How to Choose a WordPress Template – The Exact Guide 2019

How to choose a WordPress template – The Exact Guide 2019

Imagine a store on the street of your city that offers the best cakes on the market.

Better than any cake you’ve tried before. The taste is unmatched and everyone dies to try them.

However, sales do not go as the owners of the business thought. Although there is interest and if they have sold, it is not expected.

What’s going on here?

When evaluating the situation, the confectioners realize that the image of their store does not favor anything they want to project and achieve. It does not attract visitors, and that is affecting the business a lot.

To begin with it is an old place, with black walls and with the name of the business written in a very small way and that can hardly be noticed.

The windows are dirty and the door a bit broken.

It is not their fault, they have just moved to that place a few weeks ago and have not had time to remodel.

Still, they know it’s time to do something about it.

How do you think this change of image will impact the sales of your cakes?

If they do it properly and choose a new image of quality and that suits what they are looking for, they will sell more. No doubt.

This little story helps us to reflect on the importance of the image and design.

It does not matter if we have the best or most delicious product. It is of little use if we offer a poor image, of poor quality and that has nothing to do with what we want to project to our clients and visitors.

The same happens on the Internet and Web pages.

To get the most out of and results from the content we publish and the products (or service) that we offer, it is essential to have a quality design with the highest standards.

WordPress uses themes (or templates) , which can be customized and modified to suit the user. If something more advanced is needed, they can also be created from scratch with the help of a specialized developer or developer.

7 Steps to Choose the perfect template for WordPress

It does not matter if you already have WordPress or if you are just taking your first steps, this guide will provide you with all the resources and EXACT steps to learn how to choose the best possible design.

This is going to have a great positive impact on your business and on the results you are looking to achieve with your Web page. Especially if you are starting or you already have a website that has not changed its appearance in a good time.

Let’s see now the steps to choose the best WordPress theme:

Step # 1 – Identify your main conversion

Take out a notebook and a pen. It can also be a Word or Google Drive document on your computer.

Write the word “The Goal of my Web page” and then make a list of all the goals you have and want to achieve with your new project in WordPress.

After that, it’s time to identify your main conversion, that is, the main action you want users to do when they arrive at your website. Examples:

• Fill out a contact form
• Subscribe to your newsletter
• Sign up for your membership trial
• Book an appointment
• Call you by phone
• Read a text and share it on social networks
• Any other

Your main conversion will allow you:

1. Know the type of website you are going to create and the template you need (including perhaps a specific demo of a certain niche or industry)
2. Create your homepage around that main conversion and that the users who arrive comply with it.

Can I have more than one conversion on my site? Of course, but it is important that your homepage is created based on that main conversion that will represent the difference and will give you those positive results you are looking for.

Also note your “secondary conversions” and keep them in mind when you are looking for WordPress templates.

Step # 2 – Set 3 goals of your project

Another exercise! This time, with your main conversion clear, it’s time to establish three goals or objectives for your website or project.

Take out your notebook or a new document on your computer again.

Write the word “Objectives” or “Goals” as a title and then write 3 things you want to achieve with WordPress.

Try to be as specific as possible . I give you an example:

• Sell ​​30 copies per month of my ebook for November 31, 2017
• Have my first 3 coaching clients for January 1, 2018
• Write 100 articles on the blog for February 1, 2018.

If you want to score more than 3, go ahead! There are no limits.

How will having goals help you before choosing a design and template? Very easy.

When you’re browsing through the different WordPress template sites, your choice will depend largely on how that design or theme you think can help you achieve your goals.

YOU ALREADY KNOW what you want to achieve and your choice will be based on that. Obviously choosing the right design does not guarantee success, even so, it is important because it is the image and first impression of your project.

Step # 3 – Find the ideal theme (preferably premium)

Now, since you know your main conversion and have established at least three objectives, it is time to navigate through the different providers of topics in search of the ideal design that best suits what you are looking for.

There are endless options, developers and pages that offer WordPress templates.

As I mentioned on some occasions, there are free themes and premium paid themes. What I recommend most is to choose a premium theme, as they offer better support, security and customization options .

In general, premium themes are far superior to free ones.

If at this time it is not possible for you to acquire a premium theme, then you can start with a free one and then take the leap in quality.

Here are some resources where you can get excellent WordPress themes:

• Catalog of topics in WordPress.org (free)
• 50+ best free WordPress themes
• Studiopress (Premium)
• Woothemes (Premium)
• Elegant Themes  – Here I recommend (Premium)
• ThemeForest (Premium)

Remember, when contemplating options and choosing candidates to be the final choice, always bear in mind your main conversion and your list of objectives.

Respond to the questions:

• How well does this theme fit what I need?
• Is the design the image I want to give my readers and visitors?
• Will this template allow me to achieve my goals? (in matters of Web design)

Visualize your Web site with each one of the subjects that you like.

At the end of this third step copy and paste in a document the name and URL of 3 to 5 topics that you liked and that could be the final option for your new site in WordPress.

Step # 4 – Evaluate the options

Already with a small list of topics that you have liked and that are likely to be your final choice, in this room we will quickly evaluate each of these options.

Investigate the supplier of the topic, look for opinions of other clients who have already used those designs, if possible look for the section of “Showcase” where they show pages of clients who have used those topics.

This will give you a very good idea of ​​everything you can achieve with the theme and how other users have customized it.

A good investigation always brings you closer to the right decision.

Step # 5 – Do not forget the technical and reputation aspects

In addition to reviewing the showcase of the different topics that you have on your list of possible choices, check that each one is compatible with all mobile devices, that it has good SEO support, loading speed and that it complies with all the performance standards of the Web.

Nowadays, almost all comply with it, but it is always good to review it.

I also recommend review users who have already purchased and used the template and if you can, check how many sales they have had. You can see the latter in Themeforest for example.

More sales and better comments are equivalent to a quality issue that (almost) has no failures or problems.

Step # 6 – How is content added?

In the last months (or years), there have been countless editors and frameworks that are used to add content in WordPress.

In many occasions, it will not be direct in the native editor of the platform where you will add content, rather, with an editor that is included in your theme.

For example, the templates purchased in Themeforest (almost) always come with Visual Composer included, an editor that has elements, columns and layouts so you can create the structure of your homepage and different pages.

There are also other more visual editors like Thrive Architect or Divi 3.0.

When you are reviewing the templates for your site, take into account and review how content is added. There will surely be a small learning curve to learn how to use it.

Step # 7 – Make the decision and start the initial configuration

Yes now. Once the research is done it is the perfect moment to make the decision and choose the theme for your WordPress site.

If it’s a premium theme, make the purchase, download the theme and install it.

Once this is done, it performs the configuration of design, colors, structure, typography, etc.

Each theme is a different universe; that is, you can find different configuration menus depending on the provider and the template. That is why many times we need a small time to learn how to use all the functions and customization options.

Also check the documentation of your template, where it explains everything you need to know to configure it and start adding content.

It is very different to choose a template in a random way or based on impulse to do all the previous work of research, objectives and definition of needs as we did in this small guide.