Selecting a WordPress theme for beginner writers is not only important but fundamental for those who want the best experience for their site visitors. Here is how to select a WordPress for beginner writers.
#1 Be Careful With Your Choice
One very important thing to remember when
choosing a WordPress theme is that the platform is used by many people in different professions, so various themes will be suitable for certain websites. This means that you will need to carefully assess your choices and identify the themes that will be more fitting for a site made by a writer.
It is important to understand that the themes you choose will greatly influence the way your website will be perceived by your site visitors. If you want to look professional, try to find a modern design that preferably uses blue tones. But if you write children’s books and not some kind of serious non-fiction, then a brighter, funkier theme will work better for you.
#2 Responsive Designs Are The Best
Did you know that most online searches nowadays are done from mobile devices? This means that your website will have to be optimized for mobile in order to be as up-to-date as possible. The theme you choose will
need to be responsive, and that is no longer a question of whether or not you want to have one, but which exactly you will choose.
A good responsive theme will adjust to the screen size of whatever device is being used to view your website. If every button and every element on your site works properly on every device, then you can be sure that the theme you chose is the right one for you.
#3 Make It Simple
It can be tempting to use as many elements on your website as you can find. However, a theme with many buttons, widgets, etc. might not always look good. Moreover, it probably won’t work that well considering that there will be too many features to load.
In addition to that, a simple theme will be much easier to manage and will appear more professional to your site visitors. No matter what you look at, simplicity is the trend right now which means that your simple theme will be great in every way possible.
#4 Available Page Builders
To put it simply, page builders are special WordPress plugins that let you create page layouts by dragging and dropping elements on a user interface. Depending on the theme you choose, you will (or won’t) get a pre-installed plugin along with it. However, there’s a catch.
More often than not, these page builders will be used only by that specific developer who created the theme and the plugins. If you switch to another theme, the pages you built will need reworking. Consequently, you will need to find a theme that will have page builders that work with other themes too.
#5 Multilingual Options
Many beginner writers will know about the struggle of finding your audience. This is why many of them strive to expand to audiences other than English-speaking. If you write books in other languages (or you get them translated to other languages), then your site should look appropriate to that.
You could get the help of a writer you could choose from
Online Writers Rating who would write your content in a different language. But what you should remember is that you need to find a theme that will work with different languages, especially the ones that use an alphabet other than Latin (e.g. Russian, Chinese, Hindu, etc.)
#6 Variety Of Plugins
One of the best things that you could get if you find a good theme for your writer’s website is the variety of plugins. These will help you with almost anything and will allow you to add social media sharing buttons, featured post widgets, and other similar elements.
Before choosing a theme, make a list of plugins you are interested in and would like to use later. Then, look for themes that have these plugins. If you are lucky, you will find the theme that will
have all the plugins you want, but sometimes, you will need to compromise.
#7 Reviews
One of the best indicators of the quality of a WordPress theme is the abundance of good reviews. If you have visited the theme’s pages and seen that it has good ratings and mostly positive reviews, then it means that it is probably a good choice for you.
At the same time, keep in mind the bad reviews and take into account the possible bugs or other downsides the theme might have. Nevertheless, it’s better to choose the theme that has as few negative reviews as possible.
#8 Search Engine Optimization
Search engine optimization or SEO is an integral part of your website’s success. This means that the theme you choose will influence your site’s search rankings which will, in turn, impact your click-through rate, page views, conversion rate, and so much more.
You probably won’t know entirely whether or not a particular theme will work for you, but what you can do is look for as many reviews and overviews of the theme you are considering to check what other people are saying about its performance when it comes to SEO.
#9 Browser Compatibility
Just like SEO and mobile optimization, browser compatibility will significantly influence the overall performance of your website. After all, your site visitors will be viewing your website from different devices, different browsers, and different Internet connection strengths.
You need to keep in mind both the browsers used on desktop and on mobile devices. For example, there might be some Android-specific browsers that you won’t find on Windows. In any case, think of the most popular ones first and then consider some other lesser-known ones.
#10 Customer Support
Customer support is not something every developer can afford. This is especially true for free WordPress themes. Logically, it is important to invest in your theme and buy a premium one that will have some kind of customer support that you can use when you encounter problems.
Of course, if you think that it’s not something you will be needing in the future, you could still opt for a free theme that has a good reputation and all the features you are looking for. After all, it’s all about your own preferences.
Final Thoughts
All in all, selecting a
good WordPress theme when you are only a beginner writer is essential for making your website look good. Use the tips in this article and you will find the perfect theme that will not only be easy to use but will also attract more visitors.
About the Author: Tiffany Porter has been working as a Chief Writer at Online Writers Rating reviewing variety of writing services websites. She is a professional writing expert on such topics as digital marketing, blogging, design. She also likes traveling and speaks German and French.