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How to choose the best design theme for your blog? [2022]

Updated: Jul 13, 2022


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The fourth step to starting a blog is about choosing the right WordPress theme. If you missed the previous steps, you can find them below.

We're now ready to have some fun after we've completed the critical setup phase for starting a blog.

When you design your WordPress blog, you may feel some friction (if this is the first time you have worked on one), but it won't get too technical.

Jump to:

WordPress is the best option if you are looking to create a blog and make money.


Let's start with some terminology to help you understand what WordPress is and why it's the best platform (also called a Content Management System, CMS) for running your blog.



Some FAQ

What is Content Management System (CMS), and how does it work?

You will create, design, and publish blog posts using a Content Management System (or CMS).


Good CMS, such as WordPress, are easy to use. They allow you to organize your content, upload photos, and control how your blog looks with themes and custom design elements.


WordPress is the most popular CMS.

What is WordPress?

WordPress is the most used CMS worldwide, with millions daily users. The most recent blogging statistics show over 60% of all blogs are run on WordPress, including those for TechCrunch, NBC, Forbes, New York Observer, TED and more.

What's the best way to start a WordPress blog?

There are many CMS options that you could consider (such as Wix or Squarespace, Tumblr, and Blogger), but we highly recommend starting a self-hosted WordPress site. It's the most stable, long-term CMS. You do not have to pay anything for it, it's free (you just need a hosting plan). It's also free and easy to use.

We have been using WordPress to manage multiple blogs. We're very happy with the flexibility, control, and long-term growth potential WordPress has provided us.

One thing to remember is that WordPress can be used on two different platforms.


WordPress.com vs WordPress.org


You have WordPress.com, and WordPress.org. Although they have the same name, there are vast differences between them.

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WordPress.com:

  • It is free to use (with some restrictions).

  • You can't choose a custom domain name (i.e. yoursite.wordpress.com)

  • Limited monetization options available (you can't sell your ads).

  • You can't upload plugins (for email capture or other purposes)

  • You can only use very basic designs because there is no theme support

  • To remove WordPress branding from your domain, you will need to pay.

  • Analytics and SEO are quite limited.

WordPress.org:

  • Design is completely customizable, infinite plugin options, and absolutely no branding

  • You have total control over your own monetization efforts

  • You can use powerful SEO features to make it easier for people to find your site.

  • Let's start an eCommerce store or create a membership site.

  • You pay a small monthly fee to put your blog online with the cheap web hosting plan.

If you really want your blog to grow, make it more profitable, and ultimately make more money, WordPress.org is the best option.

WordPress.org is the CMS that will power your blog in the background.



The best WordPress themes for free


If you are just starting your blog, buying a paid WordPress theme is not a good idea.

It is worth looking into premium themes that offer more options and features if you can afford the cost and have enough traffic.

A complicated theme can distract from the most important goal of your blog, which is to bring readers to your site.


There's a wide range of themes for free in WordPress. You can start by choosing one of the popular options in Appearance > Themes > Add New > Popular, but don't spend too much time here. It's possible to change it later.

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We recommend Ellementor for WordPress or Astra. All of these are 100% free and fast, with the option to upgrade later.

These two themes/builders are our favorite because they are quick and easy to use. It's also possible to upgrade to premium versions for additional features.

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This guide will help you make informed decisions when you are experimenting with WordPress themes for starting a blog.

If you want to try different themes, keep in mind that they should be:

  • Easy to use: Many fancy themes compromise usability and go above the mark.

  • Responsive - Responsiveness is a theme that makes your blog look great on any device, including a smartphone, tablet, or laptop. Google favors mobile-friendly websites because more people read blogs from their smartphones. Copy and paste the URL from the theme's demo page into Google's Mobile Friendly Test page.

  • Supports plugins Plugins are the real power behind your WordPress blog. Make sure that your theme supports the best WordPress plugins.

  • SEO friendliness - SEO (search engine optimization) refers to the ease with which search engines like Google can find your blog posts and website's content. Search engines may be unable to understand some themes due to their bulky code.

  • Support: Some problems usually always arise, and you should be able to ask for assistance. You should keep in mind that some free theme developers won't provide support for their products.

  • Ratings: Search for themes that have a track record of success and a history of positive reviews.

Why is design so important when starting a blog?


Even if you aren't particularly interested in design, readers will change their behavior based on the blog layout.


Researchers from Google and the University of Basel found that people judge websites' aesthetic beauty and functionality in, a 2012 study.


People will also judge your blog based on The Halo Effect's psychological bias.

A good blog design builds trust.

This shows people that you care enough to make your blog look great.

You don't need to use many colors and fonts or create elaborate animations. The best designs are clear, simple, and easy to understand.

After you have settled on the perfect theme for your WordPress blog, it is time to explore the world of WordPress plugins. These plugins allow you to customize your blog and make it more profitable.



5 Essential WordPress Plugins You Should Install Today


WordPress plugins are crucial to how your blog functions. Getting the essential plugins set up quickly is important so that you can serve your audience well and rank good in search engines.

What is a WordPress plugin? Why are they so important?

A WordPress plugin can be described as an add-on that provides additional functionality or features to your blog.

Plugins allow you to add many features, such as collecting email subscribers, nailing SEO, optimizing images, increasing page load speed, and much more.

There are thousands of WordPress plugins available.

These are the top WordPress plugins you should install to help you get through the clutter.

  1. Yoast: The more people will find your content, the better your blog will do. Yoast WordPress plugin allows you to optimize blog post titles, descriptions, and content lengths across your entire blog to be easily found by search engines.

  2. WPForms: Your readers will want to reach you easily. This is something we strongly recommend. It'll give other bloggers who are interested in working with you an opportunity to get in touch. WPForms allows you to drag and drop contact forms onto any page on your blog.

  3. Google Analytics Dashboard: This plugin allows you to view all relevant analytics data within WordPress. It is used to see who is visiting your site, what their average time on your site is, and which of your most popular posts they are, connect the plugin to your Google Analytics account.

  4. UpdraftPlus: Sometimes, things can go wrong with your blog. This free backup plugin is a great option to avoid losing your work. It will save you all of your hard work.

  5. MaxCDN: MaxCDN speeds up images and other static elements on your blog, making it a great plugin to add.

  6. Add Headers and Footers: Sometimes, to modify your theme you will need to add code snippets in your header or footer. It's not difficult as it sounds. It is possible to have issues if you do it in your theme's code. This plugin allows you to add code snippets easily to select areas on your blog.


The Basics of WordPress blog settings


There are many reasons to create a blog and unique blogging goals. It's essential to understand the basics of WordPress so you can manage the appearance of your blog.

Let's take a look at some of the most important settings you can find on your WordPress dashboard.



Permalinks (URLs)

Bluehost will automatically optimize the permalink settings to publish new blog entries in the domain . com/postname format.

It's crucial to make changes to your permalink settings if they aren't set to this format.

You will rank higher in search engines like Google because your title text will be included in all URLs.

To adjust, hover over "Settings" in your WordPress dashboard.

Navigate to Settings > Permalinks. This should look something like this:

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While you can still customize the article's URL before publishing it in WordPress, now you have a default URL structure that is SEO-friendly.


For more detailed information on link structure, see our post on creating SEO-friendly URLs.

Set your blog homepage

We suggest that you set your homepage to your blog's posts (for now), if you are just starting your blog.


You can adjust these settings by going to:

Settings > Reading

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Your homepage can be static or custom-designed. This page can collect email sign-ups and sell products. As you continue to learn how to blog, keep it simple and just list your most recent posts.


You can change the settings so that the entire text of your blog posts is displayed on your homepage.


If you won't be publishing many posts to your WordPress blog in the coming days or weeks, this will make it look like you have more content. Once you've published your first 5 posts, you can switch the settings back into a list or preview format.

Set up your blog’s menu

You won't need a menu when you just start your blog. But once you have published your key pages (About and Contact, Various categories, Shop etc.), you can make a header or footer menu by going to

Appearance > menus


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It takes just a few mouse clicks to create them.


We've now covered the basics of setting up WordPress for your blog.


Other main pages of your blog


You will want to share some information about yourself from the moment that you create a blog.


Tell your readers who you are (creating an about us page). Why people should listen. How they could reach you if they had any questions or wish to work with you or your company.


These pages are pretty standard but can be fun to make and allow your readers to get to know you better.


Now that we have covered the steps for choosing your design theme let's look at your blogging goals.


This article is part of a series on how to start a blog.


The next chapter is about how to set your blogging goals.

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