“What’s the best theme for my WordPress site?”

It’s a question I hear a lot. From friends, friends of friends, in support groups or forums.

You might hear it too.

Or, maybe, you’re one of the persons that make that question.

Perhaps, it’s because of it that you came to this post.

If so, either way, you’re in the right place.

In the next lines, I’ll give a recipe to find the best WordPress theme for your site.

You can follow as it is or be creative and add your salt and pepper.

Are you ready?

Let’s start with a question: Who is the site for?

Please, take some attention to the question. I’m not asking who’s the site owner.

I’ve asked for whom is the site. There’s a big difference.

That is, probably, the most important questions of all in your site preparation.

You must plan your site according to the target you’re trying to get.

Have you done your homework and defined the target audience of your site?

• Yes, go on.
• No, stop reading and go work on that subject and come back later. I’ll be here.

So, the first step you must do is think strategically about your audience, what you’ll give to them. What you’ve to offer.

Take your time.

Make a strong layout of your entire project. Prioritize your target. In the end, you finally can have a clear vision for your site. It’s like a blueprint.

The secret is to forget about you. Put aside the things that you want and prioritize the one´s that are important to your target audience.

Choose simple, clear, effective. Your job is to make people´s life easier, so don’t select a complicated theme.

The reality is that no one can give you a definitive answer to the main question of this post.

There is no ‘best WordPress theme.’

However, there are some interesting things you can do to find the best solution for your project.

How to find the best theme for your site in 5 steps

1. Forget the theme shops (for now)

The fast way is to visit a large shop or marketplace and look for themes you think are the best fit for your project blueprint.

But faster does not always mean better.

Invest some time to search WordPress sites that seem to match what you want. Try to find the themes they use. You can leverage the power of WPThemeDetector.

In the alternative, you can search the source code of the website. Use Inspect on the developer tools or view source on your browser. Look for wp-content/themes. The word immediately after is the name of the theme.

Some of them are available for the public in general, and you can download it or buy; some are not. Those are custom made for that website.

2. Set the priorities

What is the main point of focus?

• The layout?
• The typography?
• How the site shows images?
• The content organization?
• The speed?

Some of the things you might change, so don’t be too restrictive.

Usually, the speed is the best bet to start narrowing down the options. Then comes the layout. All the other elements are more or less easier to adapt or change.

Whatever you choose, always opt for simplicity and clarity.

3. Don’t think your site will look exactly as the one you choose to be your model

If you get impressed by the look and feel of a website and think you can do the same out of the box, you might get disappointed.

You’ll have some hard work to do.

It needs to be set up to look like either the demo version or the website you loved. If you follow the instructions and theme documentation, you should be able to get the desired layout.

However, your site shouldn’t be a clone of another. What you’ve to do is give it some personality, make it related to your audience.

4. Content is king

If you’re starting and don’t have content, like pages, posts, images, it will be tough to get it look like anything.

So start by creating 2 or 3 pages, and upload some blog posts and images to make it work. That way you’ll get to see how the site will be when running full speed.

5. Must haves

Whatever your choice, you have, from the outset, to respect some current requirements.

• Must be responsive on mobile;
• Try to avoid page builders;
• Test the load speed and always choose speed versus anything else, including the beautiful transition that you loved but increases the loading in half a second.
• Browser compatibility
• Translation ready
• Is SEO friendly?
• Is secure (try to check information for present or past vulnerabilities)?
• Support

It’s your turn

There is not a ‘best WordPress theme’ as there are not an all size fits.

Each project must be individual and build its personality.

Chose a theme that you like but make it your own.

Sorry, I made a big mistake. What I meant to say is: Chose a theme that you like but make it for your audience.