WordPress is the world ‘s most widely used content management system for building user-hosted sites. Chances are, if you haven’t already, you’ve decided to use WordPress for your own site. But do you know how to install a WordPress theme ?
Understanding how WordPress themes are added to your site isn’t complicated at all, no matter which method you choose to use – and there are a few! The great thing is that once your theme is installed, you’re ready to start building a site that stands out right away.
In today’s article, we’re going to dig deeper into how to install a WordPress theme. Specifically, we will cover:
Let’s start right away!
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Where to Find WordPress Themes (Free and Paid)
Learning how to install a WordPress theme on your site isn’t hard to do. What is difficult, however, is choosing the theme that suits your needs. But before we dive into what you need to do this successfully, let’s take a quick look at where you can find WordPress themes.
Currently, the WordPress repository is one of the most common places to find free and reliable themes and plugins to extend the design and functionality of your WordPress site. In fact, there are over 7,400 themes in the WordPress repository alone.
Besides that, there are also thousands of free and premium themes available for WordPress users which can be found on marketplaces such as MOJO Marketplace, CSS Igniter, and StudioPress. That said, the most famous theme marketplace to date is Themeforest , which currently has over 46,000 WordPress themes to choose from.
How to Choose the Right WordPress Theme
How do you know which WordPress theme is right for you?
Here are some tips to help you:
1. Choose between a Free or Premium WordPress Theme
The debate between free and paid WordPress themes has been around for a long time. So it’s hard to know if you should save some money and go for a free theme or invest a small amount of money for a paid theme and reap the rewards . If you find a WordPress site with a theme you like, you can use our theme finder tool to find out which theme it uses.
It really depends on your budget, there are some things to consider before making a final choice:
Benefits of Using a Free WordPress Theme
Using a free WordPress theme has many advantages:
- They’re free to use, which means if you don’t like it and want to change your WordPress theme, you haven’t wasted money trying it out.
- Free themes in the WordPress repository are officially approved after going through a strict review process.
- Free themes found on WordPress.org will be compatible with all free plugins found in one place.
That said, free themes also come with downsides.
For example, they usually have a limited set of features, are used by many people (making it difficult to build a unique website), and there’s usually not much to do , no support fast if there is a problem. Not to mention that free themes found outside of the WordPress repository can be poorly coded, opening your site up to vulnerabilities and attacks .
Benefits of Using a Premium WordPress Theme
Just like using a free theme, premium themes have their own advantages:
- You get support to help you resolve technical issues, bugs, and customization issues (suggested reading: How to Customize Your WordPress Theme ).
- You will receive frequent updates along with increased security and functionality.
- Feature sets range from mild to wild, so you can design your site to look what you want and do what you want.
- If you’re coming from a trusted marketplace, company, or theme developer, you’ll know that your premium theme is up-to-date with all the latest versions of WordPress, HTML, CSS , and PHP.
Premium themes, however, cost money. Some paid themes require an annual payment, while others require a one-time payment. This means that if you buy one and later decide to change it, you lose all the money you spent.
2. Know your niche
WordPress caters to all kinds of sites , so you can expect WordPress themes to do the same. Knowing your niche before deciding on a theme will help you find WordPress themes that will have the design and functionality you need.
For example, if you’re starting a food blog on WordPress , you’ll want to be on the lookout for a WordPress blog theme that caters to food sites. Better yet, if you think you might want to sell products and services to other foodies like yourself, you might want to take a look at some eCommerce themes that come with the start at the start feature. both an online food business and a blog.
To make a good decision, think about the type of content you want to publish, the main features your theme will need, your target audience, and the industry you want to be in, so you can narrow down your options and make it a little easier your decision.
3. Use credible sources
Anyone who can develop a WordPress theme and make a profit from it, will. But the thing is, just because someone created a WordPress theme doesn’t mean it’s free from bad code, viruses, or even spammy links.
If you have decided to use a free WordPress theme, the best place to look is the WordPress repository. If you need a premium theme or want to use a free theme from a third-party company, check the following:
- Author reputation
- Update frequency
- Positive reviews from customers
- Number of sales
Ultimately, it doesn’t matter what type of WordPress theme you need. What really matters is that you avoid using nulled WordPress themes , so you won’t have issues in the future with site security, downtime, and lost site visitors . .
4. Keep it simple
It’s easy to fall for the appeal of popular, multipurpose WordPress themes like Avada or X. And while these themes may have the features and design that some people need, the truth is, « simple is often better. » « .
This is especially true for those who are just starting out. Sometimes multipurpose themes have too many features, have a steep learning curve, and affect your site’s speed and performance .
It’s best to use a theme that exactly meets your needs and nothing more.
5. Look for responsive design
Not to be confused with mobile-friendly design, responsive design is necessary to give your mobile site visitors a great user experience.
Having a mobile-friendly WordPress theme means that no matter what device your site visitor is accessing your site from, they will appear the same. The site visitor will be able to view all of your site content, easily navigate the site, and click on the call-to-action buttons of your choice. That said, none of the elements of your site will change, no matter what device or screen size is accessing your site.
To check mobile-friendliness, use Google’s Mobile-Friendly test .
On the other hand, having a WordPress theme with a responsive design means that when your site visitors click on your site using a mobile device, your site will adapt to the screen size. The elements of your site will be modified to ensure a seamless rendering for your site visitors and allow them to easily access the content of your site.
To check the responsiveness of the design, use the free Responsive Checker Tool option :
The advantage of this online tool is that you can rate your site using multiple types of devices, including laptops, tablets, and mobile phones. Additionally, you can navigate the site as if you were actually accessing it using a mobile device to ensure that your site looks and works the way you expect for site visitors.
6. Assess theme support
There may come a time when you need help using your WordPress theme . This is why it is crucial to be able to get in touch with the theme developer or their support team.
Find out about the type of support offered before choosing a WordPress theme. And remember that most free WordPress themes come with very little support, if any.
7. Consider Features
Finally, you should definitely consider the functionality of your WordPress theme. Here are some of the best things to look for in any theme you choose, whether free or premium:
- Sharing on social networks
- Built-in SEO optimization
- Browser compatibility
- WordPress page builders included for easy site creation
- Compatibility with popular WordPress plugins
- Multilingual and translation ready
- E-commerce support
Of course, each person needs different things for their site. However, the considerations mentioned above will help point you in the right direction and make a decision.
Now, let’s see how to install a WordPress theme on your site after choosing the perfect theme.
How to Install a Free WordPress Theme
If you want to use a theme found in the WordPress repository on your site, the easiest way to do this is to use your site administration.
To get started, login to your WordPress site and go to Appearance > Themes in the WordPress dashboard and click Add .
From there, you can filter the results based on:
- Highlighted
- Popular
- Latest
- Favorites
You can also use the Features Filter button to filter theme results based on specific features.
Finally, you can search for a specific WordPress theme if you know its name by typing the theme name in the search bar:
Once you find a theme you want to use, you can click Details & Preview to see more theme info, Preview to see a preview of the theme in action, or Install to install the theme on your WordPress site:
When you decide to use a theme found in the WordPress repository, click Install .
Next, first click on Live Preview to see how your site will look using the theme. This makes it easier to decide whether the theme you are interested in is the one that suits you or not. Once you’ve decided, click Activate to finish adding it to your site.
Your WordPress theme is now installed on your site and you can start publishing content right away .
How to Install a Premium WordPress Theme
If you purchased a premium WordPress theme, you will need to use your WordPress dashboard upload method to install your theme.
To get started, download the theme you purchased from the marketplace or the company you purchased it from. Save the downloaded zip file to your computer.
Next, login to your WordPress site and go to Appearance > Themes in the WordPress dashboard and click Add:
Next, click Upload Theme to upload your premium WordPress theme zip file to your site from your computer:
Click Browse to select the zip file from your computer.
Then click Install Now to add the theme to your site.
WordPress will install your premium theme on your site. If you want to see how your site will look using the uploaded theme, click Live Preview .
Finally, click Activate to have the theme ready to publish to your site.
The upload method will work for any premium WordPress theme that you have saved as a zip file. It will also work when you need to import a theme from ThemeForest. Simply download the zip file which is saved on your computer and follow the same steps as above.
How to Install a WordPress Theme Using FTP
The last method we are going to show you is the use of FTP ( File Transfer Protocol ), which is the standard network protocol used to transfer computer files between a client and a server over a computer network. In other words, an FTP helps you upload files between you and your site’s servers.
There are several FTP clients you can use, but we’ll be using FileZilla , which downloads easily to your computer. Its use is free and its interface is simple. Keep in mind, however, that this is an advanced way to install a WordPress theme on your site and is not recommended for beginners.
Step 1: Secure FTP/SFTP Credentials
To get started, you’ll need to get your FTP or SFTP information to enter into FileZilla so it can connect to your site’s servers (learn the difference between FTP and SFTP ). This information is usually found in your hosting account. If you have trouble finding them, contact your host and ask them to help you.
If you’re using Kinsta hosting, first log into your MyKinsta account and click Sites in the dashboard, then click Info to get the necessary credentials:
Lorsque vous faites cela, vous devriez voir vos informations d’identification sous SFTP/SSH . Vous aurez besoin de votre identifiant, de votre mot de passe et de votre port :
Étape 2 : Saisir les informations dans FileZilla
Après avoir trouvé vos identifiants FTP/SFTP, ouvrez FileZilla.
Voici les informations que vous allez devoir saisir :
- Hôte : à partir de votre tableau de bord MyKinsta (ou l’adresse IP de votre site précédée de « sftp:// » pour les autres hébergeurs
- Identifiant : depuis votre tableau de bord MyKinsta
- Mot de passe : depuis votre tableau de bord MyKinsta
- Port : depuis votre tableau de bord MyKinsta
Voici à quoi cela ressemblera en haut de l’écran de FileZilla :
Après avoir saisi vos informations d’identification, cliquez sur Connexion Rapide . FileZilla se connectera ensuite aux serveurs de votre site.
Étape 3 : Téléverser les fichiers du thème WordPress
Après vous être connecté à votre FTP, il est temps d’installer un thème WordPress sur votre site. Gardez à l’esprit que le côté gauche de FileZilla est la façon dont vous allez accéder à vos fichiers informatiques, et le côté droit de FileZilla est la façon dont vous allez accéder aux fichiers de votre site qui sont stockés sur les serveurs de votre hébergeur.
Pour ouvrir les fichiers de votre site, cliquez sur les répertoires dans le panneau de droite jusqu’à ce que vous trouviez celui intitulé Thèmes :
Lorsque vous le faites, tous les thèmes WordPress déjà installés sur votre site apparaîtront sous les dossiers de fichiers.
Ensuite, allez dans le panneau de gauche dans FileZilla et cherchez le fichier zip du thème WordPress que vous voulez installer. Lorsque vous le trouvez, cliquez dessus avec le bouton droit de la souris et sélectionnez Envoyer :
Lorsque les fichiers sont téléversés sur les serveurs de votre site (cela peut prendre un certain temps selon la taille du fichier), vous verrez les fichiers sur le panneau de droite dans FileZilla.
Enfin, connectez-vous à votre site WordPress et allez dans Apparence > Thèmes. Vous remarquerez que le thème que vous venez de téléverser est juste là, attendant que vous l’activiez et l’utilisiez sur votre site.
Résumé
Si vous allez utiliser WordPress comme votre Système de Gestion de Contenu, vous allez devoir savoir comment installer un thème WordPress. Et il y a de fortes chances que vous parcouriez quelques thèmes WordPress jusqu’à ce que vous trouviez celui que vous aimez et que vous ayez tout ce dont vous avez besoin.
Heureusement pour vous, il y a non seulement plusieurs méthodes à choisir pour installer les thèmes WordPress, mais toutes sont également relativement faciles, même pour les propriétaires de sites débutants :
- Vous pouvez installer un thème via l’ option Apparence > Thèmes > Ajouter un thème directement depuis WordPress.
- You can install a theme by uploading it as a zip file via the Upload Theme feature.
- You can install a theme using an FTP client.
So, do a little research and find the perfect WordPress theme for your blog, online business, or e-commerce store . Then, install it on your WordPress site so you can start building a unique site that represents your brand.
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