By all means, before making your choice in favor of one or another WordPress template, check-in and detail all the characteristics. As well as the functionality and if it’s possible to work with it in a demo mode. In that case, follow my leads on how to get started with the right WordPress template before even deciding on your website design layout.
From my point of view, the advice I’ll provide you in this article will eventually, help you choose the right WordPress template. That will meet all the mandatory requirements. And most important – it will bring you pleasure and profit.
Obviously, if you have ever played “Until Dawn”, then you have to be familiar with the “butterfly effect”. If not, you definitely had a life situation that repeatedly demanded a decisive choice. After all, which will lead to one or other consequences. Why am I telling you this?!
Simply, because choosing the right WordPress theme for your future website is a responsible decision. Whereby, the attendance, popularity, profit and further development of business will depend on it. That’s pretty hard to choose one proposal from thousands.
Bearing in mind, the main factors in choosing the best WordPress template for most inexperienced users will be design and appearance. And that is in addition to beauty, therefore, it’s crucial to pay attention to the following details!
What are WordPress Themes?
Before I proceed, it is important to realize, for you to get started with a WordPress template, you must have a theme design in mind.
May it be from your previous experience on the best WordPress built-in website research sampling or not. It is important to have a rough layout on how you’d like your end product (website) to appear. Like jmexclusives for that matter!
To enumerate, WordPress themes are interchangeable designs within the website that dictate the look and feel of the site’s front end. For instance, the part of the website that visitors see and interact with.
Basically, the WordPress theme you use (the front of the house) sets the tone of the part of your website. Where visitors see and interact with the content you’ve created in the back of the house.
Comparatively, WordPress is like a restaurant. Even if you’ve never worked in the food industry, you likely already know that restaurants and cafes have two parts to their business.
Such as the;
- Front of the house
- Back of the house
Though these are separate areas within the business, you can’t have one without the other. Whereas, in a restaurant, the back of the house is where all the yummy stuff gets made. People who eat at the restaurant don’t see this part. But, if it didn’t exist, there would be no way for them to receive their food.
And then again, the front of the house, on the other hand, is where customers experience and appreciate the restaurant (in this case, the WordPress Themes). Read and understand more about the definition of WordPress themes.
What is a WordPress Template?
In WordPress theme development, a template defines part of a web page generated by a WordPress theme. For example, header.php (is a default template used in most WordPress themes). It defines the header area of web pages generated by WordPress.
The header file will typically be loaded on every page of your WordPress site, allowing changes to be made to a single file, that will apply across the entire website. Most WordPress themes have some default templates with code to generate HTML output for particular sections of a website.
- Main –
index.php. To display the main page of a website. - Header –
header.php. Displays the header section. - Sidebar –
sidebar.php. Generates HTML output for the sidebar section. - Footer –
footer.php. Displays the footer section. - Theme Functions –
functions.php. It contains code and functions to be used in a theme. - Single Post –
single.php. Displays the single post page. - Comments –
comments.php. Displays comments and comment form.
A WordPress template can be included in each other. For instance, single.php (it can have a header, footer, sidebar, and content template included in it). WordPress allows users to add as many as they would like. Some themes will have them for custom loops and sidebars as well.
What is a WordPress Template Tag?
By definition, a template tag is a PHP function used to generate and display information dynamically. WordPress Themes contain different templates and theme developers use template tags to fetch and display dynamic data. In addition, WordPress has many built-in template tags that can be used in WordPress themes.
WordPress plugins and themes can also define their own template tags and use them in different templates. Template tags are basically PHP functions, so any PHP function defined by a WordPress plugin or theme can be used as a template tag. To use a theme function as a template tag, the function should be defined in the theme’s functions.php file.
Template tags are PHP functions, so they can also be used inside other PHP functions and template tags. In the example below, I’ve defined a function that displays some text.
Example:
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function donation_request() { $this_article = wp_title('',true); echo '<p>Hi, if you enjoyed reading '.$this_article.' please consider <a href="http://www.example.com/donate/">donating</a>.';} |
To use this function in a template, add this line of code:
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<?php donation_request(); ?> |
Multiple template tags can also be combined to accomplish a goal. Together with themes, a WordPress template requires support from plugins and other ad-on.
What are WordPress Plugins?
Exactly the same way as apps do for your smartphone, so do the plugins. Often beginner users ask jmexclusives these and more related FAQs. Like what are WordPress plugins and how do they work? According to the jmexclusives team, the most lucrative deal for your website and blog theme design begins with the knowledge of the must-have best WordPress plugins.
WordPress plugins are pieces of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress Site. In addition, they can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. In other words, WordPress plugins are apps that allow you to add new features and functionality to your WordPress website.
Many third parties offer plugins through their designated websites, some of which are paid packages. However, Website Designers and Developers who wish to develop plugins need to learn WordPress’ hook system first. And which consists of over 300 hooks divided into two categories. Including action hooks and filter hooks.
Deciding Between Free vs. Premium Plugins for WordPress Plugins are hands down, one of the best things about WordPress. By adding a few simple plugins to your website, you can completely transform its functionality. Read and understand more about the definition of WordPress plugins.
The Basic Tips for WordPress Template creation?
One of the most important selling points of WordPress is the idea of themes and plugins. A single theme adds great value to the design and functionality of the website. However, there are websites that have different designs on different pages. Here are some of the Best WordPress Plugins that I simply Use and Recommend.
Unfortunately, several WordPress themes restrict users from altering layouts and functionality for a different page in the hierarchy. WordPress custom page template allows users to integrate custom requirements. Such as right/left sidebar on a particular page, an additional call-to-action functionality, or maybe a unique header for a particular landing page.
Having said that, you can get started by learning how to create a custom page template in WordPress. Below are the basic tips you should know before creating your first WordPress template;
1. Understand your Theme features
In general, the WordPress template is supported on a hierarchy. Meaning, if a theme doesn’t have single.php for some reason, then WordPress will automatically fall back to a more general template like index.php. Apart from these templates, each WordPress theme must have a style definition file named style.css.
If you change the template, you may encounter problems displaying the content and operation of the site as a whole. Your work, invested in the project will be in vain. Check with themes developers, are there any plugins used for page layout, shortcodes, sliders, tables, tabs, or is all the functionality built into the theme?
If there is an open-source code on GitHub and you understand it, check yourself. Most often, all the features can be found in the product description.
Pitfalls of Free themes
- Of course, the main differences between the free theme and the premium template are the meager functionality and compatibility issues with other WP products.
- Also, the theme should support the most popular plugins – WooCommerce, Visual Composer, WPML – the same condition applies to premium templates.
- You can face the unscrupulous work of tech support and the occasional release of updates from the developers of free themes.
- Usually, free themes have thousands of installations, so your site may not be as individual as you planned.
Contact the developers with these issues, look for information in the product description or on the forums.
2. Cheating by Demo content
Theme with demo content often looks much more attractive than with the one that you uploaded? Ask to provide examples of ready-made sites of other users and several options for filling the content.
Mentally, visualize your content within the template and determine whether you fit this structure and elements. Put yourself in the place of the user who sees your site for the first time. Is it convenient for him to receive information? Will he like the visual design of the pages?
3. Theme support from developers
Make sure that this theme is supported by the developers and updates are released regularly. Bugs are fixed, new versions are compatible with WordPress and other products. Visit the forum, be convinced that technical support managers respond to users and solve their problems.
Send the request to the development department, ask questions, analyze the answers and mark the waiting time for the answer. An example of the support forum for clients is found on Themeforest Marketplace.
Ask what tool was used to implement and support the settings panel. Or the panel is its own development. The developers of the most popular themes on request to technical support provide admin access to the WP dashboard on the demo site. So you can check the convenience and quality of the proposed product from the inside.
4. Go for Thematic themes
Many themes are created with a very narrow specialization: for doctors, lawyers, real estate agents, schools, fitness halls and so on. Yes, such templates have their own peculiarity. But, don’t immediately discard a good option, if your activity doesn’t resonate with the title of the theme.
Perhaps this functionality and structure of the site are ideal for your content, it is only necessary to include imagination and creativity. Of course, you should not trust the reviews on 100%, but I also do not recommend ignoring them. Try to objectively examine them in detail. But don’t let this be the decisive factor in your choice.
Pay attention to the Author Rating on the author’s page. You can view all the reviews on the desired product on the theme page in the Reviews section.
5. Developments and Improvements capability
In the description of each theme, you can find a list of features. I advise you to study it carefully and do not miss a single item. Such as;
- adaptive design,
- usability,
- SEO-friendly,
- cross-browsing,
- a convenient navigation system,
- tabs for information display,
- interactive shopping cart,
- click-ability of the slider and buttons, etc.
This is excellent if developers of your theme provide custom development services. After all, sooner or later you will need to change the website not only with theme options. Developers are guided in their own products better than anyone else. They will need less time in understanding and editing the code, which will save your money and time considerably.
Where to buy?
Always remember, there are special marketplaces where both templates and plugins are available. Of course, I recommend making your choice on the most popular trading platform – ThemeForest.net.
In addition to quality assurance (moderation before addition), the platform has such useful functions. Like the ratings, reviews, customer’s personal account, search option with price criteria, category, keywords, etc. And many other features that simplify the selection process.
Resources;
Finally, I hope the above-revised profile guide was informative enough especially to beginners design webmasters. Especially, on how and where to look for their next WordPress website themes & Plugins.
But, if you’ll have more questions or even contributions, please feel free to Contact Us. All in all, we’ll be more than glad to offer our input and limitless service solutions support. Particularly, towards building your next level AMP Ready & SEO Responsive website.