Once you choose WordPress to build your website, you’ll quickly find yourself asking this question: What’s the best theme for my WordPress site?
With such a wide variety of themes available, it can be hard to figure out what’s what: freemium, premium, responsive… Do these terms mean nothing to you? Don’t panic.
In this guide, we’ll help you take stock of your options and choose the right WordPress theme that will make all the difference.
What is a theme?
In the WordPress ecosystem, a theme refers to a set of template files and CSS style sheets that determine the visual identity of your website. Layout, colors, fonts, navigation menus, and headers—all of these elements are controlled by the active theme. In addition, every WordPress theme has an interface that allows you to manage and modify settings with just a few clicks.
With their wide range of features and customizable elements, you're sure to find a theme that suits your business and showcases it to its best advantage.
There’s a wide variety of themes to choose from—and that’s an understatement. On the internet, there are many free and paid themes available. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, keep in mind that it’s entirely possible to create a custom theme.
But before embarking on such a program, it's important to ask yourself the right questions.
Which WordPress theme should you choose for your project?
There are thousands of themes, each one different from the next. So how can you make sense of this endless flood of customization options of all kinds?
Features and Functions
The first things to consider are the theme's main features and functionalities: what do you need, and what does your website need?
An e-commerce site will require an online store and other shopping-related services. Your theme must therefore be compatible with plugins such as WooCommerce, the world’s most popular open-source e-commerce solution.
A news blog, on the other hand, requires a topic that lends itself to regular news coverage, with articles prominently featured on the website’s homepage. In addition, a newsletter feature, social media sharing buttons, and features that encourage reader engagement are all good ideas.
So, start by making a list of the key features and characteristics that are essential to best define your needs, and rank the items according to your priorities.
A responsive theme
The second step is to make sure the theme is responsive.
In fact, since 2021, mobile devices have accounted for 55.35% of global Internet traffic among 4.8 billion Internet users. In 2022, that figure is expected to rise to 59%… In other words, your website must be optimized for mobile devices.
This is where a responsive theme comes in.
A responsive theme will adapt to all screen sizes, from the smallest device—such as a smartphone—to a 4K monitor, including the family tablet. In practical terms, this means that the content on your website will automatically rearrange itself based on the available screen space.
To make this possible, your WordPress website must use a responsive theme. Don't worry—it's very easy to find one in the WordPress directory these days.
Read reviews and ratings
The reviews and comments section is a real goldmine of information, so take advantage of it! Other users have surely already chosen the topic you’re interested in.
The popularity of a WordPress theme is measured based on its overall rating, reviews, and the number of sales or downloads.
An overall rating above 4 out of 5 stars is a sign of quality, provided there are enough reviews. Sales or download figures give you a quick idea of the theme’s popularity. As for the comments, it’s always a good idea to take a closer look at them to gather user feedback. Of course, each review should be taken with a grain of salt—some are constructive, and others… But this can help you see the theme from a new perspective and consider using it long-term.
Maintenance and Updates
The fourth and final key factor in choosing your WordPress theme: support and the frequency of updates.
Indeed, it's important to update your WordPress theme regularly to ensure your website remains secure and in good working order and doesn't become obsolete.
Furthermore, if something goes wrong, being able to rely on support that answers even your smallest questions is something you shouldn’t overlook. This customer support is usually available for paid themes, which unfortunately isn’t always the case with free themes.
If you've chosen the free option, turn to an active community of WordPress website builders, and be sure to check out the documentation. It's an important source of detailed information that can provide you with answers to your questions.
Where can I find a WordPress theme?
All right. Now that we've gone over the essential points to consider when choosing a WordPress theme, it's time to go find one.
But where can you find a WordPress theme? There are tons of websites online offering WordPress themes, each one cooler than the last. And they surely have good reasons for doing so.
However, to avoid any disappointment from encountering a malicious theme that could compromise your website's security, we recommend that you choose your theme from one of these options.
WordPress.org
WordPress.org is the official website of the world's most popular CMS. The platform alone features more than 9,000 WordPress themes.
When you click the "Commercial Themes" link in the gallery, you'll see a selection of premium themes with advanced features.
Once you've found a theme, all you need to do is download it and install it on your WordPress site through the admin panel.
ThemeForest
The website ThemeForest offers thousands of WordPress themes— all of which are paid—organized into several categories.
Are you looking to create a WordPress website for the wedding industry? ThemeForest can suggest several themes suited to different needs thanks to its advanced filtering system.
ElegantThemes
Formerly a marketplace for 87 themes, ElegantThemes has undergone a complete transformation in recent years to offer just two high-quality themes: Divi and Extra.
The strength of these themes lies in how they allow you to create websites using a parent plugin: the Divi Builder.
Divi Builder is a page builder designed to help you create complex pages on WordPress without having to write any HTML, CSS, JavaScript, or PHP code. Thanks to a drag-and-drop system featuring various modules, the creation process is accessible and intuitive. In addition, a page builder lets you preview changes to a page in real time, putting you directly in your visitors’ shoes.
Can’t decide between Divi and Extra? To help you make your choice, keep in mind that the Divi theme works well with any type of website (portfolio, e-commerce, functional, etc.), while its younger sibling, Extra, specializes in blogs and “magazine”-style sites.
Through a developer or a web agency
Have you looked through all three of these libraries without finding THE theme that meets your needs and expectations? Are you starting to lose hope? Have you considered hiring a professional to create a custom theme for you?
Just know that with WordPress, it's entirely possible!
Many experts in the field can help you design a custom WordPress theme ( also known as a “custom theme”) with a unique design and its own set of features.
By entrusting the development of your WordPress website to a web agency like us—INGENIUS—our experienced professionals and specialists in web design will identify your expectations and needs to recommend the perfect theme for you.
Whether it's web development, design, marketing, digital strategy, or IT security, our wide range of expertise—all of which is essential for creating high-quality, effective solutions—will ensure the attention to detail needed to make your project a success.
For more information, please visit our services page.
The Best Free WordPress Themes in 2022
To help you make your choice, we've put together a selection of the best, most highly regarded free WordPress themes, featuring functionality and customization options that are well worth your attention.
Astra
Astra is one of the most popular free themes. Lightweight and minimalist, easily customizable, and high-performing, Astra is suitable for all types of websites: showcase sites, e-commerce sites, blogs, and more.
The $49 Pro version of the Astra theme will let you take your design even further with unlocked access to premium templates and integration with the WooCommerce e-commerce plugin to create an online store.
Neve
Neve is a great free theme with over 300,000 active installations and an overall rating of 5/5. Easy to use, Neve is an excellent choice for getting started with WordPress.
The theme is responsive and offers good SEO optimization thanks to its optimized loading speed. Lightweight and minimalist, its features make it a highly scalable solution that can adapt to any type of website.
OceanWP
OceanWP is Astra's main competitor among free WordPress themes. With over 3 million downloads, OceanWP is one of the most popular WordPress themes.
Compatible with any page builder, OceanWP offers templates that will help you stay as true as possible to your site’s theme. The downside: to take full advantage of all the features and extensions, you’ll need to purchase the pro version of the theme.
Hestia
Hestia is a theme that’s easy to set up and manage, making it ideal for beginners. Combined with a page builder, Hestia is the perfect theme for making a great impression on your visitors with a modern, high-quality, responsive, and SEO-optimized website.
Airi
Airi delivers excellent results in terms of speed and SEO performance. You can count on effective support and detailed documentation should any issues arise.
Airi is, of course, compatible with the best plugins and offers templates to help you get started building your website quickly.
The Best Paid WordPress Themes in 2022
To take the customization of your WordPress website to the next level, you’ll likely need to switch to a premium theme eventually—if only to have access to reliable customer support in case of any issues.
So here are the best paid WordPress themes of 2022.
Divi
Divi, a theme from ElegantTheme, needs no introduction. To gain access to over 800 templates and 40 modules, it will cost you $89 per year or $249 if you opt for a lifetime license.
Avada
Named after a forbidden spell from Harry Potter, Avada is one of the most popular premium WordPress themes.
For $60, Avada offers a wide range of options, with 82 templates to help you create a professional website in just a few clicks—no programming knowledge required.
The7
The7 is a premium theme designed to be versatile enough to create any type of website. To achieve this, The7 features a built-in page builder (WPBakery) and ready-to-use templates. Note that The7 is also compatible with the Elementor page builder.
With its 1,000 customization options and 250 page modules, The7 is one of the most customizable themes of 2022.
Enfold
Enfold is a comprehensive theme suitable for all types of websites. Simple and lightweight, Enfold includes an intuitive page builder and eliminates the need for many plugins by directly integrating their features. In addition, the theme offers excellent customer support and regular updates, ensuring its stability.
Choosing a WordPress Theme: A Summary
WordPress offers a wide variety of themes, each one as useful as the next. With just a few clicks, you’ll gain almost complete control over your site, allowing you to give it an attractive look and a structure tailored to your needs.
If we had just one piece of advice to give you, it would be to take your time. Since your entire website will be based on your theme, it’s important to choose it carefully from the start. If you change or deactivate it, you’ll have to start all over again. So keep that in mind.
Did our selection win you over? Which theme would you choose for your WordPress site?
