How to Navigate WordPress Themes

Themes are the clothes of a WordPress website — they define the style of a website with colors, backgrounds, and fonts, as well as the layout of content, site navigation, homepages, and other templates. WordPress features default, free, and paid theme options that you can customize and use to design your website. Before you install a theme on your website, it’s important to know what you should look for in a theme and the different WordPress theme options.

WordPress Theme Options

Default theme: After you install WordPress, the first theme you will see is the default theme that displays on the front-end of the website. The current default theme is Twenty Nineteen.

Free theme:  WordPress has thousands of free themes that can be used for business, eCommerce, or blogging. Free themes are created by developers and can be installed and reviewed by any WordPress site member.

Paid theme: You can purchase a theme from a third-party WordPress theme shop, marketplace, or developer where you’ll get ongoing support and theme upgrades. Offer upgraded customization.

What to Look for in a Theme

• Mobile Responsiveness 
• Reviews and Ratings 
• Browser Compatible (Google Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer)

How to find a New Theme in WordPress

Search by Featured, Popular, Latest or Upload

Using Feature Filters

You also have the option to search based on criteria that is important to you. 

Once you’ve searched for your needs, you’ll be shown a grid of options to choose:

Featured Themes

Featured themes are highlighted on the WordPress directory page and are given prominent placement due to popularity with users and innovative design.

Popular Themes

Popular themes have a high amount of active installations among WordPress users.

Latest Themes

These themes are highlighted under the “Latest,” section of the WordPress theme directory for users wanting the newest themes uploaded to WordPress from the community.

What to do Before Changing Your Theme

Before you decide to swap out your current theme, here’s a list of what you should do before changing your theme:

• Make a backup of your website.

• Test current plugins with the new theme.

• Put your site in maintenance mode.

• Test the new theme on multiple devices.

WordPress.org features hundreds of theme selections for you to choose from whether you want an eCommerce or blogging theme. Now that you have reviewed all the theme options, it is time to make a selection for your website. Let us know your favorite theme in the comments below!