How To Choose a Great Theme For Your Blog / Website
This is not as straight forward & easy a task as many of you may think. Wordpress for example, seems to have a near endless list of possible themes to choose from, in fact they have well in excess of 1,000 free themes & an even greater list of possible plugins to use with these free themes.
So how do we choose…?
What factors should we consider when making our choices. After all, we all have different tastes when it comes to the aesthetics of a website. So what criteria should we use when making our choices, what is important..?
The way I usually do this, is to look at 3 main factors:
1. The aesthetics..?
2. The functionality..?
3. The Cost..?
Now there are probably some of you reading this that are shaking your heads wildly in disagreement, but hang on a moment, let me explain my reasoning. I say aesthetics 1st for the simple reason that first impressions count far more than many of us realise.
Example of aesthetics:
1. Is the site / blog colour co-ordinated, do the colours blend and fit or are they leaping of the page & trying to pluck your eyeballs from their sockets..?
2. Is the contrast good, making the text easily readable..? Also the size of the text can make a huge difference to the appeal of a website.
3. What about general layout of the page..? Is it neat & well thought out, giving a sense of professionalism, or does it look more like a kiddies crayon book..?
4. Generally speaking does the colour scheme suite & match the blog or websites theme, eg you would not expect to see a site dealing with funeral services, having the sort of colour scheme that makes you feel happy & cheerful ! Obviously the two just do not fit, it is akin to trying to drive a square peg into a round hole !
Many graphics designers will be aware of the fact that certain colours can actually dictate mood; lilac or light purple is a relaxing colour, yellow & orange give a warm feel, while blue is often seen as a masculine colour & cold, pinks are obviously seen as soft & feminine, greys are often seen as solemn. Having said that, the colours used & blended with those mentioned above, can totally change the initial colours natural mood & feel.
The upshot of all this is the fact that colours can have a subconscious effect on us, we can be drawn to, or repelled from, depending on the colours used. This is why most national newspaper will tend to use neutral colours for their headers & if you doubt this, just take a look at Microsoft’s own choice of colours in their design of Windows, light blue headers & task bars, with a white background = Neutral. I’m sure you get the idea now, gaudy just does not work & this is why first impressions are so important, so wherever possible please try to avoid strong/ primary colours as backgrounds. Always use washed out very pale colours for your backgrounds & keep the strong colours for any headings on your page or sidebars, remembering of course that contrast is equally important.
Theme Functionality:
Ok I accept that until you get a theme installed and running, then it’s functionality is going to be a little hard to judge, however there are a few thing you should consider before making your ultimate choice.
1. Try and look for a screen shot of the theme actually up & running, this can not only show you what the theme is going to look like, but can also give you ideas on layout & design.
2. Think about how your website or blog is going to be laid out…? Is it going to fit with ease or cause major headaches…? Avoid the latter wherever possible.
3. Look at the header area, checkout if it allows an advert on the right hand side, does it offer banner rotation of your own images etc.
4. Look at the sidebars, not just their location on the page, but also the width of each one. There are many widgets & adverts out there, that can range in width from 120px up to 300px or more, therefore if you choose a theme that has for example two sidebars each of 180px, but your favourite widget happens to 200px wide, then you have problems! Oh and believe me, unless you’re a wiz kid with code & styling, then you really do not want to start hacking your sidebar code, as it can be a nightmare for the novice.
Finally pop along to the themes website / home page, most will also have their own forum or at the very least their own comment boxes full of questions & answers. This is the ideal place to pick up a little knowledge on your chosen theme, find out what others are saying, are there security issues or any other glaring problems that could ultimately give you sleepless nights.
The Cost of a Theme:
Another very important factor to take into consideration, is the cost of a theme. Whilst there are hundreds of free themes available, it is quite possible that you cannot find your ideal theme & unless you are proficient enough to be able to hack another theme & insert your own code, then the only other option open to you, is to purchase a theme!
If this is the way you choose to go, then the cost you are likely to pay can range from $70 up to a few hundred $$$ & in extreme cases $1,000 plus! It really all depends on what you want built into the theme & how much you are prepared to pay..?
Having said that, the purpose of this website is to show you that it is possible to get a decent ranking with the top search engine “Google” & to do so without paying out a single $1.00 (aside from hosting of course)
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