Which WordPress Theme is Best For Blogging?
Which is the best WordPress theme for blogging?
Every blogger inevitably faces this question sooner or later. There are so many different options out there, it can be hard to know which one to choose!
Out of all the different WordPress themes we've tried, here's our two favourites:
- DropFunnels page builder
- Divi Theme by Elegant Themes
Please note I'm an affiliate for some of the products on this page and may receive income at no extra cost to you if you purchase through my links.
Our favourite WordPress themes
Before we jump into the nuts and bolts, lets quickly look at those two page builders.
DropFunnels Builder:
What we use and a personal favourite, DropFunnels is a great WordPress theme for bloggers who want to have complete control over the design of their site.
As a drag and drop builder, it lets you easily create custom landing pages, opt-in forms, sales pages (and more) with zero code or tech needs!
And if you ever need help, the support team will bend over backwards to respond.
Divi Premium Theme:
Another popular option, the Divi theme is a great choice for bloggers who want a lot of flexibility in terms of design.
With Divi, you can create custom layouts for your posts and pages, and there are tons of plugins and add-ons that you can use to extend its functionality.
One downside of Divi is that it can be a bit overwhelming for beginners, but there are plenty of online resources to help you get started.
Let's dive deeper so we can help you find the best WordPress theme for blogging, content creation and all the fun stuff!
But firstly though, let's cover some basics...
What is a WordPress theme and how does it work?
A WordPress theme is a collection of files that work together to show a website or blog. The look and feel of the site (and the way content is shown) can be changed with a theme. Most WordPress themes are written in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
There is, however, no need to know how all that tech jargon works!
The bottom line is that you can use either WordPress.org or WordPress.com. Do diligent research on both, but we always suggest using WordPress.org.
Once you have chosen and installed a WordPress theme on your site, you can begin customising it to match your brand or personal preferences.
Note: If you decide to use the DropFunnels builder there's no need to install WordPress (or use WordPress plugins) as it's all done for you.
Popular WordPress themes
WordPress themes include different options for customisation, ie; colours, Google fonts, multiple layouts, custom widgets, and other design elements.
Many themes also come with additional features such as social media integration, search engine optimization (SEO), ecommerce support, and more.
Although you may not master WordPress in a short afternoon, you do have an abundance of creative freedom when using it!
See our list at the bottom of this page for the most popular WordPress themes.
Choosing the right WordPress theme for your blog
When it comes to picking the perfect WordPress theme for your blog, there are a few factors to consider. The first is what kind of style you want...
Are you looking for a clean, minimalistic design, or something more flashy and attention-grabbing?
The second is what features you need. Does your blog require ecommerce support, an online store, or social media integration?
Or - are you the type of person that...
- Wants to jump in and crank out blog posts right away, or
- Is more inclined to make sure everything looks 'right' first?
(Either can work. We personally just like to write content as fast as possible!)
Free WordPress themes
We touched on using the DropFunnels drag and drop page builder because we like how simple it is, and the popular Divi WordPress premium theme too.
(Both are paid themes, by the way).
But what about if you want to climb the free route?
You're well covered in that area as there's a mountain of free themes available here. (See the free Astra WordPress theme in the list below).
You can always play around with a free WordPress theme and then move to a premium or paid theme down the track, after you're a WordPress rockstar!
Premium WordPress themes
With an abundance of free and premium themes to choose from, it can be a bit daunting to find the perfect one.
But... what is a premium theme exactly?
A WordPress premium theme is basically a paid theme that can be bought from the WordPress Theme Directory or third-party websites like ElegantThemes (Divi).
There's no real rules to say one theme is premium and another isn't.
Generally though, you get a lot more benefits, add-ons, design-ability (etc) with a premium (paid) theme.
Compare paid themes to free themes and you'll get a idea of what we mean!
To help narrow down your options, we've gone into a bit more depth on what we think are (our favourite) two best WordPress themes for blogging...
Divi Premium WordPress theme
The Divi theme is a popular option for bloggers because it is highly customisable and, yep, looks absolutely amazing too.
But just because the Divi theme happens to be gorgeous and one of the most popular WordPress themes like ever, doesn't mean it's perfect for everyone!
You can, however, do things like create custom layouts for posts and pages (ie; create great looking blog posts), without being a coding expert to do it.
The Divi theme also includes ecommerce support, social media integration, and a host of other features that can be useful for bloggers.
Although we prefer DropFunnels for blogging, the Divi theme is definitely a head turner, especially if you are a visual person! It's a beautiful (and popular) theme, no doubt.
DropFunnels theme
DropFunnels is another great option for bloggers who are looking for a highly customisable WordPress theme. (It's built on the WordPress structure).
Like Divi, DropFunnels allows you to create custom layouts for your posts and pages. It also includes social media integration, is drag and drop, and more.
One of the main benefits of using DropFunnels is that it is designed specifically for conversion optimisation.
That means it is optimised to rank in search engines, loads fast, and helps you increase your conversion rate and grow your tribe (audience).
DropFunnels is more of a streamlined 'bird dog' rather than a 'show pony' like the Divi theme!
This means less distractions (like website updates, uploading themes, sourcing plugins, etc) as it's an all-in-one tool with everything you need.
DropFunnels vs Divi theme
What do we really like about the 'bird dog' DropFunnels?
You get to focus completely on creating content (ie; blog posts!) that are optimised for the search engines without any tech stuff getting in your way!
As the new kid on the block, it's not a hugely popular WordPress theme but... it's a relatively simple, multipurpose theme that you can use right away.
Divi, on the other hand, is the show pony of the internets. You can use their Divi Theme Builder to pretty much build anything your heart desires.
This is great for 'visual' folks who are into amazing looking blog posts that seem to be straight out of a glossy magazine.
Having said that...
Both DropFunnels and Divi are perfectly good blogging tools! It really depends on what your website (online) goals are, right?
Alternatively, scroll down for our complete list of five WordPress themes to further your in-depth research!
Why use a WordPress theme for blogging?
Like we've harped on about, when it comes to choosing a blogging platform, WordPress is hard to beat.
Not only is it freely available and easy to use, but there are heaps of WordPress themes available that can help you create a professional-looking website in no time.
Using a WordPress theme for your blog also lets you can easily change the look of your site without having to add code, HTML or anything like that.
With thousands of different themes available, you can always find one that suits your style. (You can easily switch to another theme in a few clicks too).
WordPress and search engine optimisation (SEO)
Do you want your blog posts to rank in Google search?
Another great advantage of WordPress is that it's very search engine friendly.
This means that your blog is more likely to show up in Google searches, which can help you attract more readers.
Sure... there's some fine tuning involved to get your blog found on page one in Google, but generally speaking, WordPress is very SEO friendly.
Probably even more so when you're using a premium theme like Divi!
Responsive WordPress themes
WordPress themes are typically very responsive too, which means they'll look great on any device, whether it's a laptop, tablet, smartphone or desktop.
This is important since more and more people are using their mobile devices to access the internet.
You really want to make sure your WordPress theme looks good on mobile!
Google prioritise mobile... so make sure that whatever WordPress theme or page builder you use, it's optimised for desktop, mobile & tablet devices too.
Why is WordPress so popular?
Why is WordPress so popular, you might ask?
The answer is probably ease of use, flexibility, cool themes and low cost.
It's no secret that WordPress is one of the most popular blogging platforms, with over 30 million people happily using their content management system.
Sure, you can blog with Wix or Squarespace, but we've always found WordPress to be reliable, generally easy to use, and (importantly), search engine friendly!
Five popular WordPress themes for bloggers
Anyways...
Here's our five most popular WordPress themes so you can decide which is the best WordPress theme for blogging and content creation!
Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.
~ Arthur Ashe
We like the simplicity of DropFunnels.
Their monthly payment starts at $49.00 $99.00 with zero hassle and no tech 'hidden secrets' required!
Plus you can use hybrid sales funnels and run memberships with your blog as well. It's a lean and mean tool which lets you focus on producing content!
We use it as a blog tool because it's easy to get our content published fast. Plus we like that you don't need plugins, WordPress updates, and whatnot.
Next up is the Divi theme...
Divi is one of the most popular WordPress themes on the market, and for good reason. It's incredibly versatile and can be used for any type of website or blogs.
Divi comes with a cool visual page builder, which makes it easy to customise your blog without having to touch a single line of code.
The Divi theme in WordPress starts at $89.00 a year but there are some extra costs involved. Or you can get lifetime access for $249.00.
Includes:
- Design modules
- Website packs (themes)
- Online store (if you want)
It's a really advanced visual page builder tool so if you want the best looking blog on the planet then Divi is probably for you!
The Genesis Framework is a popular choice amongst WordPress users too.
It's lightweight, fast, and comes with all the features you need to build a successful blog.
Plus, it has a built-in SEO (search engine optimisation) settings so you can make sure your blog is optimised for the search engines.
Genesis Pro is priced around $360.00 a year.
Why we like it:
- Lots of different themes
- Mobile responsive (like nearly all themes built today)
- Can use WooCommerce for selling products
- Huge community of like minded bloggers and creators!
A responsive WordPress theme for your blog needs, Elementor is worth a nosy at.
It comes with a bunch of customisation options, including drag and drop page editor, theme builder, zero coding required etc.
Why we like it:
- Zero coding required (use Elementor's intuitive visual builder for that)
- Lots of different widgets (add-ons) for doing everything you want
- Pixel perfect design for the designers amongst us!
You can also run it on Google Cloud (100 GB bandwidth is $99.00 a year) or use the plugin method (the Expert Plan starts at $199.00 year for that).
Astra is a free WordPress theme for bloggers. It's known as a 'lightweight' theme (less than 50KB) which basically means it's fast loading with a high page speed.
This means it loads fast on everyone else's browsers too!
It's also built with search engine optimisation (SEO) in mind and can integrate easily with other page builders like Divi, Elementor etc.
The Astra free theme could be a good way to start your blogging journey.
Sometimes just using a super simple theme can be a good way allow yourself tight focus on content production.
Especially in a world with a million distractions!
Hosting your WordPress website
Keep in mind that with all these WordPress themes (except DropFunnels), you still need to purchase hosting, where your website lives on the internet.
You'll also need to keep your plugins updated regularly, as well as any WordPress core updates (which happen a few times a year).
You'll also want to purchase a domain name (if you want). We use NameCheap for that. It's a good idea to own your own domain name!
A few more quick questions and we're done...
Which are the best WordPress themes of 2022?
Our favourite theme is likely different to your favourite so the best thing to do is peruse the WordPress theme directory and look over the reviews and comments.
See what grabs your eye and takes your breath away...
We recommend the Divi theme in WordPress or DropFunnels. You can see how blogging with DropFunnels looks as we use it for the page you're on now!
Why is drag and drop so important?
Drag and drop is as simple as it gets. You use your mouse or finger pad to move an element from one part of the page to another. You 'drop it in,' as they say.
It's important because it makes designing a post or page easy. And simplicity is king!
Can you set up an online store with WordPress?
You can set up an online store with WordPress using the customisable Divi Theme Builder to build WooCommerce product pages, cart pages, checkout pages (etc).
Or, if you're ready to create an ecommerce store then Shopify is the way to go.
Is a free or premium theme best?
If you are just starting out use a free WordPress theme to learn the ropes and get familiar with the WordPress dashboard, layout, posts, pages (etc).
Some of us prefer to dive in the deep end and go with a paid theme from the get-go.
Premium WordPress themes offer great looking templates, fonts, layouts, speed, SEO, and other bling that give your website more zing and pop!
You can also compare the benefits of a paid theme to a free theme.
Is WordPress good for beginners?
WordPress is great for beginners because it is widely used, has an abundance of great free themes, is virtually unbreakable and generally easy to use!
What is a good ecommerce theme to use?
We'd say probably the best ecommerce theme would be Shopify.
Shopify is made for selling things online and running an online store. Of course, there are other online store tools out there too.
Having said that, if you just want to create content (ie blog posts) then we'd recommend using a WordPress theme.
Although some smart folks manage to blog quite successfully with Shopify too.
So which is the best WordPress theme for blogging?
The bottom line is that when it comes to choosing a WordPress theme for your blog, there's no one-size-fits all solution!
Depending on what you're going for and the type of content you want to post, different themes will be better suited than others.
For example, if you need a robust blogging platform that offers lots of customisation options (and eye candy!) then the Divi theme is a great option.
However, if you want something more simple (without tech befuddlement) that will still allow you to write great content and connect with your audience, then go with DropFunnels.
Or save on your cold hard cash... warm-up with the free Astra theme and throw in a minimal hosting fee at the same time.
Ultimately, the best WordPress theme for blogging is the one that best suits your needs and preferences.
And if you're ever unsure, feel free to reach out to us and we'll be happy to help you choose the perfect theme for your blog!