How to Add a WordPress Theme

Now that you have your WordPress website setup, you need to add a Theme to it. Well now you’re looking at me funny and saying “What do you mean by a Theme”. Okay first off a Theme can be called a Template, Layout, etc. Everyone uses different names for the same thing. Here I’m going to call it a Theme or Template.
Does a theme cost money? Well, here’s the great thing! There are a whole bunch of FREE WordPress Themes out in the market. What I like to do is Google “Free Responsive WordPress Theme” or “Free Responsive WordPress Template”. If you don’t want to use something that’s a “Template”, then there are other sources on the web that will make you something custom for a bit of money. For this purpose, I’m going to be showing you how to implement a template. Please do note, that there are templates out on the web that are really nice and something will only cost you about $48 to $50. Once you finish entering your own content, etc. you’ll find that it does have its own unique style to match your business.
Important Note: Try to find something that really matches your business’s style and message.
Finding a Responsive Theme:
What is a Responsive Theme or Template?
It’s a website template that will automatically formulate for desktop computers, laptops, tablets (yes, the whole array of sizes) and smart phones. Why is it important to have a responsive website? You will get a lot of visitors to your website, some will use a tablet, some will use a smart phone. Do you want them to be able to read your site? If you do then you will want a responsive template.
Here are some of the results I found below:
- http://premium.wpmudev.org/blog/30-free-responsive-and-stunning-wordpress-themes/
- http://designscrazed.org/free-responsive-wordpress-themes/
- http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/free-responsive-wordpress-themes/
Any one of the links above has a number of free responsive templates available. If you want to find something that is much more in tune something else. Then try going to Themeforest.com, they have a number of paid WordPress templates available for you to purchase. For the purpose of this guide I’m going to be using the Radcliffe theme found on http://designscrazed.org/free-responsive-wordpress-themes/
Step 1 Login to WordPress: The way you do this is by going to www.yourdomainname.com/wp-admin OR www.yourdomainname.com/wp-login . Please note that www.yourdomainname.com is the actual URL that you had purchased.
Step 2 Your Dashboard: What you will see when you login is your Dashboard. The left hand side is the navigation for your website.
Step 3 Appearance Tab: On the left side you will see the “Appearance” tab. Go ahead and click on the “Appearance” Tab.
Step 4 “Themes” sub-tab: You will see that the tab opens a drop-down and shows you a list of different options. By default when you click on the Appearance Tab, it does open up the “Themes” tab.
Step 5 Add New: The great thing about WordPress is that it lets you search WordPress.org in full without having to go outside of the backend of your website. For our purposes we will simply click “Add New” that is found on the top of the website.
Step 6 Upload Theme: Click on the “Upload Theme” on the top.
Step 7 Browse and Upload: Now you can browse and upload your theme. Once you have successfully installed your theme. Then you can click on “Activate”.