WordPress is one of the most widely used and well-known content management systems on the internet today. Millions of websites make use of WordPress and you no doubt appreciate its flexibility and overall usefulness as a platform. When making use of WordPress, one area you should not rush over is the theme and overall look of your site. A WordPress custom theme design makes your website unique and can make it stand out from the competition.
Five Considerations When Designing a WordPress Theme
- The Value of Simplicity: when designing a theme, simplicity can be a highly practical design concept. Your theme should be able to communicate information clearly to the visitors and also be easy to navigate. An overly complex or busy theme can be distracting and confusing, causing visitors to become frustrated and leave. A simple theme gets to the point and communicates to visitors what you want them to know. The challenge can be in balancing unique features while not reducing ease of use. Use of unique branding, colors, and overall design concepts can be used to make your theme unique while not sacrificing simplicity.
- Cross-Platform Compatible: your theme needs to work on not only computers but also smart devices such as smartphones and tablets. The smartphone market has grown notably in recent years and for many people, it is their chief way of accessing the internet. Your theme needs to be responsive and loaded correctly on smartphones as this improves accessibility and also improves your rankings in many search engine results. In addition, your theme has to be compatible with several browser types on both mobile and computer platforms.
- Speed: in the modern world, web users expect pages to load quickly and responsibly. If a website takes too long to load, visitors will become frustrated and simply go to another website. Your theme should be designed to load quickly and be properly optimized for the best levels of performance.
- Consider Other Languages: your site may have to be in multiple languages to reach your entire customer base or you may be planning to expand in the future. You’ll want your theme to be able to support multiple languages for ease of use and future updates. WordPress also has multilingual plugins and you’ll want to ensure your theme is compatible with these plugins for easier updates and configuration.
- SEO: search engine optimization is essential for your website’s success. When potential visitors are searching for the goods, services, or content your website provides, you want it to be one of the first matches. A well-designed theme improves your search engine results and you want to be certain your theme is properly designed and optimized.
Final Thoughts
WordPress offers you a wealth of options in how your website is designed and functions. Your theme can be highly customized and specially made for your website for its content. However, you want to be sure your theme is properly designed for navigation, access, and search engine results. A well-crafted site that is easily accessed by visitors can be a powerful tool and a cornerstone of your marketing strategy.