WordPress themes are typically the first impression of your website, so choosing one that reflects your brand and communicates the right message to visitors is critical. But with thousands of themes to choose from, how do you narrow down your options?
Here are a few tips for choosing visually stimulating WordPress themes.
Keep Your Brand's Aesthetic in Mind
Before you even start to explore themes, it's important to have a clear idea of what your brand looks like. That means identifying the colors and design elements used across all of your marketing materials.
Then, as you start exploring themes, look for ones that align with this aesthetic visually. To illustrate, if your brand is all about light, airy pastels, and thin typography, you want to look for minimalist themes. On the other hand, if your brand speaks to bold colors and thick fonts, a theme with more angular design elements could be a better choice.
Look at Demos Before You Make a Selection
Similar to picking a car, clothes, or even budgeting software, it's one thing to look at a few screenshots of a WordPress theme, and another to actually see how your content will look in that layout.
Therefore, take the time to look at the demos of different themes before you make your selection. Visually, demos show you how the theme will look with your content plugged into it, such as images and text. If you're a photographer, for example, you get to see how your images look when plugged into the theme and have an idea of what kind of impact they will have on potential customers.
Opt for Responsive Design
In today's digital world, it's not enough that your website looks great just on a desktop. It should also look amazing and be easy to use on mobile devices, yet many people forget about this visual aspect when choosing a theme.
Opt for a theme that is responsive; meaning one that will resize and reorganize your content so it looks great on any device – from desktops to tablets to smartphones. This ensures that no matter how visitors view your website, they'll get an engaging visual experience.
Evaluate User Reviews
One of the most important things to do when selecting a WordPress theme is to look at user reviews. What have other people who have used it had to say? If a theme has mostly positive reviews, this is usually an indication that it's well-made and visually appealing.
Look at what people have said specifically about design and aesthetics. If it's not up to par, then it's a sign that the theme doesn't provide the visually stimulating experience you want for your visitors.
Choosing the perfect WordPress theme can be a challenge, but it doesn't have to be. Keep your brand's aesthetic in mind, look at demos before you make a selection, and opt for a responsive theme to ensure your website looks great on any device. With these tips, you'll be sure to find a visually compelling theme that is perfect for your needs.