Choosing the right WooCommerce theme will naturally be largely subjective. “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” as they say. But beauty is only skin deep. Here are some tips to consider before choosing a theme for your store.
Check out our full list of themes ↗
Aesthetic
↑ Back to topDon’t just search for a theme which ‘looks good’. It needs to be appropriate. A Ferrari looks great but isn’t the best choice of car for running to the shops and back.
Consider your audience, your brand and most importantly your products. Try to choose a theme you feel resonates with these three things in some way. Selling minimalist furniture? Look for a theme with whitespace and clean typography. Selling kids toys? Look for a playful theme with lots of bright colors… you get the idea.
If the theme you’re considering claims to be WooCommerce integrated then be sure to check all WooCommerce pages to be sure. Don’t forget pages like the ‘My Account’ section, the cart, and the checkout.
Release Frequency
↑ Back to topBoth WooCommerce and WordPress release updates with some regularity including several ‘big’ releases per year. These updates can sometimes cause errors in themes if they have not been tested thoroughly with the latest betas. It’s always worth checking a themes changelog to see that the developer is still regularly maintaining it. Also be sure to ask that the theme is compatible with the latest version of WordPress and WooCommerce before installing it.
Check the theme developer’s documentation and changelog for support for your versions of WordPress and WooCommerce. If compatibility is unclear, ask the developer before installing the theme.
Review the theme demo, then test the theme on a staging copy of your store. Check your product pages, cart, checkout, and My Account page, along with any extensions your store relies on. If something does not work as expected, contact the theme developer for help.
Support
↑ Back to topAlmost all WordPress themes and large plugins will contain bugs from time to time. If you find a bug you need to know that it will be patched quickly, or that you will at least be guided on how to fix it should it be a bug you’ve introduced yourself.
If you’re buying a premium theme check the theme shops support policy. If you’re using a theme from WordPress.org check how active the support forum is.
Custom Functionality
↑ Back to topAnother thing you might want to check is how much custom functionality is introduced by the theme. Some theme authors (ThemeForest authors are famous for this) bundle huge amounts of functionality in to their themes.
Some themes include features such as sliders, widgets, and layout tools. Check which features depend on the theme: if you switch themes later, those features may stop working and you may need to update the pages that use them.
Our advice would be to always look for lightweight, lean themes and then add extra functionality via Plugins & extensions. That way when you switch themes the functionality remains.
Responsive
↑ Back to topOne last thing to consider when choosing a theme is the check whether it is ‘responsive’. Responsive Design simply means that it has been optimized for all devices, from handheld smart phones up to desktop computers / TVs.
This will once again come down to your audience, but it’s worth noting that the Web is swiftly diversifying and that people are using a plethora devices (smart phones, TVs, microwaves, you name it) to surf. You want to offer a great experience to all your customers!
Check out our full list of responsive themes ↗
Questions and support
↑ Back to topDo you still have questions and need assistance?
This documentation is about the free, core WooCommerce plugin, for which support is provided in our community forums on WordPress.org. By searching this forum, you’ll often find that your question has been asked and answered before.
If you haven’t created a WordPress.org account to use the forums, here’s how.
- If you’re looking to extend the core functionality shown here, we recommend reviewing available extensions in the WooCommerce Marketplace.
- Need ongoing advanced support or a customization built for WooCommerce? Hire a Woo Agency Partner.
- Are you a developer building your own WooCommerce integration or extension? Check our Developer Resources.
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