How To (and How Not To) Choose a WordPress Theme

Last updated May 31st, 2024 at 04:54 pm

I think lots of WordPress website owners select a WordPress theme based on how the demo model looks.

That could be a big mistake.

A WordPress theme is much more than the superficial look & feel that its demo model conveys.

Think of a House

A WordPress theme’s demo model is like a house for sale that’s been staged by a realtor. The staged furniture, appliances, wall hangings, and window treatments all serve the purpose of making prospective buyers fall in love with the home.

But all of those superficial aspects of the house (a) are replaceable and (b) mask or at least distract from the quality and reliability of the systems that make up a house — systems which are, for the most part, “under the hood”.

The Systems of a House:

• structure: foundation & framing
• roof
• heating and cooling
• plumbing
• electrical

Think of an Automobile

Speaking of “under the hood”, it could also be said that a theme’s demo model is like an automobile for sale — one that’s been accessorized with high end features like leather heated seats, heated steering wheel, surround sound speakers, illuminated front door sills, augmented video for navigation, and so on.

Like the staged house, the specialized features of an accessorized automobile (a) are replaceable and (b) mask or at least distract from the quality and reliability of the systems that make up a car — systems which are, for the most part and quite literally, “under the hood”.

The Systems of an Automobile:

• fuel supply system
• transmission system
• suspension system
• braking system
• steering system
• cooling/heating system
• electrical system
• exhaust system

So, WordPress Themes are Like Houses and Automobiles

If you buy the analogy that WordPress themes are like houses and automobiles, you can understand that when you choose a WordPress theme based on the look & feel of the demo model, you run the risk of ignoring or giving short shrift to its systems.

The Systems of a WordPress Theme

In the most basic sense, every WordPress theme consists of two primary systems:

• Structural — which can be modified through programming scripts that hook onto existing parts of the theme (like an attached deck hooks onto a house)
• Presentational — which can be modified through styling rules that affect typography, layout, colors, etc. (CSS)

The other thing to understand is that a web designer worth his or her salt can modify a theme’s structural and presentational systems to make almost any WordPress theme conform to your desired look & feel. If you’re choosing a WordPress theme because its demo model looks a lot like what you’re aiming for, you should know two things:

• A skilled WordPress web designer can take any theme and make a website that looks like the demo model of another theme.
• A skilled WordPress web designer can take the theme you chose and create a website that looks nothing like the demo model.

So, what’s a person to do?

Engage a skilled WordPress developer to guide you in your theme selection process.

Be warned, though:  There’s a good chance your WordPress developer will recommend a theme he or she uses on many client sites (I do) — and there are good reasons for that. Remember the two basic systems of any theme (structural and presentational)? Well, every theme’s systems are different from every other, and there’s a learning curve to mastering how to modify them. The bottom line is that you want your WordPress developer to use a theme he or she is familiar with, because that translates to faster turnaround time.

There are other issues a WordPress developer will consider when selecting a theme for a project or for standardizing on a theme for multiple projects:

• When was the theme last updated?
• How frequently is the theme updated?
• How thorough is the theme’s documentation?
• How responsive is the theme author in addressing support issues?
• If the theme is bundled with a page builder, how hard or easy would it be to switch themes in the future?

The Takeaways

To summarize, there are two recommendations I hope you’ll take away from this article:

• Don’t be seduced by a WordPress theme’s demo model. There’s so much more to a WordPress theme than meets the eye.
• Engage a skilled WordPress developer to guide you in the theme selection process. He or she will consider important factors that you might not.