Until now we have been talking about the operation, but the design is also a very important part when making the choice. And in fact, when deciding, it usually has a fundamental weight.

These are the elements that you should look at when choosing the template design since it will also affect important things such as the structure of the blog.

In this case, it is not necessary that the template you choose meets all that we are going to see since here the important thing is that it adapts to what you are looking for. But this list is interesting to see everything a template can offer you.

In addition, many of the things that we will see later cannot be changed unless you change the template again.

Structure and versatility

This is the most important part since it is what most affects the design.

Take a good look at the arrangement of the different elements: header, logo, menu, sidebar, etc., and check that it adapts to what you need.

There are templates that are very versatile, and that allows you to choose a lot of different layouts or designs within them. Or they also include quite a few places where you can add widgets.

These things depend directly on the design of the template and then it will be very difficult for you to make modifications that go beyond what the theme itself offers you.

That is also a point in their favour since many times you have an idea in your head when setting up the blog and within a few months, you change it because your needs have changed.

Anyway, it is also normal to test a few templates before finding the definitive one, so don’t worry, that has happened to all of us. And it is also normal that on many occasions you have to adapt a little to what the template offers if you do not find the “perfect” template.

Design

The design refers to the structure, but also to the colours and typeface that the blog uses.

Make sure the colours suit what you are looking for. In fact, there are templates that include different colour ranges for you to choose the one you like the most.

And another important thing that you should look at is the typography, since then that is something difficult to change.

The most professional templates let you choose the font and size (or include a plugin that does), but the truth is that it is not very common to find that option. So you have to see that the typography that comes standard with the theme adapts to what you need (later, if you need it, it could be changed with a plugin, but the fewer plugins you use the better).

Headboard

How is the header? Big, small, colours, etc. Can you put a logo? How big will it be?

These are the things you should be looking at, as it is going to be the first thing your readers see and it should be total to your liking.

There are templates that allow you to make any modifications to the header, but the normal thing is that they are somewhat more limited, so it is best if you choose one that already has a header as you like or that you know can be modified.

Menus

How much do you have? Where can they be placed?

The lack of menus is something that can be easily solved with a plugin, but hey, if the template already includes all those options better.

You already know that the fewer plugins you install, the better your WordPress blog will work, and there are many templates that already include options that will allow you to save that extra plugin

Sidebar

In English, it is known as a “sidebar”, and it is that side column that is usually on the right in most blogs.

Now it is tending to be removed to simplify the design and give more prominence to the texts, but well, the truth is that it is still something that is seen a lot.

If you want to use it, check that your template includes one. What’s more, there are templates that allow you to even choose which side you want to put it on or even if you want to use two at the same time, one on each side.

There are also plugins that allow you to add this sidebar, but I refer to the previous one.

Footer

The footer is the area that appears below the blog.

There are those who use it and those who do not. For example, on my blog, I don’t use it. But hey, it is a very good place to add menus or options that you have not put in the main menus because otherwise, it would have been too ornate.

It is also a good area to add widgets, such as a subscription form or links to your social networks.

Blog page design

How the posts page looks are something that depends 100% on the topic you choose. There are themes that only show an extract of the text of each entry, others only a photo, others a text and a photo, etc. There are dozens of combinations here, and the vast majority of templates let you choose the one you want.

A good design of this section will make it easier to search for content within your blog.

In addition, as a tip, that there are images always helps to make you want to read a post more.

Responsive

That a template is responsive means that it adapts its design to the small screens of mobile devices, and this is very important.

Mobile traffic is increasingly important, and you have to assume that a large number of visits to your blog will be made from a mobile phone or tablet. That is why it is necessary that you make it easy for your visitor and that you offer a website that adapts perfectly to that smaller screen.

It is important because Google highly appreciates that a blog is responsive when it comes to positioning it in its searches, but it is also very important because for the reader it will be much easier to navigate your blog since everything will be much better adapted.

Updates and documentation

Another important aspect is that the developer updates the templates.

A theme that takes a long time without updating could be synonymous with being somewhat abandoned by its creator.

And if it includes documentation with instructions on how the theme works and how things are configured, well, better than better!