Popular WordPress multipurpose themes

We use websites to communicate various messages – these could be about a person, company, product, service, or idea. The message communicated is referred to as content.

Introduction

In WordPress, a website is created using a combination of pages and posts to share content.

• Pages are used for content that rarely changes – for example, a home or landing page, contact information page, information about products or services, or an about us page.
• Posts are for content that's less evergreen – for example, news, blog posts, or industry articles.

A theme is what controls the overall look and feel of a website. It's the template for the website. A theme decides how your website will be structured; where content can be placed; if and where images and videos can be placed; where menus can be positioned; how your website can be navigated; what fonts and colors are possible; and if other features like activity tracking, search engine optimization, ecommerce, online payments, and forms are possible. Themes are usually professionally designed templates that are coded with some of the above considerations in mind.

WordPress themes: An introduction

Best practice: Having the final content intended for the website completed goes a long way in helping decide what theme and template would best suit your website. For example, content with a short shelf-life would be best implemented with a theme that has a higher focus on posts and blogs.

Themes are available for selection on WordPress under the administration panel: My Site > My Home > Design > Themes.

On accessing the Themes page, a range of themes are available for selection.

The Theme page displays:

• Information about the theme that was selected or defaulted to:
  • Theme name
  • Customize - Permitted changes to colors, menu, fonts and more can be done here
  • Info - Provides additional details regarding the theme selected, features, capabilities, and how to add content
• Install Theme: This option is available on subscription. It allows advanced users to upload their own themes

WordPress has a suggested structure for building websites. Refer the image:

Clicking on Visit site takes the administrator to the draft view of the website. This draft view will become the final view once the site is published.

Themes - WordPress multipurpose themes

Themes are referred to as multipurpose themes and aim at being a template option that could suit the needs of multiple brands, companies, organizations, or causes. Multipurpose themes include marketing, promotion, and search engine optimization (SEO) features like, social media integration, responsive design (work across devices) and valid coding (HTML/CSS). Things to look out for before choosing a theme:

• Layout design that suits your website goal, supports your logo/branding, offers custom colors, allows flexibility to insert text and images – for example, supports WordPress Block Editor
• Responsive capabilities (ability to adjust and present across multiple devices and browsers)
• Supports plugins that you plan to use
• Language support including language translation and Right To Left (RTL) language support
• SEO friendly
• Support e-commerce if you plan to sell and bill online

On WordPress.com, the multipurpose themes have five characteristics by which they are categorized:

• Features
• Layout
• Columns
• Subject
• Style

1. Features

Features on WordPress.org are categorized as follows:

2. Layout

Layouts on WordPress.org are categorized as follows:

3. Columns

4. Subject

Subjects on WordPress.org are categorized as follows:

5. Style

Five WordPress Themes with 0.6 to 1million+ installations

1. Twenty Twenty - By WordPress.org

• Default theme for 2020 designed to take advantage of Block Editor
• Possible to create dynamic landing pages with flexible layouts using the group and column blocks
• The centered content column and fine-tuned typography also makes it fit for traditional blogs
• The complete editor styles give an idea of what content will look like, even before publishing
• Site backgrounds and accent colors can be customized
• The colors of all elements are automatically calculated based on the colors picked, ensuring effective color contrast for visitors

Software Information:

• Version: 1.7
• Last updated: March 9, 2021
• Active installations: 1 million+
• WordPress version: 4.7 or higher
• PHP version: 5.2.4 or higher

2. Astra - By Brainstorm Force

• Astra is a customizable WordPress theme suitable for blogs, personal portfolios, business websites, and WooCommerce storefronts
• Very lightweight at less than 50KB on the frontend, offering better speed. Built with SEO considerations, includes the Schema.org code integrated and is native AMP ready for search engine compatibility
• It offers features and templates to work with page builders like Elementor, Beaver Builder, Visual Composer, SiteOrigin, Divi, and others
• Other features: WooCommerce-ready; responsive; RTL and translation-ready; extendable with premium addons; and regularly updated, designed, developed, maintained, and supported by Brainstorm Force

Software Information:

• Version: 3.1.2
• Last updated: March 9, 2021
• Active installations: 1 million+
• WordPress version: 5.3 or higher
• PHP version: 5.3 or higher

3. Twenty Seventeen By WordPress.org

• Twenty Seventeen comes with a header video and featured images
• With a focus on business sites, it features multiple sections on the front page as well as widgets, navigation, and social menus, and a logo among other features
• Possible to personalize its asymmetrical grid with a custom and color schemes, while sharing multimedia content with post formats
• Supports many languages and devices

Software Information:

• Version: 2.6
• Last updated: March 9, 2021
• Active installations: 1 million+
• WordPress version: 4.7 or higher
• PHP version: 5.2.4 or higher

4. OceanWP By OceanWP

• OceanWP is lightweight and highly extendable and can be used to create multiple websites such as a blogs, portfolios, business websites, and WooCommerce storefronts
• Fast, responsive, RTL and translation ready, follows SEO best practices, and includes WooCommerce features
• Can edit the settings for tablet and mobile to customize site look by device
• Works with the most popular page builders including Elementor, Beaver Builder, Brizy, Visual Composer, Divi, SiteOrigin, and others
• Developers can use extensible codebase allowing customization and extension

Software Information:

• Version: 2.0.3
• Last updated: March 8, 2021
• Active installations: 700 thousand+
• WordPress version: 5.3 or higher
• PHP version: 7.2 or higher

5. Twenty Twenty-One By WordPress.org

• Twenty Twenty-One is flexible and allows use of the block editor
• With new block patterns, which allow creation of different layouts quickly, the theme has soft colors
• Twenty Twenty-One is designed for multipurpose use including a portfolio, business website, or personal blog
• Twenty Twenty-One comes with support for several block patterns. It is possible to customize the patterns with the copy, images, and colors that fit story or brand needs
• Includes the option to set a secondary menu just above the footer; a good place to add links to social media profiles, which will be displayed as logos

Software Information:

• Version: 1.2
• Last updated: March 9, 2021
• Active installations: 600 thousand+
• WordPress version: 5.3 or higher
• PHP version: 5.6 or higher

Uploading and setting up custom themes

Compatible themes can be downloaded from other sources, for example, from Wordpress.org and uploaded into Wordpress.com.

Quick steps

• Download the theme’s ZIP file.
• Go to My Sites > Design > Themes.
• Select Upload Theme.
• Preview or activate the theme.

1. Download the theme's ZIP file

• Start by downloading the theme’s ZIP file from wherever you purchased the theme.
• If you’re creating your own custom theme, you’ll need to save it as a ZIP file.

2. Upload the theme

• To upload a custom theme, go to My Sites > Design > Themes in your site’s dashboard.
• Click Install Theme.

Drag the theme’s ZIP file into the box. Alternatively, you can check the box, locate the theme’s ZIP file on your computer, and double-click it.

3. Preview or activate the theme and if all looks good, activate the theme.

Summary

Multipurpose themes on WordPress offer a quick way to set up a website and can be used as a template that suits needs of multiple brands, companies, organizations, or causes. Multipurpose themes include marketing, promotion, and SEO features like, social media integration, responsive design (work across devices), and valid coding (HTML/CSS). We looked at some of the popularly used multipurpose themes and their characteristics.