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Understanding WordPress Themes: How to Choose the Right One

Learn the importance of WordPress themes and how to choose the right one for your website. Discover the differences between block, classic, and hybrid themes to create a site that matches your brand and aesthetic.

What is a WordPress Theme?

A WordPress theme defines a website’s design and appearance. It customizes how your site looks without changing the core programming of WordPress.

Screenshot of the WordPress dashboard displaying the Themes section under the Appearance menu.
The Appearance menu in WordPress provides access to themes and customization options to shape your website’s design and functionality.

Why are themes important?

Themes shape your site’s style, guiding design elements like color, typography, spacing, layouts, patterns, templates, and more.

Screenshot of the WordPress Global Styles displaying the Style Book in the Block editor.
WordPress’s Global Styles and Style Book offers powerful tools for customizing block themes, enhancing design flexibility and site aesthetics.

They consist of various files and folders (HTML, PHP, CSS, JavaScript, media, etc.) that work together to create your site’s appearance.

Screenshot of the Some WordPress Block Theme's files.
Various files from a WordPress block theme illustrate the structure and components used to define the site’s appearance and functionality.

Customization & Flexibility

Themes allow you to change your site’s look without altering its content (posts, pages, products, etc). They offer numerous customization options, so you can tailor the design to match your brand and desired aesthetic.

A WordPress Global Styles section screenshot displays the Style Book in the Block editor.
WordPress’s Global Styles and Style Book offers powerful tools for customizing block themes, enhancing design flexibility and site aesthetics.

Whether you purchase themes or download them from sources like the official WordPress.org theme directory or third-party marketplaces, you can easily install and activate them directly from the WordPress dashboard.

Screenshot of the homepage of the website Themeforest.net.
Screenshot of the homepage of the website doingcircles.com.
Screenshot of the homepage of the official WordPress.org theme directory.
The WordPress.org theme directory offers a vast selection of themes, providing reliable options for beginners and experienced users to enhance their WordPress websites.

This makes switching between themes and experimenting with designs straightforward.

Types of WordPress Themes

WordPress supports two main types of themes: block themes and classic themes. There’s also a subtype called hybrid themes, but the primary distinction is between block and classic themes.

WordPress Block Themes

Block themes represent the modern way of building WordPress sites. They use HTML-based block templates that include block markup, allowing you to edit all parts of your site with the Site Editor.

Screenshot of a WordPress block theme HTML template file displayed in a code editor
A sample HTML template file from a block theme showcasing the code structure used to define the layout and design elements.

The Site Editor visual interface lets you design and build every aspect of your site, from pages and menus to templates and styles.

Screenshot of the WordPress Site Editor interface showing customization options for a block theme.
The WordPress Site Editor provides an intuitive interface for customizing block themes, allowing users to design and edit their websites visually.

Block themes provide a cohesive and intuitive way to customize your site’s design without writing code or relying on third-party page builders.

Screenshot of the WordPress block editor displaying various blocks available in a WooCommerce block theme.
The WordPress block editor with WooCommerce blocks allows for seamless eCommerce site customization.

You can export a block theme directly from the Block Editor and create custom block themes by modifying existing templates and styles.

Screenshot of the WordPress block editor options, highlighting the export theme feature.
The WordPress block editor options include an export theme feature, enabling users to easily save and transfer their customized themes.

WordPress Classic Themes

Classic themes are the original way of building WordPress sites. They use PHP functions, hooks, and filters, utilizing the Customizer for website adjustments and Widgets for adding functionalities.

Screenshot of the WordPress Customizer interface showing customization options for the Twenty Twenty-One default theme.
The WordPress Customizer interface with the Twenty Twenty-One default theme offers some options for site customization.

This traditional method is still widely used and supported in WordPress. And they rely on page builder plugins like Elementor.

Screenshot of the Elementor page builder interface customizing WordPress's Twenty-One default theme.
The Elementor plugin is a page builder with a visual interface.

Building your site requires more than the Customizer; the options are minimal and depend on the theme. If you are looking for a classic theme, you should also look for a plugin that provides you with a page builder or directly opt for a theme with a page builder.

WordPress Hybrid Themes

Hybrid themes are classic themes that incorporate modern block-related features, blending traditional and contemporary design capabilities.

My Conclusion

The old and new way of doing things in WordPress allows users to create sites in various ways, which can be overwhelming and chaotic. It’s essential to be clear about your goals and conduct thorough research on how to achieve them with WordPress.

The block themes ecosystem is still in its infancy, with fewer themes and extensions available than the classic method. However, block themes offer a more streamlined and integrated approach to website design, eliminating the need for costly third-party page builders that charge yearly.

They enable the WordPress Site Editor, an interface that simplifies the design process and makes it more accessible to non-coding experts. They provide a seamless experience, allowing you to easily create a cohesive and visually appealing website.

Block themes represent the future of WordPress. Despite some initial resistance from users and developers accustomed to the classic way of doing things, block themes’ flexibility and power make them the most logical choice for the future.

By embracing block themes, you position yourself ahead of the curve, ready to take advantage of the latest WordPress design and functionality advancements.

Explore the possibilities of block themes and see how they can transform your website into a dynamic and engaging platform that truly represents your brand and business.

Thanks for reading! ~ aenz.

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