Picking the Perfect WordPress Theme for Your Business
The truth is, we love custom design because your website should represent you and engage with customers. With a custom WordPress theme design, you can connect with potential clients on a personal level and establish your business identity.
However, we know that not everyone has the time or budget for a custom design. That’s why we’ve put together this list of what we feel are the main considerations when choosing the perfect WordPress theme for business.
When it comes to launching a new website, one of the most important decisions you’ll make is choosing the right WordPress theme. A WordPress theme sets the tone and style of your site, and it can be a make-or-break factor in determining whether or not users stick around.
With so many themes to choose from, how can you safeguard against picking a dud? In this blog post, we’ll run through a few key considerations you should bear in mind when selecting a WordPress theme for your business website.
1. User Experience
One of the most important factors to consider when choosing a WordPress theme is how user-friendly it is. You want visitors to your site to have a positive experience from the moment they land on your homepage, and that means choosing a theme with a clean design, easy navigation, and clear calls to action.
To get an idea of how user-friendly a theme is, try browsing through the demo site and seeing how easy it is to find your way around. Alternatively, you can read online reviews from other users to get a sense of what they think.
2. Responsive WordPress Theme
Another big factor in choosing a WordPress theme is responsiveness, or how well the theme adjusts to different screen sizes. With more and more people accessing the internet on mobile devices, it’s essential that your website looks good and functions well on both desktop and mobile.
When testing themes, be sure to view the demo site on both a desktop computer and a mobile device. Pay attention to things like the layout, font size, and button placement, and make sure everything looks tidy and easy to use.
3. Theme Updates
When you’re running a business website, you can’t afford for things to break down or stop working properly—and that includes your WordPress theme. That’s why it’s important to choose a theme that is regularly updated by its developers. By staying up-to-date with the latest version of WordPress, you can rest assured knowing that your site is less vulnerable to security risks.
To check if a theme is being updated, you can look at the changelog on the theme’s page. This will show you the date of the most recent update as well as a list of changes that were made.
4. WordPress Theme Support
Even with regular updates, there’s always a chance that something could go wrong with your WordPress theme—and when that happens, you want to be able to get help from the developer as quickly as possible. Before settling on a particular WordPress theme, take some time to read reviews and see what other users have had to say about the level of support offered by the developer.
5. Theme Pricing
If you’re looking at a premium theme, you’ll need to consider the price of the WordPress theme. In most cases, you can find themes that range in price from free to £100 or more. When it comes to choosing a theme for your business website, it’s important to strike a balance between cost and quality.
There are plenty of great free themes available, but you may need to sacrifice some features or functionality. On the other hand, premium themes tend to offer a higher level of quality and support, but they come at a price. Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide what’s more important for your business website.
6. WordPress Integrations
Another thing to consider is whether or not the theme you’re interested in integrates with the plugins and services you’re already using. For example, if you’re running an eCommerce store, then you’ll need to make sure the theme integrates with WooCommerce.
Before settling on a theme, take some time to research the integrations that are available and make sure the theme you choose includes the ones you need.
7. Gutenberg Support
As of WordPress 5.0 (December 6, 2018), a new editor called Gutenberg was introduced. This block-based editor completely changed the way users create content within WordPress. If you’re planning on using Gutenberg, then you’ll need to make sure your theme is fully compatible.
Check the theme’s page to see if it includes any information about Gutenberg compatibility. Alternatively, you can reach out to the developer and ask directly.
8. Page Builder Support
If you’re not planning on using Gutenberg, then you’ll need to find a theme that supports your page builder of choice. For example, if you’re using Beaver Builder, then you’ll need to find a theme that has been specifically designed to work with Beaver Builder.
Not all themes include page builder support, so this is something you’ll need to keep in mind when choosing a theme for your business website.
9. Multilingual Support
If you’re running a business that serves customers in multiple languages, then you’ll need to make sure your WordPress theme includes multilingual support. This way, you can easily create content in multiple languages and reach a wider audience.
When choosing a multilingual WordPress theme, you’ll need to decide which language translation method you want to use. The two most popular methods are automatic translation and manual translation.
Automatic translation is the easier of the two methods, as it allows you to automatically translate your content into different languages using a machine-learning algorithm. However, this method is not always accurate, which is why some businesses prefer to use manual translation.
The manual translation is more time-consuming, but it allows you to ensure that your content is accurately translated into different languages. If you’re running a business that relies heavily on accurate translations, then the manual translation is the way to go.
10. RTL Language Support
In addition to multilingual support, you’ll also need to make sure your theme includes RTL language support. RTL languages are written from right to left, as opposed to left to right.
If you’re running a business that serves customers who speak an RTL language, then you’ll need to make sure your theme includes RTL language support. Otherwise, your website will not be accessible to those customers.
11. Support for High-Resolution Displays
More and more people are using high-resolution displays, such as Retina displays. If you want your website to look its best on high-resolution displays, then you’ll need to make sure your theme includes support for them.
Check the theme’s page to see if it includes any information about high-resolution display support. Alternatively, you can reach out to the developer and ask directly.
12. SEO-Friendly
If you want your business website to rank well in search engines, then you’ll need to make sure your theme is SEO-friendly. This means that the theme is designed to help your website rank well in search engines.
When choosing an SEO-friendly WordPress theme, you’ll need to look for a theme that includes features such as optimised code, schema markup, and social media integration. These features will help your website rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs).
13. Support for WooCommerce
If you’re planning on selling products or services online, then you’ll need to make sure your WordPress theme includes support for WooCommerce. WooCommerce is the most popular eCommerce plugin for WordPress, and it allows you to easily create an online store.
When choosing a WooCommerce-compatible theme, you’ll need to make sure the theme is designed specifically for WooCommerce. This way, you can be sure that the theme will work well with the plugin and that all of the plugin’s features will be accessible from your website.
Final Thoughts
Having a website that reflects your business is essential in today’s digital world. If you’re running a business, then you need to make sure your website is up to par.
When choosing a theme, bear in mind user experience, responsiveness, updates, and support. By taking these factors into account, you can safeguard against picking a dud and set your site up for success.
However if you’re really looking to take your business to the next level, you’ll want to consider working with a professional web development agency that can help you create a custom website specifically for your business.
At Sanders Design we specialise in helping businesses create custom WordPress websites. We understand the importance of having a website that accurately reflects your brand and meets your business’s specific needs.
If you’re interested in learning more about our services, we invite you to contact us today. We’ll be happy to discuss your project with you and provide you with a free quote.