A website built using WordPress CMS is one of the best ways to tell your customers about your brand, as well as the value, products, and services it offers. This is because WordPress comes with features that make building and customizing a website, as well as making it visible to your intended audiences, easy. Responsive themes are among these features and making full use of them will help you achieve your goals, whether you aim to raise awareness about your brand or sell your products online.
Pros and Cons of Using a Free Responsive WordPress Theme
Where should you get your responsive WordPress themes then? You can find customized themes from third parties, but their cost may not be within your budget. WordPress’ large selection of free themes could be a low-cost solution to this issue, but are they right for you?
Pros
- Free of cost – This is, without any doubt, the biggest benefit you can get. Because you won’t have to spend a single cent on your theme, you can allocate your budget for other needs, such as necessary tools for your website.
- Flexible – Using a free theme means your mistakes will not cost you a lot of money. This is especially important if you are new to running a website. It’s okay to trade for a better theme later on as you never spent on your old one anyway.
- High-quality – Just because the themes are free doesn’t mean they’re low-standard. Each of WordPress’ free themes is put through a strict review process to ensure their quality.
- User-friendly – Free WordPress themes tend to be simple, but that’s not necessarily a problem. Their simplicity means they are straightforward and easy to use.
Cons
- No warranty – Developers are not obliged to help you out when anything goes wrong with the theme.
- Few customization options – A free theme is not specifically tailored to your brand. You will most likely find a site that uses the same theme as your site does.
- Limited functions – The standard features that come with free themes could be enough for a conventional site, but they may turn out lacking if you want varied functionality.
- Unavailable In-house support – You can find support from free theme developers in the WordPress forums, but they are not required to answer your queries.
Free themes are not a bad choice at all. In fact, they may be ideal if you’re just starting out. To get around the issues of variety and customization, you can combine your free theme with WordPress’ free widgets. With this strategy, you’ll grasp the nuances of running your site in no time. You may also come up with a combination that truly works for your brand without spending a single penny.
6 Tips on Selecting a Free Responsive Theme
In a world where people access the internet and shop online through different screen sizes and resolutions, responsive WordPress themes ensure that your site looks and functions optimally no matter what device or browser users view it on. Because it plays such an important role, it’s essential that you are careful in picking the right WordPress responsive theme. Here are 8 tips to help you make the right choice:
Tip #1. Features customization – A great theme is one that gives you plenty of customization options so your site doesn’t end up looking like everybody else’s.
Tip #2. Should match your site’s goals and content – Do not settle for a theme just because it’s pretty or sleek. Choose one that helps you meet your goals. Choose a theme that will highlight the products in your e-commerce site or one that matches the content of your WordPress blog site.
Tip #3. With regular updates – Keep in mind that you may have to alter your site in the future. Therefore, the theme must undergo regular updates. It should have the ability to cope up and evolve with the latest trends.
Tip #4. Check for plugins compatibility – If your site requires specific plugins, make sure your theme of choice is compatible with them.
Tip #5. Comes with supported SEO and social media features – Page loading speed affects your site’s ranking in search results, so choose a theme that loads up fast and is optimized for SEO. As for content sharing, social media is what you need. Be sure that the theme you choose supports social media widgets, making it easy for users to share your content.
Tip #6. Consider a translation-ready theme – If you plan to cater to international audiences, make sure the theme you use is translation-ready.
Takeaway
The free themes from WordPress are not perfect, but they are excellent solutions for those who are starting out and those who do not want to spend on customized themes. As long as you are discerning and are ready to experiment, you should be able to find a theme that answers your needs and those of your brand.
What is your favorite theme? Tell us in the comments.