Wendy Huffman
There are thousands of Wordpress themes available; a lot of them are free, and many cost up to $100. What to look for to reduce frustration in building a great site!
Old style themes do not adapt to the different sizes of screens now available. Although there are plugins you can add to achieve this, new designs have incorporated this feature. Since People can browse the internet on their TV's, tablets, or on their phone, you want to be sure your site is compatable with all different devices. A responsive design will say so, and many allow you to drag the corner to see what it looks like on a smaller screen.
A key benefit of WordPress is that you can add almost any functionality with a plugin. However, complicated programming will break your site if you add a plugin that is not compatible. Make sure the developer/designer has made their site easy to work with, or you will spend a lot of time troubleshooting. Reading reviews and paying attention to descriptions can give you clues.
When you are just getting started, they all look alike. In building a new site, I was excited to find a theme I used a few years ago that I remembered as being very functional and easy to work with. However, once I installed it, it lacked many of the new innovations and flexibility. What's hot now in 2015 are bright bold photos, with magazine style options and with lots of great ways to display your photos. Sliders are hot, although there are plugins that can add that function if it is missing. On the other hand, themes can be changed easily, don't be afraid to experiment. If you are frustrated with it- try on another one.
There are many themes that brag about all the many different functions it offers and multiple layouts. Once they are installed how to create those looks is a mystery. The easiest themes I've used are both free and purchased from this theme developer. I am so happy, I've become an affiliate for them. See more about that on my BLOG.
