quality blog or website, you will need more than just a free theme or template; you would require premium wordpress themes
This means you need to be ready to spend some money in buying a WordPress theme. It is common to think you should spend on themes when you have access to thousands of free themes you can choose for your website of blog? The simple reason is that you need much more than what most free themes can offer or deliver, especially if you expect complex functionality, state-of-the art design and top-of-the-range support. Moreover, most free WordPress themes come with an obligation no to remove the attribution (usually present at the footer) as that could be a violation of the copyright under which it is licensed as free.
While buying premium WordPress themes makes perfect sense, however, it would be unwise just to go to your browser, find any dealer selling these themes and pick the one you lay your eyes on and install. You have to be equipped with enough knowledge that will enable you make the best choice when it comes to the WordPress themes for your website or blog.
Although a WordPress theme primarily controls how a website looks and feels, it is not all about aesthetics. By influencing factors such as responsiveness, website loading times, etc., a WordPress theme plays a major role in determining whether a website will attract many visitors each day or not. That is why webmasters have to do their due diligence before purchasing any WordPress theme. What are those factors you should bear in mind when purchasing WordPress themes?
1. Speed and Performance
No one likes a website that loads slowly or sluggishly and available data confirms this. Data from Statista shows that 58% of mobile users in the U.S. expect a mobile website to load in under three seconds. Google studies also show that 53% of visitors will abandon a mobile website if it takes more than 3 seconds to load. Furthermore, Liquid Web estimates that 76% of consumers have abandoned carts due to slow websites, with 39% aborting sales of $100 or more.
Therefore, speed and performance is a very important consideration when buying a WordPress theme. Do not choose a theme that is so bogged down with features that websites using it will now become sluggish. Rather, go for one with efficient and lightweight codes, minimal number of large files etc.
2. Purpose and Compatibility of the Theme
In choosing a WordPress Theme, the twin factors of purpose and compatibility must be at the top of your mind. Your website should have a theme that is compatible with the purpose of the website. For example, a sales website for a flower store or a wedding dress shop will differ in layout from a sports blog or a relationship blog etc. A blog should have an uncluttered and straightforward layout while an online store website should have dedicated tabs for different categories of products, search tab, checkout page etc. So, when choosing a WordPress theme, the purpose of your website must be front and center in your mind.
3. Customization Options
When purchasing a WordPress theme, make sure to go for one that offers a lot of customization options so that you can adjust colors, fonts and layouts anyhow you want as well as in a way that matches your brand identity. A variety of customization options also means that you can go beyond basic features to add specific functionalities tailored to your website’s exact needs. For instance, if your website serves as an online store, you should be able to add custom product filters to it using the WordPress theme. If a website is for a therapist, one should be able to include a form for booking appointments, etc. Customization is not just for the purpose of ensuring that your website matches your brand identity. It is also key to functionality as well.
4. Responsive and Mobile-Friendly
More than half of all web traffic comes from mobile devices. Many people now use devices such as phones, tablets, etc. to access websites rather than laptops and PCs. That is why it is important that website owners should utilize WordPress themes that are responsive. Responsive means that the website will automatically adjust to suit different screen sizes; ensuring a good experience for visitors no matter the device they are using.
5. Security and Code Quality
Security and code quality is also non-negotiable for a great WordPress theme. High quality code ensures that a website will load fast, something that visitors will certainly appreciate. High quality coding will also plug loopholes that may expose a website to hacks and attacks. Of course, it goes without saying that no one wants to visit a website where their information may be possibly stolen.
6. Updates and Developer Support
When purchasing a WordPress theme, make sure to go for a theme developer that offers active and reliable support to their customers. This means that if any issue arises, you can quickly get in touch with the developer and they would sort it out. Also, another important factor to bear in mind when purchasing a WordPress theme is the availability of regular updates from the developer. Regular updates ensure that your website remains secure (it will fix bugs and other similar issues). It will also ensure that your website remains compatible with any WordPress updates. Regular updates also means that you get access to new features which you can utilize if you so wish.
7. User Reviews and Ratings
It goes without saying that before a anyone purchases a WordPress theme from a particular developer, they should read reviews from past buyers and check out the rating which the developer holds. Reviews and ratings from past users can be particularly helpful in determining how well the theme performs on specific metrics and factors. Past reviews can also show whether the company selling the theme has a customer support system with quick response times. By reading these past reviews, one is placed in a position to make a sound decision.
8. Licensing and Refund Policy
It is important to read and understand the licensing policy and refund policy attached to any WordPress theme that you are considering buying. For instance, a developer can restrict how a buyer can use a theme including placing a cap on the number of websites that the buyer can apply it to. A developer may also have a strict no refund policy meaning that buyers may end up being stuck with a theme that does not meet their needs. So, potential buyers should look before they leap.
9. Integration with Popular Tools
A WordPress theme is not the only thing that a WordPress website needs to be functional. Depending on the purpose of the website, it would have a need for several other tools. For instance, if a website is for a law firm, it should have a contact form plugin so that the website can display a contact form that members of the public can utilize to get in touch with the firm. It is therefore important that people should select a WordPress theme that is compatible with major plugins so that when eventually integrated, those plugins would be able to not only function but function optimally.
10. Support Community or Documentation
Although WordPress websites and WordPress themes are generally easy to use, it is still great if the developer provides ‘instructional manuals’ that can guide users. Therefore, when purchasing a WordPress theme, patronize a seller that has resources providing a detailed explanation of key features, settings, set-up instructions, etc. If that developer also has a video tutorial that shows these things practically, that is also great as well.
Some developers also create a community or groups where users can share experiences and ideas. Such a community is also essential. One may be able to get clues on how to resolve their issue in the community, eliminating the need for contacting customer care.
11. SEO-Friendliness
It is very important for a website to be SEO-friendly. This will enable it rank high in search engine results, thus driving traffic to the website. It will also enhance the credibility of the brand that owns the website as many web users see the top ranking search results as authoritative. That is why it is important to purchase a WordPress theme that will help make your website SEO-friendly.
Go for a WordPress theme that makes your website responsive to different screen sizes, that ensures that your website still loads as fast as possible, etc. Also, endeavor to choose a WordPress theme that is compatible with popular SEO plugins. These plugins come loaded with tools that will do the work of optimizing different aspects of your website’s content (titles, meta descriptions, keywords) for SEO purposes.
How to Find the Best WordPress Themes
Who is the dealer?
The very first thing you need to keep in your mind is who is selling in the themes. Obviously, you cannot purchase something without first knowing where to find it. Because of the popularity of WordPress as a content management system and a blogging tool, many unscrupulous people take the advantage to swindle unsuspecting people of their hard-earned cash by selling fake themes. There have also been incidences of core-edited WordPress themes with malicious codes inserted to provide a gateway for hackers who created or modified the theme in the first instance.
Take your time and research only reputable premium theme shops like themeforest. The internet is full of several of such online shops and this can be a little bit confusing. You can use our carefully selected WordPress theme shops and resellers at the end of this article as we have used them and they come well recommended, making up most of the best WordPress premium theme shops.
The purchasing cost
The selling prices of premium theme vary so much depending on the seller, the quality as well as the functional features such a theme possesses. Some dealers offer both one time sale as well as membership clubs in which members have access to full range of themes including the latest after paying an annual membership of a specified amount of time. Often times, part of the benefits also include support which could come either as a life-time support or limited to one or two years.
There are different approaches you can take to properly balance the cost you are going to spend on a theme and how many themes you may possibly need. You can purchase a theme, which you may have to change with time if you have limited cash. The other alternative is joining a membership club like Elegant themes which is one of the best WordPress theme creators with over 85 awesome Wordpress themes and even future themes you can have access to for a fee of only $69. This approach could be much more advantageous if you are hoping to buy or use more than one theme as this grants you the unlimited access you will have on both the classic and new themes. This plan is cost-effective in the long end because you will not have to spend any money to switch themes once you have paid the membership amount. However, you need to find out if the theme dealer has some refund policy for your own protection incase the theme is ineffective.
Features supported by the theme
The most important reason for choosing to buy a WordPress theme is to get better features. Take your time and go through the features supported by the themes of interest. Choose a theme whose features match those required by your website or blog.
However, there are features that are common to all kinds of websites and blogs which a theme must support including responsive web design, properly coded HTML and CSS codes, regular updates as well as specialized support. The additional features will depend on the nature of your website or blog you are starting or already running.
Compliance of the Theme with acceptable codes
Failure to comply with World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) can lead to many problems including slow processing speeds, poor ranking on Search Engine Result Pages(SERPs) and make it susceptible to security challenges opening way for hackers as well as information thieves. This is why you have to ensure that the theme you are choosing to purchase fully complies with acceptable W3C codes. However, achieving absolute (100%) compliance is impossible. You can use a W3C validator to test compliance of the theme you are interested in.
Conclusion
The other things you need to consider include customer support, update frequency as well as the overall appearance and customizability of the theme. If you take these points, you are unlikely to go wrong in choosing the best WordPress theme for your website or blog. There is no need to rush into this decision. Take time and get the best theme for your money.