How to Customize WordPress Theme (The basic)

Is it important to pick the right Theme for website/blog? Definitely YES!

When you begin to start to build a website/blog, things that always steal our attention is to choose and pick the right Themes that matched with your content. 

It will look awkward if your website content is about traveling but use the themes for the online store. So, I think it is really important.

Creating Pages for Contact Form, About, Term of services, Disclaimers, Privacy Policy is also very important. 

One of the main reason your website not getting approved by Google Adsense or other Ads network was a website with a bad design.

I am not an expert but in this article, I will try to share tips on how to customize the basic design of WordPress theme easily. Ok! Let’s start with pick the right themes.

Pick the right Themes

If you plan to monetize your blog with Google Adsense, my suggestions are choosing a clean and responsive theme.

You can search inside WP Admin Panel just go to Appearance >Theme >Add New there is a lot of free and premium theme. Make sure to pick one that matched with your blog content and niche.

Invest your money to buy a premium theme will be a good idea if you have a budget. Because you will get more benefits from using premium themes rather than the free ones.

It is important, especially for SEO optimization. For premium WordPress themes I highly recommend Genesis by StudioPress theme.

Customize Menu In Navigation  Bar

To have easy to use navigation menu is a must for website or blog. So visitor can easily discover what they are looking for. By default, usually, you have only Home menu hang on Nav-bar.

To adding other menu is by creating new pages like I mention before for the example: Blog-Privacy policy-Contact-About etc and create Categories for sub–menu item example: Computers-Internet-Macintosh-Windows.

After finish creating pages and categories pages go to Appearance>Menu and check pages you wish to add in mainmenu. Then click Add to Menu button see picture below.

For creating a sub-menu item, click on Custom Links and replace URL with #. And then click Add to Menu see picture below.

Continue with click on Categories on the left Menu structure and check all Categories that you’ve created before to Menu. 

Under Custom Links drag all categories to the right one grid to create Sub–item. You can rename Custom Links like “Categories” or “Blog Menu”  see picture below.

Your website navigation bar in live preview should look like in the picture below

Now you’ve done with the Navigation Bar its time to make it more attractive with adding some Widget and plugins into Sidebar.

Customize sidebar widgets

Sidebar in a blog page can be very useful for placing widget like your recent post. So your visitor can easily find the related post for the article they have read.

You can also put your Facebook page, your author box, social profile, Ads, etc on the sidebar widget.

Footer Widgets

For some people may leave their footer clean, it’s good for some kind of blog. But in my personal taste, I do like to add something on it too.

Because when the audience finished reading your content and reach the bottom of your site. There is something will attract their attention. But! it depends on the themes you use.

And be creative to put some widget on it. Definitely, it could be a very powerful place for you to placing Subscribe Form, etc.

If you want you can easily manage what widgets to put on sub footer with WP Customizer Live Preview.

Useful WordPress plugins/add-ons

Contact Forms 7 plugin for creating the Contact form page and Subscription form.

To install the plugins, go to WP admin panel > Plugins > Add New and upload the plugins.

Or you can search directly from your WP Admin plugins. For essential WordPress plugins for SEO, Security, etc I’ve writte an article about it here Essential WordPress plugins for website/blog.

Fine tune

Now, look at your website preview! navigate your cursor to the Home icon in the top left of the WordPress admin panel. see picture below 👇🏼

Mix match the composition, be creative and have fun with it. When it looks and feels good, then you have done with the basic web design.

Congratulation! not too difficult isn’t it?

If necessary hire a web developer or buy premium themes

Still not satisfied with standard customization?

If you want a custom design for your website, and you don’t know how to code, then you can hire people who expert in web design.

Or you can learn by your self In WordPress.org in developers section. Websites like w3schools.com is a great place you can learn how to code.

If you want, take a course, youtube is the best source to find one. Of course, it need some times for you to master it.

So if you just want to blog and don’t want to get confused with HTML, CSS, etc. Well! the instant choice is to hire a Web Developer or buy premium WordPress Themes like Genesis by Studiopress.

Conclusion

The first impression is always the appearance! so I hope this basic simple tutorial about how to customize WordPress theme can help you to start your website and later you could develop by your self for farther more.

However, the most important thing is to start writing! and fill your new blog with a lot of good and valuable content.

It’s a waste when you have a fancy website but have no content. Writing good quality content is not easy but it can be done with consistency and a will to learn and hard work of course.

You can do it!

The first step in blogging is not writing them but reading them - Jeff Jarvis. Click To Tweet

So take more time to read, read and read. It could be anything Novel, Magazine, Newspaper, Blog post, etc.

By reading will train us to know how to nicely crafting paragraphs, phrases, etc.

Okay! Happy blogging! never stop learning! and don’t forget to leave your comment below.

Regards!