With tens of thousands of themes available for your WordPress website, choosing between them and knowing which to avoid, can be an overwhelming decision. In this talk, we will go over some of the factors that go into choosing the best theme for your website, as well as where to find them and how to gauge the quality.

1. HOW TO CHOOSE A
WORDPRESS THEME

2. HELLO!
What is a theme?
A collection of structure and design files needed, in
addition to the core WordPress files, to make a WordPress
website work.

3. Why use a theme?
A theme contains files that style the display of:
⊡ Headers / Navigation Menus
⊡ Page Templates
⊡ Blog Templates
⊡ Sidebars
⊡ Footers
⊡ And others. . .
STRUCTURE

4. Out of the
box, your site
will look like
this.
Place your screenshot here
You’ll need to
install a theme
to style the
site.
UNSTYLED
THEME

5. With a theme
installed and
customized,
Place your screenshot here
your site will
display in a
much more
user-friendly
way.
INSTALLED
THEME

6. “
~ Number One ~
What kind of website are you building?
Your theme should complement the content of your site.

7. MAGAZINESTYLE

8. ECOMMERCESTYLE

9. BROCHURESTYLE

10. “~ Number Two ~
Premium vs. Free Themes
There are a number of considerations to take when choosing
between a paid .

11. WordPress is Open Source
WordPress, approved WordPress themes and WordPress
plugins all have a General Public License.
No one can actually own them. Anything made from the
code inherits the license.

12. FREE
Pros:
1. Many to choose from.
2. Often easy to customize.
3. They’re free.
Cons:
1. Often not updated.
2. Poor code.
3. Generic in style.
FREE VS.
PREMIUM
THEMES
PREMIUM
Pros:
1. Supported and updated.
2. Flexibility in customization.
3. Better code.
Cons:
1. Additional cost for support.
2. Annual fee.
3. They’re not free.

13. “~ Number Three ~
Your theme MUST be responsive.
Google will penalize sites that are not optimized for viewing on
mobile devices.

14. Place your screenshot here
MOBILE
RESPONSIVE
Place
your
screensho
t here
Place your screenshot here

15. “~ Number Four ~
Check Theme Ratings
Some of the best indicators about the strength of a theme will
come from others’ experiences.

16. SHOPPING FOR A FREE THEME
To find the WordPress theme directory, go to
Appearances > Themes > Add New

17. ALWAYS CHECK THE STATS
The ColorMag theme has 40,000+ active installs
and 139 five-star ratings.

18. This premium theme offers styled page layouts, unlimited use and
one year of support and updates.
PREMIUM
THEME SHOPPING

19. “
~ Number Five ~
Page Builders
There are arguments to be made for and against page builders.

20. PAGE BUILDER PROS
1. Drop and drag page
elements.
2. WYSIWYG editors.
3. Custom layouts.
4. No coding required.
PAGE BUILDER CONS
1. If packed with theme,
changing theme will
lose page info.
2. Plugin may not be
compatible with new
theme.
3. Slow site load times.

21. “
~ Number Six ~
Child Themes
Child themes are essential for the long term use of a theme.

22. Genesis is the parent theme or framework and a child theme is
installed for custom styling.
CHILD THEMES

23. “~ Number Seven ~
Plugin Compatibility
Be sure your new theme has the necessary files to work with
your required plugins.

24. CHECK FOR PLUGIN COMPATIBILITY
Additional functionality often comes from
plugins. These plugins will require specific
page templates to work properly. Be sure
your theme is compatible with the desired
plugin.

25. “
~ Number Eight ~
More Things To Consider
You’ll want to check out these other features as well.

26. ADDITIONAL
CONSIDERATIONS
SEO OPTIMIZED
Use an SEO checker to be
sure that the source code
is optimized for Search
Engine Optimization.
NAVIGATION OPTIONS
Your theme should have
one or more clear and
easy-to-navigate menu
options.
SOCIAL MEDIA
INTEGRATED
Does the theme have a
built-in area to display
your social media links?
SHORTCODES
Does your new theme use
custom shortcodes? Be
mindful of them in case
you ever need to change
your theme.
WIDGETS
Much the same as
shortcodes, look to see if
custom widgets are part
of your chosen theme.

27. RESOURCES
Links to help you select the right theme.

28. RESOURCES
THEMES
wordpress.org/themes/
wordpress.org/themes/commercial/
PAGE SPEED
tools.pingdom.com/
developers.google.com/speed/pagespeed/
SEO CHECKER
seositecheckup.com/
seowebpageanalyzer.com
MOBILE RESPONSIVE
google.com/webmasters/tools/mobile-friendly/
http://responsivedesignchecker.com/
CHILD THEME INFO
codex.wordpress.org/Child_Themes
themify.me/docs/child-themes
CODE CHECKER
themecheck.org/
jigsaw.w3.org/css-validator/

29. THANKS!
Any questions?
You can find me on social media
@nickypinkandco
hello@nicky.pink
WCATL Slack Channel #sun-09a-nicky-pink

30. Hey, there.
Starting her career as a Print Graphic Designer over 15 years ago, Nicky
Pink is a Master Brand Specialist and Website Designer and Developer
who has worked exclusively with WordPress since 2009. Along with
being certified in life coaching and event planning, Nicky’s skills in
design and development provide the perfect outlet for her left brain /
right brain balance.
Raised a Yooper in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Nicky lived in New York
for 20 years before landing in the Atlanta area in 2015. The WordPress
community was the first group of people she met upon arriving, and
have continued to be a constant source of inspiration and support with
some becoming very good friends.
Along with various upcoming speaking engagements, Nicky is launching
a branding masterclass and writing a book. When she’s not in the digital
world, she enjoys movies, road trips with her teenage daughter, Eva, and
hiking with her Goldendoodle, Kevin. You can find her on Facebook,
Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and on her website, Nicky Pink & Co.
WCATL Slack Channel #sun-09a-nicky-pink
Tel. (770) 765-7614