Selecting a theme for your new website can be both tedious as well as overwhelming. At the start, one gets carried away by the flashy slides, stylish fonts and eye-catching animations. But amidst thousands of theme options (both paid and unpaid) users gradually become fussy about their choices. No doubt the paid ones provide some added virtues but as a beginner, some also prefer to go with the free ones. Your website theme represents your brand and services and hence must have its own feel. And if you are planning to launch your own website soon, here are 7 points to consider while choosing a theme for the same:
Simplicity is the key: ‘Keep it simple, keep it real’
Don’t get carried away by the gaudy theme looks and fancy page navigations. Look for a theme that offers its users an easy getting around the site. However attractive a theme may look, if it isn’t simple, it won’t convert your website visitors to potential customers.
Multiple browser compatibility: ‘Hail Google God’
It is true that in 2020, Google Chrome holds a net market share of about 65%. But it is a fact that the remaining 35% is also browsing the internet on Safari, Mozilla, Edge, Opera and others. Make sure that the theme you choose provides the same user experience and functionality with every browser and operating system.
Check for the responsiveness of your theme: ‘Speed, agility and responsiveness are the keys to future sucess’
Depending upon your genre of website, the web traffic may vary for desktop and mobiles. In the mobile search, Google places the best mobile responsive page on the top of the search results. Many a time, mobile searches generate more traffic than desktops. Therefore, make sure that the theme you are choosing is mobile friendly as well.
Is your website mobile friendly? Check it here.
Support plugins, apps and extensions: ‘Talk is cheap. Show me the code’
It is obvious that you will make desired changes in the theme to render it a look of your brand. Here comes the role of plugins, apps and extensions. You can add a customized look, any special feature or brand representation with the help of these services (both paid and unpaid).
SEO friendliness: ‘The best place to hide a dead body is page 2 of Google search results’
Great website traffic requires a great SEO and your theme is definitely going to play an important role in the SEO friendliness of your site. Among other important factors, for an SEO friendly theme, your theme must enable a fast site loading, experience a lighter code and enable schema markups.
Theme reviews and ratings: ‘Feedback is the breakfast of champions’
Prior to choosing any website theme, look for its reviews and ratings. It will help you a lot in understanding the theme’s features and drawbacks.
Strong support options: ‘Customer service is an attitude, not a department’
While some platforms offer excellent support for the free version of your theme, others may only offer customer support with their paid version. This is the reason why we often have to hire a professional for our website troubles. Make sure that the website theme you are opting for has proper documentation and available support options.
