Choosing the Right WordPress Theme
Choosing the right WordPress Theme can be a fun and thought provoking process. In the process of designing web elements for both business use and customer interaction, the blog designer should be concerned with efficiency, easy to use functionality, productivity and aesthetics. There should be as much care going into the design of a WordPress blog and home page as there is in any other marketing endeavor.
Before rushing to buy the first theme that catches the marketing specialist's eye, designers need to ask some important question. Of premier importance is the target audience. Who does this blog need to attract and hold the attention span of to get the message across most effectively? Where are the consumers found and what do they typically identify with easily?
Content design also needs to take into consideration why a theme is or is not ideal to serve the business needs. Just because something is visually stunning or intricate does not mean the visual design is going to be effective for the users of the website. Especially in the case of blog posting, the intent is that the audience takes something away from the message. The message should not lose out to a piece of art unless the art is relevant to the message and can boost its appeal.
Web content and themes should not only be functional but relevant to the business' intentions in presenting the elements of design. Many prepackaged themes offered for free or at cost on the Internet include elements that change the display of general and slider settings, styling options, menu integration, documentations, member areas and custom templates.
A business can either design their own theme by having a software developer on board who understands the language of WordPress' code and creates a theme from scratch or the business can purchase the services of a third party. The third option is to just use the basic package in the WordPress software application.
Some vendors will over thousands of thematic choices to their customers along with web hosting services, SEO boosting, copyright protection services, tutorials and technical support.
When considering a WordPress theme or a template from a third source, it is vital to a business to examine the applications the theme hinges on for support and integration. This includes verifying the vendor is offering a secure package with no holes in their code which would allow an unscrupulous entity to hack into a business' programs. Businesses should not only be concerned about appearance presentation but also the security of their site visitors and their own company resources.
Some theme packages are not compatible with all browsers. Some theme packages may have been built using older versions of WordPress and if implemented will expose the security of a company blog and its member lists to the ill will of others. Some themes and templates have different resolutions.
Upon visiting a site that offers thousands of templates, knowing one's message and the best way to deliver it will assist a business in deciding which template to use. There are blog, magazine, corporate, creative, nonprofit, technology, mobile focused, and ecommerce types of templates to name only a few.
When choosing the template, one should consider many different sources before settling on a choice so that the business can achieve the best possible benefits of the investment. Business needs, customer ease, advertising appeal, site functionality and consumer satisfaction should all be equal considerations when browsing themes.
The successful business is one that scrutinizes every aspect of its objectives and knows how to discern the functional, professional themes from the pretty but useless designs. Be appealing to the customer but don't be unwise. Pay attention to implementing a theme that will build a better relationship with customers for future transactions.