How to Choose an SEO-Optimized WordPress Theme
Find out how to choose an SEO-optimized WordPress Theme to capture your brand and power your business for search and customers.
Image Source: OceanWP
Experts recommend selecting a WordPress theme that’s always optimized for search engines. This is easier said than done, when pretty much every theme is advertised as SEO friendly. How do you go about selecting the right one?
Simply put, the theme must be light, fast, and easy to use, for both you and the viewer.
Most W0rdPress Themes truly are set up to be SEO friendly, what the deciding factor usually boils down to is speed and this factor changes dramatically once you’ve actually downloaded, installed and started modifying a theme.
A poor theme selection can have a negative impact on your website’s SEO. Often times WordPress themes that are appealing because they’re feature rich and easy for the site owner to manage impact the front end user experience by adding load time.
According to a study by GoogleFirms 2021, more than 73.1% of web designers believe that a non-responsive design has caused visitors to leave the website more than any other reason.
This is the stat followed by 88.5% of users who often leave a website if it is loading slowly. Another less common reason for a high turnover of visitors on the website is poor navigation.
So without further ado, let’s break down the critical factors to help you find an SEO-optimized WordPress theme that qualifies on every parameter.
Why are Themes a Crucial Component of SEO?
The success of the website in terms of SEO success is greatly influenced by the WordPress themes. UX cues carry more weight if you keep a close eye on the developments or signals that affect SEO. But now the question is: What part does the theme play in the site’s user experience?
WordPress themes provide a significant contribution to the site’s user experience. Themes do have an effect on UX signals, including loading transitions and content arrangement. They have an impact on the signals in a variety of ways, including responsiveness, SEO optimization process, and quick loading times.
Pre-requisites of a Good Theme
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Responsive
The definition of a responsive theme is one that adapts its layout to the size and resolution of the screen. Even on small screens and mobile devices, these are more user-friendly. The user experience is something that responsive themes are more eager to enhance. In order to attain higher results in Google, they also play a significant part in SEO. Anything that is simpler to manage and put into practice is always chosen over alternatives. This is what a responsive web page looks like in its splendor. Since at least 80% of internet users access the internet through their mobile devices, optimizing the mobile user experience should be a top focus. Decide to always use a responsive theme.
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Quicker loading
The website’s backbone is none other than its theme. It affects how long it takes for the complete webpage to load. It also has an impact on the page’s rankings in search results. Because they tend to provide a better user experience, speedy sites are now given more attention and are ranking higher. Your website’s slowness may cause people to leave, which will damage your ranks and possibly cause you to drop off the first page of the search engine results. Before you start deploying anything, try a pilot website. Always test a new theme after activation with Pingdom and PageSpeed insights.
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Updates
A few of the most well-liked SEO-Optimized WordPress Theme receive frequent updates. This is done to ensure that any bug fixes and feature improvisations that may have a greater effect on the performance are also made. Finding a theme with frequent updates is a necessity for a more safe and secure website experience. For a safer way to operate and run the website, the theme creators must publish the regular updates. Therefore, make every effort to keep the features improved and sharp by selecting a theme that is furnished and maintained with frequent updates. Regular updates are nothing short of a must because WordPress has a history of attacks.
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No external links
Consider using an SEO-Optimized WordPress Theme that has no outbound links of any kind. There are links in the page’s footer that you can see whenever you conduct a theme search. Some of the developers put links to the footer to advertise their design services, which is not a wiser course of action. On the other hand, some developers go about selling those link placements to other kinds of businesses. You must refrain from utilizing a theme if it has one or more outbound links that you are unable to remove. These links would be available on the post’s page as well because they are normally integrated in the footer. This will steal some of the website’s traffic.
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Malware-free
If you use a malware-infected theme, you won’t be able to obtain a competitive advantage. De-indexing would not be used in this case to completely shield users from the effects of an infected website. The majority of free WordPress themes have malware. Using and selecting carelessly can cost you dearly in the long run. This may actually result in the active theft of website data, the production of pop-up advertisements, and vector acting by infecting the visitor’s website with malware. There are also smarter themes with plugins for virus detection. We refer to this as Wordfence security. The website and its theme are both scanned for viruses using this tool. Such website substitutes are always reliable.
Things to Consider When Choosing an SEO-Optimized Theme
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SEO Plugin Compatibility
When selecting a WP theme, its plugin compatibility must be checked carefully. It is a necessary consideration because whatever is visible on the front end is supported by these WP add-ons in the backend.
However, it isn’t mandatory for every WP theme to be compatible with every plugin, but only with specific ones.
Such as Yoast SEO, RankMath, and All-in-One SEO are prominently used plugins, making it necessary for every WP theme to be optimized for them.
Still, it is even more necessary to confirm for yourself whether the plugins you are about to use or plan to install are appropriately compatible.
For example, if your theme offers built-in image optimization, it may cause unpredictable behavior and the site might crash. So choose carefully.
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Cross-Browser Test
A website must work uniformly across all web browsers. After all, some people may be searching your website using Firefox or Internet Explorer rather than Google Chrome.
Bear in mind that there are many web browsers on the internet. If your prospective audience is using a browser that your site isn’t compatible with or isn’t loading appropriately, you can lose them.
Ideally, it is advised to identify the browser your audience is using the most. After that, you can contact your WP theme provider concerning whether or not their theme loads best on a specific web browser.
Alternatively, you can do it yourself and test the demo version of the desired website across multiple browsers and devices.
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A theme that is well-coded
A poorly coded theme can result in severe issues on a website. It can crash unexpectedly while online, and it can repeat actions. In most cases, the theme disrupts the site entirely, with visuals being shown ambiguously.
Such images are either too large or too small in size. A well-coded theme makes sure that all features and layouts are serving the purpose and meeting the objective of a website.
It provides its administrators with the peace of mind that the content they are sharing is being properly consumed by viewers without encountering an issue or error.
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Mobile Device Compatibility
With over 60% of all internet traffic coming from mobile devices, a theme’s compatibility with mobile devices must be a paramount concern before making a selection.
A WP theme must load faster on mobile devices. It should be automatically compressed and shrunk to fit the small screens of smartphones and tablets and must not feature a desktop version on mobile devices.
Most theme providers allow users to choose a mobile theme and a desktop theme separately. So consider checking that as well.
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The Importance of Reviews and Ratings
In most cases, you may struggle to get a trusted and accurate overview of a WordPress theme. Simultaneously, from an SEO perspective, it can put you at risk if you are simply influenced by the theme’s design, paying no attention to its SEO compatibility.
This is where reviews and ratings come to the rescue. If more people are using a site and it is rated at least 4 out of 5 stars, it may signal a well-built position for a website on the internet.
Still, if you are targeting a specific niche and want to be certain about a specific feature, speak with the provider directly. Email them or use their chatbox to get answers.
Top Rated SEO Friendly WordPress Themes You can Explore
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OceanWP
It is totally free and has an excellent SEO-friendly theme. Additionally, it has a few multipurpose premium extension functions. It can be used to create a variety of websites. This theme’s notable attributes include being lightweight, responsive, RTL-ready, and having a native cart popup.
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Newspaper Premium
It has a pretty unique method of blogging. The theme comes with a variety of features. It may be used for any blog you can think of. It offers noteworthy social media assistance. Support for Google Ads and AdSense is also included. This premium theme is a need because it can significantly improve the performance metrix to an entirely new level.
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Astra
Another responsive, SEO-friendly theme with a set of features that may be utilized to build a website is now available with Astra. It is extremely lightweight and only requires resources that total less than 30 kb. It can be easily worked on in many ways. It enables you to customize a variety of items, like the typography, colors, and layouts.
WooCommerce, Schema Markup, lightweight website templates, and others are a few of Astra’s standout features.
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Divi
It is one of the most widely used themes right now. This theme has some of the most cutting-edge features including a visual page builder. Discover countless features that are fully configurable right here to aid in the development of any kind of business.
This theme has roughly 800 pre-made designs that can typically be produced in a matter of seconds. Here, you can explore a variety of marketing products. The adjustments you choose to implement will have a significant impact on how quickly the Divi-powered website loads. Among other things, it contains capabilities like drag-and-drop creation, mobile friendliness, and responsive design.
Conclusion
Choosing the right SEO-Optimized WordPress Theme is crucial to your online success. Think of your viewers first and then follow these vital points carefully if you don’t want to go wrong with your next selection for an SEO-Optimized WordPress Theme. The interface of your website must be fully optimized and should never ruin the user experience for someone who might have visited your site with tons of good expectations.
