So what is a WordPress “Theme”?

You’ve probably heard of CMSes and Blogging software and you’ve probably heard that it’s free to download and use on your website. So why does your designer of developer want to charge you for creating a website using WordPress?

WordPress comes with a default “Theme” or “look” that means all the content you create will be displayed in a certain way. If you want to customise the way your WordPress site looks, you need to develop a “Theme” which changes the way the information you enter it is presented to visitors to the site.

At their most basic, a Theme can be just a single .css file. At their most complex they can be a large collection of .css, html, javascript and php code, that working together creates the exact visual appearance you want. Typically you’ll get your web designer to visualise the site for you, then it will be passed to the web developer who will take that collection of pixels and convert them into search engine and user friendly html.

A ‘free’ CMS or blogging system is just a way of you getting your hands on £100,000 worth of developer time for nothing. If you want your website to stand out from the crowd, you’ll need a theme…

Interesting in using WordPress to power your websites, but have very specific design needs? Sweet-Apple creates pixel perfect WordPress themes for small businesses and design agencies in and around Bath, Bristol, Wiltshire and Somerset – why not get in touch?