WordPress, a leading Content Management System, is used by bloggers around the world. A majority of the blogging websites run on WordPress platforms because they offer simple customizability and affordable themes.
There are thousands of WordPress themes you can choose from to build your blogging site. Themes like generate press offer high-quality features with simplistic personalization.
Factors to Choose the Right WordPress Theme: Blogger Edition
Filtering through all the options can take forever, so here are some factors that will speed up the selection process.
Purpose of Blog
If you’re a blogger, you’ve probably already completed this step. Deciding the objective of your blog helps you choose the suitable theme with the right features. Whether you’re trying to bring traffic to your site or starting an affiliate program, finding your purpose is essential.
WordPress themes offer templates for various niches and content types. Other aspects to consider include blog layout (categories or chronological order), advertising, etc. With a list of your requirements, you won’t take long to find the right choice.
Functionalities Required
A blog is more than just textual content displayed on a site. These days, they are more advanced with rating, social media sharing, comment sections, online store options, etc. Noting down the main functionalities you want for your blog can help you choose a suitable theme. As time goes by, you can add more functions through plugins.
When jumping into the blogging bandwagon, you might be tempted to choose a theme with the most features. But when considering websites, congestion can deteriorate the performance of your blog. Another consequence of feature-overload is difficult navigation. Even if the theme looks stunning, it might give you the results you need in conversion.
Responsive Theme
It is necessary to find a theme that is compatible with all devices, including desktops, laptops, tablets, and mobile phones. If your blog is not optimized for mobile, visitors will find it very difficult to read your content. The site will not be dynamic because of the fixed-width size. And considering that more than 50% of readers visit blogs through their mobile devices, it is a significant loss of traffic.
Page Speed
A theme can affect the loading speed of the page positively or negatively. The industry standard is 3 seconds for a high-quality website. If it crosses this benchmark, most visitors lose interest or patience. Page speed is the first aspect viewers notice when entering the site. It helps to have it optimized to ensure lower bounce rates and better conversions.
Plugin Support
As a beginner, it might be challenging to choose a theme with maximum plugin support, but choosing a popular theme will cover all your bases. Plugins or add-ons help you incorporate features that your theme might not offer. There are various plugins providing email automation, live chat, SEO optimization, etc., for your blogging site.
Customer Care
No theme is issue-free. That’s why customer support comes to the rescue for those occasional challenges. Also, new users unfamiliar with the interface need a heads up on the features and how to navigate through the platform. A detailed documentation or help guide will ensure that bloggers use the theme properly and prevent any issues from occurring.
With these guidelines, you won’t have to spend days choosing the appropriate WordPress theme for your blogging site. Install themes like GeneratePress for high performance and capture your reader’s attention with your content.