How to Choose the Best WordPress Theme for E-Commerce Websites?

WordPress is a dominant web content management system in the modern world that embraces information and technology. As of 2024, about 19% of e-commerce websites are powered by WordPress with its most used e-commerce plugin, which is WooCommerce. So, we can consider WordPress as one of the most used platforms to build e-commerce websites.

Its user-friendliness and flexibility have made it the first choice of a large number of businesses for creating an online store. WordPress themes make the process of creating a website even easier. We can find plenty of free and paid themes online that can be used to create a website. When it comes to building an e-commerce website, using a WordPress website template is a good option. However, the selection of the theme isn’t as easy as it looks. For Magento-based stores, pairing a well-designed theme with reliable Magento Hosting can ensure optimal performance and a seamless user experience.

Factors to Consider When Choosing a WordPress Theme

The selection of the theme mustn’t be done blindly. Some factors need to be considered while browsing the best WordPress website templates and purchasing any one of them. Let’s discuss them in detail.

Responsiveness and Mobile Optimization

• Why Responsiveness Matters: Over 95% of users prefer mobile devices to access the internet. Over 60% of traffic comes from mobile devices. Google also prioritizes mobile-friendly websites for search engine rankings.
• Mobile-Friendly Approach: We cannot forget those 45% of consumers who want to shop online using their mobile phones. So, always prefer to buy an e-commerce WordPress theme that is responsive and easily functional on mobile devices.

Future-Proofing

Always keep future plans and upcoming trends in your mind before making a purchase. Ask yourself what feature your e-commerce website must contain in the future. Always stay 10-20 years ahead with your thoughts.

• Crypto Payment Integration: Crypto payments are considered to be the upcoming ‘revolution’ with the growing crypto payment gateway market. So, if you’re launching a futuristic online store, then you can get a WordPress website template that lets you accept crypto payments with a simple plugin installation process.
• The Advantage of Future Proofing: Keeping future-proofing in mind helps you stay away from frequent upgrades and also helps you save website maintenance costs at some levels.

Speed and Performance

• The Importance of Page Loading Speed: The ideal page loading speed is 0-2 seconds. Users may leave your website if they encounter slower speeds.
• A Pro Tip for Improved Speed and Performance: Consider browsing the best WordPress themes for e-commerce websites across the internet and choose one with clean code and minimal bloat (unnecessary features).

WooCommerce Compatibility

• The Importance of WooCommerce: WooCommerce is one of the most used e-commerce plugins of WordPress with a market share of over 20%. So, ensure that the e-commerce website theme you choose is fully compatible with WooCommerce.
• Prioritize the WooCommerce Plugin: Look for themes that are compatible with WooCommerce or choose ones that offer WooCommerce pre-installed.

SEO-Friendliness

• What Matters for Effective SEO: Apart from your content, your website’s page loading speeds, mobile responsiveness, and user experience also play an important role in increasing your website’s SEO score.
• Also Consider: Prefer choosing a WordPress e-commerce template with clean markup, meta tags, and sitemaps, if you don’t get them with your preferred theme, then consider implementing them.

You may also look for other SEO practices that you can additionally implement in your website to improve its SEO. Focusing on SEO helps you increase your online visibility by ranking your website higher in search engine results.

Customization Abilities

• The Importance of Customization Abilities: A customizable WordPress theme lets you create a unique and personalized online store.
• Additional Benefit in the Future: Such themes can also be helpful in the future as they can be cost-effective while updating your online store.
• Choose a Customizable WordPress Theme: Always look for themes that offer plenty of customization options to match your brand and style. 

Pricing

• Evaluation Process: Evaluate the cost of the theme, including any premium features or additional plugins.
• A Pro Tip: Remember that investing in a high-quality WordPress theme can provide long-term value and potentially save you money in the future.

Conclusion

Choosing the best WordPress template for your online store is crucial for its success. By carefully considering the factors discussed above, you can select a theme that not only improves your online store’s appearance but also improves its performance, user experience, and overall SEO. Prioritizing your specific business needs and preferences when making your decision is advised.