The first thing that will come to mind when writing a blog on a topic they are interested in is selecting the theme or template for their blog. There are several blogging platforms like WordPress, Blogger, Typepad, etc. You will get a list of those if you search for the blogging platforms on Google. WordPress is the most popular, and thousands of blogs are built using this platform. It is an Open Source project and is free to use.
This article will tell you how to select a WordPress(WP) theme. A WP theme is nothing but software used to build your blog. It contains various templates or files that work together in the background to give your blog the desired look and feel. The tips below will help you select your blog theme easily and efficiently.
1. Category: This means what your blog is all about. It defines the kind of audience you want to target your blog to. For example, if you’re going to write a blog about dogs, your blog comes under the Pets category. Or, if you like to target the people interested in cooking, your category would be Food. Finding your category helps you find the right theme and thus saves your time and energy in setting it up and later correcting it. There are themes in every major category, ranging from Travel to Music to Business. You can find these in the WP Theme directory and several websites like Free WordPress Themes, Daily Blog Tips, and Home Studio.
2. Colors and layouts: Some people like to have their favorite colors on their blogs. So, try getting your themes in those colors as much as possible, but this may not always be possible, although hundreds of WP themes match every desire. Also, another advantage to using a theme of your favorite color is that you do not need to change a lot in the article to get your shade. But I recommend not focusing much on this aspect because it is not difficult to change it later once you are comfortable with the code behind it. Rather, concentrate on the layout of the theme. Decide on what type of layout you want. Browse through the list of articles at WordPress.org and other websites cited above. This will give you an idea of how it looks, and you can easily decide. There are several layouts available, but the popular ones are:
READ MORE :
- Single Column
- Two Column (With Sidebar)
- Two Column (Without Sidebar)
- Three Column
- Four-column
- Fixed width
- Fluid width
Also, some layouts are specifically designed for Photos-centered and Videos-centered blogs. I feel you have to select a theme that you can live with for the long term, as you are the one who visits your blog the most. Experiment with some pieces with some test posts and pages. Comment them, categorize them, and see how your selected work looks. This is the best way to ensure you have the right article. Do not see the blog theme from your point of view but your reader’s point of view.
3. The purpose of your blog: This is important as it will help you select your theme for the long term. If you are going to write a blog only to vent out your emotions and thoughts, you do not need to give much importance to many other aspects of your blog, like advertisements, widgets, etc. But if you blog to help others like the one you are reading or to make money from it, you also need to consider a few other things besides the above. You need to consider if that theme supports advertisements without much tweaking and tuning the code and if the theme supports the widgets or plugins, like RSS, Protection from Spam comments, Search engine optimization, etc. By default, when you have signed up for a WordPress blog, you will be provided with default themes. You can use them or select your own by visiting WordPress’s free WP themes or other Paid WP theme websites. These websites offer professional-looking themes with excellent support.
4. Support: Ensure you get the support you need from the theme author or website owner while using the theme. I have seen many times that the site owner from where the music is downloaded could not help the user who downloaded and used it for their blog because it is not developed by himself but by somebody else, and he is only promoting it. If this is the case when you need the most support, it will lead to frustration and a waste of time.
