Let’s say you have made that initial step of making a WordPress site. Obviously, that’s all well and good, but then comes some of the more difficult portions. Making it look good. I’ll confess, while I enjoy tinkering with WordPress design, at a base level I eventually just want to trust that what I am using will work.
That is why themes exist!
I’ll repeat that again, because this took me a while to grasp: Themes are made to make your experience with WordPress easier, and not harder. If a theme you are using is difficult for you to use or to work with, it may be time to consider using a different theme! Themes are basically templates for your website, with all of their patterns and images pre-placed, so the only thing you have to do is change the particulars. Replace the logos of the template with your own, put in pictures and text of yours that you feel is appropriate, and suddenly you have a website!
With different sorts of businesses, different themes could be more effective than others. Here are a few recommendations for all sorts of businesses! Try them out, drive them around the block, and see what you think! Some of these themes have demos for you to explore. These themes are also not free, but many of them are reasonably priced. Some of these are from third-party developers, and some were created and sponsored by WordPress themselves. However, if these do not suit your liking, I would encourage you to explore these sites as they have more options than those listed here!
Business Professional
For the business professional, the goal is clear: a simple website that tells a person what you, or your business, is about. The following sites provide a couple themes that may be helpful to organizing your information in an easy to direct way.
Neve
A WordPress Theme for the Long-Standing Business
Divi
Divi Takes WordPress To A Whole New Level With Its Incredibly Advanced Visual Builder Technology
Portfolio Sites
A portfolio website is, at least in my mind, an online art gallery to exhibit your skills and talent. As such, these designs are focused more on images, or grouping images in meaningful topics, or even certain styles. Hopefully these themes will give your clients a taste of what you can do, and get them interested in what you have to offer.
Higgs
A Minimal WordPress Portfolio & Blog Theme
Tempus
Photography WordPress Theme
Freelance Writer
When it comes to writing, you are going to want a theme that allows potential clients to know what you are about, your skills, and your ability to be resourceful. My personal recommendation is to keep your themes simple, so as to not distract from your writing and important information. The story I have is that if they have made it to your website while looking for a writer, then they are already pretty close to picking you for the job. Now all you have to do is not give them a reason to not pick you!
Zillah
#1 WordPress Theme for Bloggers and Writers
Readible
One of the most advanced, customizable and user-friendly blogging themes in the world focused on readability.
Non Profits
Nonprofits often run on a tight budget, and can’t always spring for expensive themes. Other nonprofits are a bit more aware of a desirable web presence. Regardless of your price scale, here are a few options available to you, that could be constructed for your nonprofit and to get your information out there.
Saved
An ultra-premium church WordPress theme with real-time homepage builder.
Zeko
Zeko is a charity WordPress theme designed to make change happen. Featuring a beautiful, bold, and modern design alongside all the features you need, Zeko is perfect for your next website.
Podcasters
Having a central location to send people for information about your podcast is important, particularly for those on multiple streaming services. As a result, I recommend having a website that can link to your latest podcasts, as well as different announcements of events or otherwise! Here are a few varied cost podcast sites that may serve you well, and get your voice heard.
Podcaster
Multimedia WordPress Theme
Viseo
News, Video, & Podcast Theme
Personal Fitness
Personal fitness is a journey, and one that many invite others to join in on. Some even are able to turn their personal fitness journey into a business. The challenging portion is that the content from personal fitness covers a wide variety of subjects, from recipes, to exercise, to mental practices. As a result, here are a couple sites that can help cover a plethora of subjects, as well as one that will encourage daily blogging and content drops!
Astra
Fastest Growing Theme of All Time
Asana
Sport and Yoga WordPress Theme
All Around
There are all sorts of options out there, and all sorts of websites! Here are a couple of themes for a ‘catch-all’ sort of site, or an announcement. Depending on where you are at in your journey of WordPress, these might be good places to explore to figure out what you would like to do, or for something that just can’t quite be defined.
Atomic blocks
Page-building blocks for the new WordPress editor.
Oblique Pro
Premium Masonry WordPress Theme
Wrap Up
Finally, a word of advice: These designs are referred to as themes for a reason. A theme should run fairly similarly throughout your website, regardless of the content. Themes are helpful to create a color pattern to your website, as well as a means to guide and unify your content. We as humans seek to establish patterns to organize information, so that we are able to filter out what is important and what is not. Having a strong and established theme helps each page direct visitors to what is important. If your page lacks a theme, then visitors won’t be able to easily decide on what to do next. When that occurs, usually they leave or close the tab and move on, which doesn’t help you reach your goals! We at Sprout Invoices thrive on helping businesses to grow and meet their goals through addressing invoicing and billing needs, in conjunction to their WordPress sites. Basically, we want to help you get paid!