A Beginner-Friendly WordPress Guide : Lesson 3

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Recap of Lesson 2:

Before moving on to lesson 3 of the WordPress Beginner-Friendly Guide, let’s review what we learned in the previous lesson. We explored all of the key components and features of the WordPress dashboard. These include the Content Editor, Categories and Tags, Posts and Pages, a chronological flow, the Media Library, Plugins, the Appearance section, User Roles, Tools, and Settings.

 Next, we’ll dive deep into WordPress themes and how they can be used to customise the look and feel of your website. We will go over the fundamentals of what a WordPress theme is, the best WordPress themes, the different types of WordPress themes, how to install and activate a theme, and how to customise a theme to meet your specific requirements.

At the end, you will have a solid understanding of how to use WordPress themes to create a unique and professional-looking website. Let’s get started.

Overview of the Lesson 3:

  1. WordPress Themes
  2. Types of WordPress Theme
  3. Components of WordPress Themes
    • Templates
    • Style Sheets and Layout designs
    • Functions
  4. Child Theme vs Parent Theme
  5. The Best WordPress Themes
  6. Installing and Activating WordPress Themes

1- WordPress Themes

A WordPress theme is a collection of files that work together and determine the visual presentation and functionality of a WordPress website. It acts like a template or a blueprint for the website, defining its overall design, layout, and features. 

The theme controls the overall look and feel of a website, including its colours, fonts, images, and arrangement of content elements. It determines the layout and structure of pages, posts, headers, footers, sidebars, and other site sections.

2- Types of WordPress Themes:

WordPress offers a vast collection of free and premium themes, classified into several types, each of which is intended to serve a specific purpose, such as blogging, e-commerce, portfolio, magazine, and more. 

These types of WordPress Theme are designed to cater to the unique needs and requirements of different types of websites, ensuring a tailored experience for both website owners and visitors.

3- Components of a WordPress Theme:

A WordPress Theme is made up of various components, such as style sheets, functions, and layout design. All these components work together to create a cohesive and visually appealing website. 

Templates:

Templates are pre-designed page layouts that determine the structure and content of  WordPress website. They can be customised to add or remove certain elements, and they can also be created from scratch using various page builders.

Stylesheets and Layout Design:

Stylesheets are CSS files that control the presentation of the website’s elements. It includes typography, colours, spacing, and positioning. Where as, the layout design of a WordPress theme is the arrangement of elements on a page or post. This contains the placement of headers, footers, sidebars, and content areas. 

Functions:

Functions are blocks of code that control the behaviour and functionality of a WordPress website. They can be used to add new features or modify existing ones, such as adding a contact form or customising the login page. Functions are often added to the functions.php file in a WordPress theme. 

4- Child vs Parent Theme:

A parent theme is a complete, standalone theme that provides the core design, layout, and functionality for a WordPress website. It is a fully functional theme that can be installed and activated on its own. It often come with customization options and settings that allow you to tailor the appearance and behaviour of your website.

Where as, a child theme is a theme that relies on its parent theme for both its appearance and its functionality. It is created as an extension or modification of the parent theme. Allowing users to make customizations without directly modifying the parent theme’s files.

 A child theme is useful when you want to modify the design, layout, or functionality of a parent theme without losing the ability to receive updates or risking your modifications being overwritten. By creating a child theme, you can override specific template files, add custom stylesheets or scripts.

5- The Best WordPress Themes:

The WordPress theme library is vast and diverse, offering a multitude of options for website owners to find the best theme that suits their specific needs, preferences, and the purpose of their website.

When it comes to popularity and high ratings, a few themes stand out from the rest. Astra, Avada, and OceanWP are among the most acclaimed free themes in the market.

i) Astra: 

Astra is a lightweight, highly customizable theme that is well-known for its speed and performance. It has a large collection of pre-built website templates, is compatible with popular page builders, and has extensive customization options. Astra is a popular WordPress theme because it is suitable for a wide range of website types.

ii) Avada:

 Avada is a versatile and feature-rich theme that has gained immense popularity. It offers a powerful fusion builder, a large selection of pre-built layouts, and numerous customization options. Avada provides a comprehensive solution for creating visually stunning and highly functional websites.

iii) OceanWP: 

OceanWP is a highly flexible and multipurpose theme that caters to a wide range of website types. It offers a range of demo websites for different industries, along with features like WooCommerce integration, customizable headers and footers, and a lightweight codebase. OceanWP is known for its fast loading times and compatibility with popular plugins.

Installing and Activating a WordPress Theme:

Installing and activating a WordPress theme is a straightforward process. Below is a step-by-step guide on how to install and activate a WordPress theme:

  1. Log in to your WordPress dashboard.
  2. Locate the “Appearance” option in the sidebar menu and hover over it. A submenu will appear – click on “Themes.” 
  3. To add a new theme, click on the “Add New” button at the top of the page.
  4. Find the Theme of your choice in the Theme Library.
  5. Once you’ve found a theme you like, hover over it and click on the “Install” button.
  6. After the theme is successfully installed, you’ll see an “Activate” button. Click it to activate the theme.

Congratulations! You have successfully installed and activated a WordPress theme.

Summary:

In this lesson of the WordPress Guide, we explored various aspects of WordPress themes, providing a comprehensive overview of the topic. We began with an introduction to WordPress themes, highlighting their significance in shaping the visual appearance and layout of a website.

Next, we delved into the different types and components of WordPress themes, such as templates, style sheets, and functions.The concept of child and parent themes was also introduced, explaining how child themes can inherit the design and functionality of a parent theme while allowing for customization and updates without modifying the parent theme’s core files.

We further explored three popular WordPress themes: Astra, Avada, and OceanWP. These themes have gained recognition for their features, customization options, and user satisfaction, making them among the best choices for WordPress websites.

Lastly, we provided a step-by-step guide on how to install and activate WordPress themes. The process involves accessing the WordPress Dashboard, navigating to the Themes page, choosing a new theme, installing it, and activating it. Customization options can then be explored to personalise the theme according to specific preferences.

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