Some website owners are tempted to use stock templates without customizing them. While this is an inexpensive way to get a website off the ground, failing to add any custom features or design elements is a bad idea. If you run a personal website, using someone else’s color scheme, graphics, and layout prevents you from sharing your own personal style with your readers. If you own a business website, using stock designs makes it impossible to set yourself apart from other businesses. One of the best reasons to use WordPress is that it gives you easy-to-use themes that you can customize in thousands of different ways. These are just some of the customization features included with this flexible software package.
Flexible Themes
A theme functions as a skin for your blog. Much like a laptop skin allows you to customize the look of your laptop, a theme lets you customize the look of your blog. Many themes come with customizable settings that you can change with just a few button clicks. Using themes, you can change your blog’s colors, change the way readers are able to view and comment on your content, change the layout and navigation structure of your blog, alter the link structure for your posts and pages, and make hundreds of other tweaks. With themes, you need little to no coding knowledge, making WordPress a cost-effective tool for anyone who wants to start a business or personal blog.
Custom Styles
When you are reading other blogs, it is probably difficult to tell when the blog owner is responding to reader comments. When you use WordPress, you can apply different styles to blog author comments so that they stand out from reader comments. This helps your readers quickly identify your posts and provides a convenient means of communicating with you about your content.
Custom Headers
Many WordPress themes come with default headers that look nice but do not really do much to help you build your brand. You can create and upload a custom header that contains your business logo or a photo of you, which helps your readers connect with you and want to learn more about you. You can even resize your header so that it takes up less space at the top of your page, leaving more room for content and other important design elements.
Tools and Features
Some people shy away from using WordPress because they believe it does not offer the functionality of a website created with HTML or other types of code. The fact of the matter is, you can use WordPress to create robust websites that have all the bells and whistles you need to serve your audience. Widgets and plugins allow you to display calendars, order forms, countdown clocks, e-mail subscription forms, advertisements, photo slideshows, and other features.
Widgets
Widgets are small pieces of code that add even more functionality to your website. Customizing your side bars is easy with widgets, as there are tools out there that allow you to rotate photos and content based on pre-set parameters. With this type of tool, you can display different content in the sidebar of the homepage and the sidebar of your contact form. This is especially helpful for people who use WordPress to make money. Using these tools, you can rotate the content of your sidebars based on the content of your posts. If you write a review of a new book, you can set the sidebar ad on that page to promote that book. If you review a set of speakers on a different page, you can set it up so that the sidebar on that page displays an advertisement for stereo equipment. Matching your ads to your content helps increase sales conversions, increasing your income at the same time.
If you are ready to start your own business or personal site, then consider using WordPress to expand your site’s functionality and customize a design that fits your personality. An experienced WordPress consultant can help you install the software and determine which features you need, making it easy to set up a new site in as little as a few hours. The money you spend working with a consultant will be well worth it when you have a functional website that your visitors love.
