WordPress is the most popular Content Management System (CMS) in the world, boasting over 40 million downloads and counting. It is incredibly flexible and highly customisable, providing a blank canvas for website creators to build their perfect blog or website.

Whether you are launching a luxury lifestyle blog or corporate website, in need of a basic news website or looking to create a completely bespoke product/service, there is a WordPress theme for you.

In this article, we will teach you the best practices and techniques to craft the perfect WordPress site, demonstrating the power of this content management package.

Choosing A WordPress Theme

WordPress themes can be purchased from third‐party marketplaces like ThemeForest or StudioPress or downloaded from the WordPress.org repository directly. There are also numerous free and open‐source themes available for WordPress, with many suitable for beginners.

When selecting a theme for your WordPress site, consider the intended purpose and user base. Do you need a simple blog with lots of flexibility? Or a more refined experience, suitable for professionals?

Also think about how you will use the site and interface. For example, do you want to follow the WordPress guidelines and use their starter theme, or will you customise it with more unique elements?

To help you make the right choice, we have compiled a list of the best WordPress themes according to Expert Reviews.

Whether you are building a news site, a portfolio, or even an e‐commerce store, these themes will assist you in creating your perfect project.

Buying The Right Equipment

When setting up your WordPress site, you will need to choose a hosting plan and purchase either a static or a dynamic IP address from your web host. Depending on your needs, you may also need to consider registering a custom domain name. We discuss more information on how to do this in our guide to setting up a WordPress site.

Once you have your WordPress site set up, you can purchase a premium theme from one of the theme stores listed above. Alternatively, you can use the TwentyTen or Genesis plugins to enable you to customise the appearance of your site with minimal effort.

Making Your Site More Personal

When launching a bespoke product or service website, you will need to put in the extra effort to ensure that it is both accurate and full of valuable content. For example, will you be using an e‐commerce platform to sell your products or will you be using blog posts to highlight key features?

When designing your website, you should take your personal style into consideration and ensure that the layout and the theme you choose are suitable for conveying your unique voice.

However, even if you are creating a website to support a business, you should still make the effort to ensure that it is full of useful information. An expert-designed site is more likely to gain the trust of the reader, leading to more conversions and sales.

Curate The Right Content

Having valuable content is, at the very least, an essential ingredient for any website or blog. The more detailed the content the better because it will have more value to the reader. However, creating high‐quality content can be extremely time‐consuming. If you are interested in writing a blog post or publishing an article, consider hiring a freelance copywriter to assist you.

Make sure you have a clear picture in mind of what you are trying to achieve with your content and the value you want to bring to the table. Consider the strength of your editorial voice and whether or not you will use your blog to push products or offer advice.

Make It Mobile‐Friendly

Thanks to the ever increasing adoption of mobile browsing, the design of your site should strive to be mobile‐friendly. To achieve this, you will need to consider creating a layout that is optimised for smaller screens. This involves using images of different sizes, stacking images on top of each other, and avoiding complex formatting (like using tables for layout).

Creating a mobile‐friendly site is also about providing users with an intuitive experience when browsing your content on their phones. To achieve this, reduce the number of clicks needed to browse your site and incorporate features that are more user-friendly.

The Importance Of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

When designing a website, you must consider how users will find your content. To achieve this, you will need to use a few different tactics, including SEO. If you are interested in learning more, read our guide to search engine optimisation, which covers all the basics.

Security

Any website or blog post containing valuable information must be fully secure. This means that all the data entered by the user must be kept private and only accessible by using a secure connection (like HTTPS).

The last thing you want is for your site to become the target of an attack because it is not secure. To make sure your site is as safe and private as possible, use a top-notch security plugin for WordPress, like WordPress HTTPS. In addition to securing your site, the plugin will also provide you with a green bar on your site’s header to signify that you are running on a secure connection.

A Few Useful Tips

Apart from the information above, we have compiled a list of some useful tips and tricks that will help you make the most of your WordPress theme.

Firstly, be sure to read the documentation and instructions that come with your theme. This will assist you in using the platform effectively and prevent you from making common errors. If you are completely new to WordPress, start by assessing whether or not you need a theme at all. You can always use the TwentyTen or Genesis plugins to customise the appearance of your site.

Also, make sure that you regularly update your theme. This can be time‐consuming and can require you to purchase a new copy of the software from the WordPress repository if it is still available. However, keeping abreast of the latest trends and technical innovations is essential if you want to keep your site fresh and up to date.

WordPress Is A Powerful Package

In 2014, WordPress celebrated its tenth birthday and remains one of the most popular content management systems in the world. Since its inception, the platform has continued to grow and evolve, attracting a greater audience than ever before.

To put this into context, in 2009, there were only 200 million unique monthly visitors to the site. Today, that figure has dramatically increased to 400 million unique monthly visitors, making WordPress the third most popular website in the world (after Google and YouTube).

This makes it fairly obvious as to why WordPress is suitable for so many different uses. While it began as a blogging platform, the fact that it has continued to evolve and adapt means that it can be used for just about any purpose that a website could be used for.

If you are looking for a versatile platform that can be used to build virtually any kind of website or blog, then WordPress is the one you need to be looking at.