By: Alex Fernandez
Internet Marketing Strategist

Over the past few weeks we’ve discussed plenty of reasons to use WordPress as a platform for your custom website. Be sure to check out Part 1 and Part 2 if you haven’t already. This week, we’re going to explain what a WordPress “Theme” is, and how Themes rock compared to most website templates.

First, for context: This blog series is about benefits of using WordPress to build custom websites for small to medium sized businesses.

Themes

A WordPress Theme is a set of files that change how your WordPress website looks AND functions. They offer (like templates) an easy way to change the design and layout of your websites in order to meet your goals for the website.

Themes adapt the functionality of the website for different purposes. For example, some Themes would work great for an online news platform, where others might be great for showcasing photography. The different isn’t just in how the content is presented, it’s also in how the website is structured, in order to accommodate that content.

The best part about Themes: You always have the option to change or customize anything on the website, just as you would with any custom website.

Templates

I don’t really want to bash all templates. They have their purpose. If you’re trying to create a simple website, and you don’t have a web designer – a template isn’t a bad thing. A template is a pre-built website (comprised of several files), that require minimal effort to publish. Templates are great for simple, static websites that don’t require many updates.

Typically, editing a template involves changing out certain components, such as text and images – and shazaam: a basic website! For many, that satisfies a need. Like Themes, there are millions of different templates out there. Also like Themes, there are different templates for different types of websites.

The problems you run into is (1) the limited flexibility that templates offer, and (2) the risk that your brand could potentially have the same exact website as a competitor! In the business world, we need to use a platform that allows unlimited customization, to be sure our brand has it’s own identity.

The Big Difference?

More potency, with no nasty side effects. WordPress Themes come with built-in designs, like templates do, however they are fully customizable and tailor the actual functioning of the website to your needs. The result is a website that can be tailored to your marketing goals and easily updated in the future.

As you can undoubtedly tell from my past few blogs, I admittedly love WordPress. I’m not opposed to other website platforms, I just haven’t come across any that are better – yet. In any case, PTE is capable of web development on a variety of platforms, not just our favorite! If you are interested in PTE having a hand in your next web project – please shoot us an email at info(at)getpushing.com or give us a call at 239.221.2858. We’re open to answering any questions you may have, as well as discussing how some of these ideas might apply to your website.

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