How to Choose and Install a WordPress Theme

What Makes a Good WordPress Theme

A good theme is fast-loading, mobile-responsive, SEO-optimised, and regularly updated by its developer. It should be clean and readable — your content needs to be the star, not flashy animations. Check that it supports the WordPress Block Editor (Gutenberg) and has good reviews. Avoid themes with too many built-in features you'll never use — they add bloat and slow your site down. The best themes focus on doing a few things exceptionally well.

Free vs Premium Themes

Free themes from the WordPress.org repository are a solid starting point — Astra, GeneratePress, and Kadence are excellent free options with pro upgrades available. Premium themes (£30–£80 one-time) typically offer more customisation, better support, and regular updates. For a blog, we recommend starting with a fast free theme like Astra or GeneratePress and upgrading to the pro version once your blog is generating income. Avoid cheap 'premium' themes from unknown developers — they often have security issues and poor support.

Our Top Theme Recommendations for Bloggers

Astra is our top pick — it's the fastest WordPress theme available, extremely customisable, and has a massive library of starter templates. GeneratePress is equally fast with a focus on clean code and accessibility. Kadence offers the best free version with features that rival premium themes. For a more design-focused approach, the developer edition of Flavor Theme is specifically built for bloggers and content creators, with dedicated blog layouts and typography options that do justice to written content.

How to Install a Theme from WordPress

In your WordPress dashboard, go to Appearance → Themes → Add New. Use the search bar to find your chosen theme by name. Hover over the theme and click 'Install', then click 'Activate' once installation completes. Your site's appearance will immediately update to reflect the new theme. If you're using a premium theme, you'll download a .zip file from the theme developer — go to Appearance → Themes → Add New → Upload Theme, select the .zip file, and click Install Now.

Customising Your Theme

Go to Appearance → Customize to access the WordPress Customizer, where you can adjust colours, fonts, layouts, and more in real-time. Start by setting your brand colours — your primary colour (used for links, buttons, headings) and secondary colour (for accents). Choose readable fonts — sans-serif fonts like Inter, Open Sans, or Lato work well for body text, while a contrasting font can work for headings. Configure your header layout, footer widgets, and sidebar positioning. Save your changes frequently.

Mobile Responsiveness Check

After customising, test your blog on mobile devices — over 60% of web traffic comes from phones. Use Chrome DevTools (press F12, then toggle the device toolbar) to preview your site at different screen sizes. Check that text is readable without zooming, buttons are easy to tap, images resize properly, and menus work on touch screens. If anything looks broken on mobile, adjust your theme settings or consider switching to a more responsive theme. Google uses mobile-first indexing, so mobile experience directly affects your search rankings.