How to choose a WordPress theme
Before getting to the heart of this guide and listing those who, in my opinion, are the best WordPress themes, let me give you some useful tips to choose a good theme to install on your site made with the famous CMS.
Among the most important factors to consider when choosing a WordPress theme, is the weight of the latter, which determines the loading speed of each page of the site. For this reason, I do not recommend relying on themes that integrate hundreds of features: they would only burden the code and, most likely, you would use them little or nothing.
The best possible choice is to use themes with a clean code, with an excellent loading speed and which are constantly updated. If you don't have a budget available to buy a good paid theme, avoid using free templates that, after being developed, have never been updated: not only will you not have support in case of problems but, in the long run, you may encounter incompatibility with plugins and future versions of WordPress.
Although, nowadays, almost all the themes are responsive, that is, they adapt perfectly to different types of screens, make sure that the theme you choose is of this kind. Also, if you don't know any programming language (in particular HTML, PHP and CSS) and would like to be able to modify some graphic aspects of your site, make sure that the theme you intend to install is compatible with page builders (eg. Elementor o Visual Composer), additional tools that allow you to make changes to your website with a few clicks and without putting your hand to code.
Best free WordPress themes
If you are wondering what the best free WordPress themes, you will be pleased to know that there are several no-cost solutions that you can consider. Which ones are they? I'll tell you right away!
Oceanwp
Among the best free WordPress themes that I would like to recommend there is certainly Oceanwp. If you've never heard of it before, you need to know that it's a multipurpose theme that makes speed its strong point. It is ideal for those who create sites in WordPress with page builders, tools that allow you to customize the template of your site without putting your hand to the theme files and without knowing any programming code (eg. Elementor).
In addition to integrating numerous features that allow you to customize your site, it allows you to add additional dedicated tools (both free and paid) to make it even more complete. In addition, with OceanWP it is also possible to install ready-to-use graphic customizations, by choosing one of the paid designs that, with a few clicks, allow you to change the template of your site.
Ultimately, OceanWP is to be considered one of the best themes thanks to the many customization options offered, its speed and a clean and light code (which also make it excellent on the SEO side). In addition, it is constantly updated, offers extensive documentation on the official website of the developers and also allows you to get immediate support, even if you buy one of the packages dedicated to assistance.
GeneratePress
GeneratePress is a multipurpose theme that can be used to build any type of website. Its strong point is definitely a lightweight code, clean and respecting accessibility standards, factors that make it extremely fast.
Present a minimal graphics which can be customized to your liking from the WordPress personalization settings. From here, you can take care of every little detail, including the choice and colors of the layout, the size of the sidebars and much more.
Furthermore, it is compatible with page builders, such as Elementor, which allow you to customize the template to your liking, without putting your hand to code. In the paid version of GeneratePress ($ 49,95) it is also possible to use ready-to-use templates that allow you to customize the site easily, as well as take advantage of additional tools to increase its functionality and, in case of problems, of get immediate support for one year.
Hueman
Among the free themes for WordPress that you can consider there is also Hueman. Although it is a theme indicated mainly for blogs and online magazines, it can also be used for institutional sites (eg schools) or for small companies. It is also available in a paid version, called Hueman Pro, which increases its functionality.
Hueman allows you to choose between well 6 different layouts and allows you to create new sidebars (areas of the theme designed to host widgets), to be used in specific sections of your site and with the possibility of applying graphic customizations without knowing any programming code.
Also, through the use of the free plugin Nimble Page Builder, allows you to customize the layout of the theme using the drag & drop function, simply by dragging the elements of interest to the page to be customized.
As for the main page, Hueman has one highlighted slider in which it is possible to display both the most recent contents and certain articles of specific categories, with the possibility of indicating the number of posts to show. The other articles, on the other hand, are arranged in two columns or in a list and it is possible to view the image in evidence and a brief extract of the content.
In addition to being well optimized for viewing from mobile devices, Hueman also provides some "proprietary" widgets that allow you to view, in one of the areas set up to host widgets, a list of the latest articles published, the most popular content or to add a video with simplicity.
Finally, it will be useful to know that Hueman is constantly updated by the developers and, on the official website of the theme, there is an extensive documentation (in English) for the initial configuration.
Astra
Astra is a multipurpose theme that allows you to create sites of all kinds, such as blogs, e-commerce, portfolios and many other ready-to-use templates to be downloaded via a special plugin. So if you are looking for best portfolio themes or you simply need to create a blog, this is the theme for you.
To ensure a fast page loading speed, Astra's developers have minimized the available options by presenting a clean and light code (the package weighs less than 1 MB), as well as well optimized for search engines. Despite this, it allows you to customize the graphics of your site down to the smallest detail, even through the main page builder tools, such as Elementor.
Furthermore, by activating a plugin from the theme options, you can access a large collection of free ready-to-use layouts that allow you to quickly customize your site or create a landing page with ease.
In addition to the free version, Astra Pro is also available ($ 249 or by subscription for $ 59 / year) which allows for the integration of third-party plugins, such as WooCommerce (to create an online store) or LearnDash (to create an online training platform).
More free WordPress themes
You would like to know and try other free WordPress themes, perhaps seeing a preview on your website? If so, all you need to do is log into your blog's WordPress admin dashboard and select the option Appearance, to view the free themes available in the repository of the famous CMS.
To proceed, then connected to the login screen of your website, enter your login credentials in the fields Username or email address e Password and click on the button Login, to log in to the Dashboard of WordPress.
Once this is done, click on the option Appearance visible in the sidebar on the left and click on the button Add new theme, above, to view the complete list of free themes available on WordPress, divided into categories Recommended, Popular e Latest.
To speed up the search and view only the topics of your interest, select the option Feature filter and put the check mark next to the filters of your interest in the sections Subject (Blog, Entertainment, E-commerce, News, Festivity etc.), Functionality (Accessible, Custom logo, Featured images, Widget in the footer etc.) and layout (A column, Two columns, Left sidebar, Grid layout etc.).
After selecting the features that your WordPress theme should have, click on the button Apply filters, to view the free themes available. Then press the button Preview, to preview and test the main graphic features of the selected theme.
To understand better, let's take a practical example: if you are looking for best WordPress themes for photographers and you need to have a template with a sidebar on the right, you can select the option Feature filter, put the check mark next to the items Photography e Right sidebar and click on the button Apply filters, to view the best no-cost solutions at your disposal.
Best paid WordPress themes
If you have decided to buy a Payable WordPress theme, you must know that even in this case it is first necessary to carefully analyze each theme and choose the one that best suits your project. To make things easier for you, here are some such solutions that can work for you.
Genesis Framework
Among the first paid WordPress themes that I would like to recommend there is Genesis Framework, which is based on the concept of parent theme (framework) and child theme (child theme). In a nutshell, the framework represents the foundation of the WordPress theme, a collection of files containing the main functions of the latter. The child theme, on the other hand, contains all the graphic and functional customizations and links directly to the parent theme.
Purchasing the Genesis Framework theme, at a cost of $ 59,95, comes with the framework and a free ready-to-use child theme. Alternatively, you can purchase one of the paid child themes starting at $ 99,95 (including the framework and the free child theme).
If you are wondering what are the advantages of choosing Genesis Framework, you must know that with this system it is possible to make changes to the child theme (or create one from scratch) without any limitation and without losing your customization by updating the framework files .
Furthermore, the Genesis theme has a light code (the package weighs just 500 Kb) and clean, it integrates some useful features from an SEO perspective and, by installing special free plugins dedicated exclusively to Genesis, it is possible to increase its functionality.
enfold
enfold is one of the most popular paid WordPress themes. Although it is multipurpose and also allows you to create blogs and portfolio sites, it is recommended above all for the creation of corporate and e-commerce sites. The license for installation on a single site costs $ 59.
The theme in question allows you to customize the graphic style in detail, from the choice of colors to the position of the individual elements on the pages. It also lets you use one of the 36 templates available, to be installed with a simple click, allowing you to have a site ready to use in a few seconds.
The most demanding, in addition to being able to use different sidebars in pages and articles, can also create grids, columns, slideshows, buttons and much more, through a special advanced layout editor which, with simplicity, allows you to create customized templates on the pages of your interest.
As for the characteristics to be taken into consideration for positioning on search engines, it offers a light code, clean and free of unnecessary functions: characteristics that make it extremely fast in loading pages.
Divi
Divi is a powerful yet simple to use multipurpose theme. It is the ideal solution for those who want to build their website template from scratch, even for those who do not know any programming language.
In addition to allowing the creation of individual pages through a system that simply allows you to drag the elements to be inserted into the content, in the same way it also allows you to create customized templates, choosing how to set the site header, where to place the side bars and all the elements that make up the layout.
Furthermore, it allows you to choose and use single elements already created (eg product pages, headers, sidebar) to add to your template and also to install packages to have a ready-to-use layout.
As for the costs, it is possible to purchase a license (which allows the use of Divi without limitations on all the sites of your interest) at a cost of 249 dollars or by subscription for 89 dollars / year. In the latter case, you can deactivate your subscription at any time: your site will continue to work perfectly with Divi but updates will no longer be available.
MayaShop
Do you have a business and would like to create your own online store? If so, you can consider MayaShop, One of the best e-commerce themes for WordPress. It costs $ 64 and can be installed on a single website.
In addition to choosing from one of the 10 ready-to-use layouts, to be used on the main page of your e-commerce, it allows you to customize the graphic aspect in detail with the possibility of creating customized layouts.
Furthermore, it is compatible with the famous plugin WooCommerce and offers interesting integrated features, both for the management of payments and for the calculation of taxes.
Other paid WordPress themes
If in addition to the paid WordPress themes that I indicated in the previous lines, you would like to know other valid templates to use on your site, you must know that there are online stores dedicated to the purchase of themes for WordPress. Here are some that you can consider to find the theme that best suits your needs.
- ThemeForest: is a portal that collects thousands and thousands of WordPress themes, starting at $ 2. Templates of all kinds are available, both for simple blogs and for creating complex e-commerce sites. Allows you to view a demo of the theme of your interest.
- Template Monster: it is another valid online site, also available in cittàn, on which not only themes and plugins for WordPress are collected, but also for other CMSs, such as Drupal, Joomla etc. Again, before buying a theme, you can test its features through a live demo.
- MyThemeShop: it is an online store dedicated to WordPress themes and paid plugins, but tools are also available at no cost. You can find templates for blogs, for online magazines, for e-commerce and even for corporate websites.
How to install a WordPress theme
Once you've chosen the WordPress theme that best suits your needs, all you have to do is install it on your website, for initial setup and customization.
The procedure for installing a free WordPress theme, chosen from the CMS repository, is quick and easy. After choosing the theme of your interest, all you have to do is click on the relevant button Install, wait for the installation to complete and click on the option Attiva, to apply the new graphics to your site.
If, on the other hand, you have chosen a paid WordPress theme (or a free third-party theme), after downloading the ZIP package containing the files of the theme in question, access the Dashboard WordPress, select the option Appearance and click on the buttons Add a new theme e Upload theme.
Premium, quindi, sul pulsating Choose file, select the theme file to install and, once the upload is complete, click on the option Install theme, to proceed with the installation. Finally, click on the button Attiva And that's it. To learn more, you can read my guide on how to use WordPress.
Best WordPress Themes
