Choosing a WordPress theme can be a daunting task if you don’t know what to look out
for.
In this video we’ll show you how to choose a WordPress theme that’s perfect for you,
and give you the tools to help weigh up your options.
The key criteria we’ll use to evaluate a WordPress theme are:
Page load speed Ease of use
Design Mobiled responsiveness, and
Functionality
Obviously each industry and application is different, but considering these points will
help you make a more informed decision.
In this video we’ll give you the tools to do just that, so stay tuned.
We’ve created a blog post that accompanies this video that you can access on the OHKLYN
blog, at OHKLYN o-h-k-l-y-n.com/blog (we’ll add a direct link to the post in the description
below).
Let’s get started by taking a look at page load speed.
One of the most important things to consider is how fast a theme loads.
Now it can be hard to evaluate this in a way that keeps all things equal.
Obviously, you generally only have access to a demo site with different images to the
next theme, but there are still tools you can use to measure the different factors affecting
page load speed.
Pingdom is one of our favourite tools to use when evaluating page load speed.
It does give you an overall speed and rating for the page load, however to keep all things
equal we need to dig a little deeper.
I will firstly look at the number of requests to the server, as keeping these to a minimum
is preferable.
Now it is important to note that sites with more advanced functionality are naturally
going to have more requests.
For this reason you need to make sure that you are comparing apples with apples in that
regard.
The next component I like to look at is the “Content size by content type”.
Here we can see a breakdown of the total page sizes by various content types.
I generally look at the overall size of the CSS and Script components as the other elements
can vary.
Often different sites are going to have a variable amount of content on the page.
Once again we need to consider that sites with more advanced functionality will have
greater CSS and Script requirements.
Be sure to consider this in your evaluation.
Google’s PageSpeed Insights is another great tool.
You can use it to get an out of the box measure of a theme’s page load speed.
It will also highlight any inherent issues with the code itself.
Ideally you want to avoid themes that don’t have minified HTML, Javascript and CSS files
and those which have a high level of render-blocking Javascript and CSS in above-the-fold content.
The next category is ease of use
This is an area where you need to consider the lowest common denominator.
By this, I mean you need to think about the users who will be visiting your site, and
how tech savvy they are.
Given the variance in technical ability across most user bases, we need to do our best to
evaluate whether a theme’s navigation and interactive elements are intuitive enough
for even the least savvy group of users to find their way around the site, and interact
with all of your content.
We then want to consider design Now design is always a contentious topic.
There are many people out there who consider themselves to have a good eye for design,
myself being one of them, but everyone’s tastes are different.
That being said, the best designs are those that will be pleasing to the majority of your
intended audience.
Some things to consider are the choice of fonts, text size and general spacing between
elements on any given page.
A good approach is to go out and survey 5 to 10 people who fit your intended audience,
and get their perspective on which of your theme options are most attractive.
Next is mobile responsiveness
Ensuring your website is mobile responsive is absolutely imperative in this day and age.
For this reason, we believe it to be vital to perform a thorough evaluation of how a
WordPress theme responds in the mobile environment.
One of the most important functions is the navigation at mobile level.
Is it easy to move around the website?
How nicely does the theme handle sub-menus?
These are very important questions.
Additionally, images are also important.
We always look at how images are resized for mobile devices and how intuitive gallery modules
are to operate.
If a theme is going to offer e-commerce integration, you need to make sure they have considered
the mobile user in their planning.
Test out the theme demo on a mobile device to ensure it provides a great user experience.
Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test evaluates many of the important criteria for ensuring
a user-friendly experience for mobile devices, including what are known as ‘tap targets’,
and how appropriately sized these elements are displayed for mobile users.
Lastly, you will want to consider the extensiveness of functionality
This will be different for each industry, but not all themes are created equal.
Just because a theme says it is built for a specific application, doesn’t mean it
will be ideal.
Often we see multi-purpose themes packaged as being a theme specific to a niche due to
the fact that they know there are a lot of people looking for a theme for that niche.
The best theme developers will go the extra mile to understand the industry they are developing
for.
This will include the potential requirements specific to that industry, focussing on the
types of interactions the site owner is likely to want to have with their users, and ensuring
their theme delivers an intuitive set of functionality on both ends.
By considering the primary factors that impact the performance of a WordPress theme, such
as page load speed, ease of use, design, mobile responsiveness, and functionality, you are
more likely to create a successful website, and improve the user experience for your visitors.
We’ve reviewed hundreds, if not thousands of WordPress themes by category and niche.
To review our findings, check out the WordPress theme reviews section on the OHKLYN blog to
help find the right theme for you.
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