What is a WordPress Theme? A WordPress theme is a tool that lets you change how your website looks and how it’s set up. Themes let you change the layout, fonts, colors, and other design elements of your website.
A theme is a folder that has been compressed with a group of files, such as a set of page templates written in PHP and usually some CSS stylesheets.
Those group of PHP files provide all the code needed to instruct other files on the website what to perform. They maintain the theme’s overall structure and instruct CSS and media files how to work. Generally the theme provides a CSS stylesheet that determines the general look and feel of the website. If you believe you need to update the CSS stylesheet to make the theme look the way you want it to, no problem. Almost all modern themes allow customization within the WordPress admin dashboard.
You can easily change the look and feel of your website without needing to modify a single line of HTML, CSS, or JavaScript code.
When you first set up a WordPress site, a default theme will already be there. WordPress lets you change the theme to fit your needs and business.
You might want to choose and install a new theme on your site for a few reasons:
- To improve the look of your site: If you have a clear idea of what you want your site to look like, you can choose a suitable theme and change it to fit your needs.
- To enable more design customization: If you don’t know how to design or code, many themes give you a lot of ways to change things to make the design you want.
- To add more features: Depending on what you require, a theme may have features for your niche that you can’t find anywhere else.
Even though the default or customized version of a theme can work for many websites, there are actually thousands of themes to select from, each with its own niche and purpose. Let’s talk about this more in depth.
Picking the right theme for your website can make it look better, be easier to use, and keep people interested.
How does a WordPress theme work?
A WordPress theme is a group of files that work together to make your site’s design. There are template files, stylesheets, images, and even JavaScript files in a theme. All of these files change the way that your blog posts and pages look.
Changing your WordPress theme usually does not touch your blog’s content or other information stored in your database. It only changes how all of this information is shown to people who visit your site.
You can pick from tens of thousands WordPress themes. Several of them are free but usually you have to pay for a professional theme. Within those paid WordPress Themes you can also find a broad selection of so-called Premium WordPress themes.
You can get free themes from the official WordPress theme directory, or you can buy premium themes from third-party developers that have more features. Not only that, but you can even make your own themes to give your website a unique look.
To be listed inside the WordPress Theme Directory a theme must pass a review process. WordPress does assure you that the themes you get from this Directory fulfils a minimum standard of quality.
Before thinking about installing a free theme you should keep in mind that there are possible disadvantages which you may not see directly as a WordPress Beginner. Support is typically minimal, if at all – many times you do not get any support at all. You can ask for support through dedicated forums. This can be quite painful and you usually have to expect long times until getting your questions answered. You need an update for your theme? Many times the developers do not provide updates at all and if it can take a long period until those are published.
The premium options are entirely different. Improved features and usefulness, as well as better support and updates, are commonplace.
We advocate keeping your theme updated to ensure its safety and security. If you think you’ll require regular support and updates you definitely should consider a premium theme.
WordPress Theme = WordPress Template?
Beginners often don’t know the difference between a WordPress theme and a WordPress template.
Along with files like stylesheets, scripts, and images, template files are part of a WordPress theme. You can’t put template files on your computer one by one. Together with the other files in a WordPress theme, they change the look of your website.
Only one page or part of a page can be controlled by a template file. For example, in most themes, the header, footer, sidebar, comments, and other parts of your site have their own template files. The template files help you decide what information is shown and how each page is laid out.
WordPress uses a template hierarchy to figure out which template to use for each page or section.
Where to Find a WordPress Theme to Download
You can get a WordPress theme from numerous places. Some of the most popular choices are:
- WordPress.org is where all the official WordPress themes are kept. You can download and use any theme on WordPress.org for free. You can access it from your Internet Browser or directly from the WordPress Dashboard.
- ThemeForest is a marketplace where you can buy premium themes for WordPress.
- Creative Market, where you can find premium WordPress themes, just like on ThemeForest.
Other markets, such as Envato Elements, TemplateMonster, ThemeIsle, My Theme Shop, etc., offer similar services.
You can further find themes directly from the WordPress Theme Developers: If you don’t like the thought of browsing through a large directory, you can always go directly to the source. Many WordPress theme developers sell their work directly, although you’ll need to carry out your own quality checks.
How to install a WordPress Theme?
After you’ve downloaded a theme, you’ll need to install it on your WordPress site. Here’s what you have to do:
- Log in to the dashboard of your WordPress site.
- Go to “Look” > “Themes.”
- Click the button that says “Add New” at the top of the page.
- Click the button at the top of the page that says “Upload Theme.”
- Click the Choose File button and pick the theme file you downloaded.
- Click the button that says “Install Now.”
Once the theme is installed, you can turn it on by clicking the “Activate” link.
Note: Some themes may need extra steps or the installation of plugins to work right. Make sure to read the documentation for the theme to see if there are any other instructions.
Which Are the Most Popular WordPress Themes?
When you start a WordPress site, one of the first things you need to think about is the theme.
It’s smart to choose a theme that not only has the design and features you want but is also actively updated and maintained.
Here are some of the best and most popular WordPress themes you can download:
DIVI
Elegant Themes made Divi, a popular WordPress theme that can be used for many things. It is a powerful theme that comes with a built-in page builder. This makes it easy for people who don’t know how to code to create and change the layout and design of their website. Divi is made to work for many websites, like blogs, portfolios, business sites, and online stores.
Divi has a clean, modern look, and you can change the colors, fonts, and layouts. It comes with plenty of templates and modules that have already been made and can be easily imported and changed to fit the look and feel of your website. The theme also has a number of built-in design options, such as the ability to add animations, parallax backgrounds, and more. Divi is also fully responsive and has been set up for SEO.
ASTRA
Astra is a very popular, light, and easy-to-customize WordPress theme. It is designed to work with page builders like Elementor and others. It is a theme that can be used for many websites, like blogs, portfolios, business sites, and online stores. Astra was made with performance in mind, so any website that uses it will be fast and efficient.
Astra Theme Website
It has a clean, modern look with colors, fonts, and layouts that can be changed. Astra is also completely mobile-friendly and has been set up for SEO. It comes with a wide range of pre-made templates, such as ones for blogs, portfolios, and online stores. Astra also works with popular WordPress plugins like WooCommerce and Contact Form 7, which makes it easy to add more features to your site.
OceanWP
OceanWP is great for making WooCommerce storefronts because it’s light and easy to change. With ecommerce features like a native cart popup, a floating “add to cart” bar, and quick views of products already built into the theme, you won’t need to install as many plugins to make your ideal online store.
OceanWP is good for people with different levels of skill. Because it works with Elementor, Beaver Builder, Divi, and other popular page builders, it makes it easy for people who are just starting out to build their own sites. Developers and other advanced users, on the other hand, can use the theme’s codebase, which can be extended, to make their own unique changes.
OceanWP is one of the WordPress themes that is growing the fastest. It has been downloaded more than two million times. The theme itself is free. There are numerous bundles of premium extensions, demos, and support available.
DAISY
Daisy is the Mojo Marketplace theme that sells the most. This responsive theme is great for bloggers because it has different header styles, 15 blog layouts, five post types, and social media icons right out of the box.
With your purchase, you’ll get access to video tutorials that show you how to set up your site, from installing Daisy to setting up your SEO settings. This theme has a reputation for being easy for beginners to use because of how well it is documented and how clean and simple it is.
Any of the above themes can help you make sites that look great and have lots of features. Some, though, might try to do too much. Let’s look at themes that are made for business sites so that you don’t pay for features you don’t need and miss out on features you do.
HELLO
The Hello theme is a popular, free WordPress theme published by the team of the popular Page Builder Elementor. It is a minimalist theme that is designed to be used for a wide range of websites, including blogs, portfolios, and online stores. It features a clean and simple design with customizable colors, fonts, and layouts.
Hello also includes built-in support for various plugins and widgets, making it easy to add additional functionality to your site. Additionally, Hello is fully responsive, meaning it will adjust to look great on any device, from desktop computers to smartphones.
All of these themes are easy to use, have a professional Support and they provide dozens of beautiful layouts.
You can use them for personal blogs, business sites, eCommerce sites, and more.
How to Search Which Theme a Website is Using
If you like the way a website looks, you might want to know what theme they’re using.
Thankfully, there are many Online Tools outside which directly tell you which theme the website is using, often paired with other useful information about the WordPress Version the site is using. You could use for example Gochyu WordPress Theme Detector or Satoristudios WordPress Theme Detector. If you are a Chrome User you can also install a Chrome Extension like WordPress Theme Detector and Plugins Detector.
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