As every year, it is time to sit down with our dear WordPress installation for testing and start testing the new templates in search of the top best WordPress themes for 2015!
And so, after the good reception of articles in previous editions (2013 and 2014,) we decided to start this list with the same philosophy of previous editions: an open compilation where we will be adding new WordPress themes that will surprise us or incorporate something new or very good.
The rules are simple: WordPress themes have to incorporate something that we fall in love (this may be the font combination, excellent load speed, great use of responsive design…) and that have been made this year (updates are not on this list, the Avada, Enfold and other popular themes are already in the other listings.)
So let’s see them!
What do you expect of the best WordPress themes?
Today, if you want a WordPress theme, you should check that it has a number of prerequisites:
– The first and most basic thing: responsive design, that is, a theme adapted to all devices and screen resolutions. This will be very good for the user experience, but also Google will make us better positioning (In Spanish). Therefore, it is mandatory the responsive design (and if it is also mobile first, the better.)
– The second, the loading speed. If a web loads slowly, users get tired and leave the site before seeing the content. And this may affect important losses if your site is an ecommerce (more information on this presentation). Therefore, we seek WordPress themes with a fast loading speed. (It is also one of the most important SEO factors today.)
– And third: that it is not a saturated theme. By this we mean that the WordPress theme you choose should have just what you need. Million unused options only serve to make your site heavier and slower. So as we talked recently in the Barcelona WordCamp, think before selecting your theme…
If you already have it clear, it is time to select the topic. With WordPress, fulfilling the basic requirements and having a good theme, you can perform almost any kind of web: A blog, an online store with ecommerce plugins, a corporate enterprise web…We have made a list by categories:
- Best Corporate WordPress Themes (Business)
- Best WordPress Themes for Blogs
- Best WordPress Themes for Portfolios
- Best WordPress Themes for Ecommerce (full article for projects with WooCommerce)
- Best WordPress Themes for pictures and images (full article)
- WordPress themes with support and documentation in English and Spanish
With these links you can navigate directly to the section that interests you.
Best Corporate WordPress Themes
Brick – Multipurpose WordPress: with a good design is possible
We are not very fond of multipurpose WordPress themes, as they are not intended to solve any particular problem and they bring too much extras that you are not going to use and make your web weighs more. Brick, however, deserves a special mention, because it cares enough details in the design, which is not usual in this type of templates.
Such themes are often ideal for web designers (or configurators of WordPress) who have some knowledge and have a specific need to set up a website to a client. With a little skill and without touching code you can get excellent results. And if you manage to become familiar with the theme, the next project will go faster and you will have more time to polish or add more details.
Do not look for load speed or optimization in this theme, but a lot of flexibility, good design and especially scalability. You can go adding new sections as the project grows (service section, portfolio, contact, or online store.) This is a Swiss Army knife tastefully designed.
Zephyr – Material desing also in WordPress
One of the design trends this year is the material design. Google has made a very concrete way of working certain forms and effects in apps, and although they are recommendations, they seem to have penetrated a lot.
That is why it was a matter of time that it arrived to WordPress through a theme or a plugin. And the best result that we have seen so far is the Zephyr template. The theme comes in the form of multipurpose (that is, without specific topic,) and can serve to a portfolio, as corporate website, blog…
Of course, due to the amount of CSS and JS files that it incorporates, and the parallax effects, you will see how the speed of loading and navigation is not very fluid, so if you decide on this theme, it would be nice to do some optimization work or WPO.
Listify – Creating a directory with WordPress
Every day I am amazed how easy it is to realize a good entrepreneurial idea by WordPress and their themes and plugins. And Listify is a clear example. With this premium theme you can create a system of lists or directory with the corresponding geolocation.
Imagine creating a store directory or a list of the best restaurants in your town with WordPress. Listify it used to that. The simple interface very oriented to have a good user experience makes this theme the best in its sector
As for compatibility, if you are thinking about monetizing the project, it will be possible through its integration with WooCommerce and some more plugins (including various of contact forms.)
Plain – Corporate and minimalist theme
With the explosion of entrepreneurs and startups, it has been “standardized” (if in this sector is possible to standardize something,) a type of a very specific web: websites for startups. And Plain, this WordPress theme fits perfectly for startups.
The reason is to convey an idea or product in the most visually and clearly way, guiding the user through a series of steps (1, 2, 3 …): product, service, equipment and call to action; all with good pictures (or videos for those who can afford it…)
Besides this, several premium themes are perfect if you are a web designer, but generally, for a corporate theme they are not necessary. The loading speed is not really good (below 50/100 for both responsive as desktop on tests of Google.) The design is right. It meets expectations. Definitely, it is a good choice for developers and designers to use as a framework.
Construction – WordPress Theme for construction
Construction is one of those templates that has cleared its purpose and solve a problem clearly: to create a website with WordPress for construction companies. And it succeeds with flying colours.
The design is correct and functional. Good use of fonts and some extra effects like parallax bring visibility to some sections of the website. All buttons follow the dynamics of flat design, so the overall presentation fulfill its mission
Like many other templates, this one includes some premium WordPress plugins in the global price, such as slider revolution or visual composer; perhaps they are not much necessary, but they can come in handy to go one step further.
Best WordPress themes for Blogs
Rosemary – WordPress for It girls and Instagramers
WordPress themes for bloggers that publish daily photographs of themselves with models of clothes, hairstyles, accessories… are fashion; and the formula works, as more and more bloggers have been achieved recognition and fame with their blogs.
Rosemary is one of those templates that fit perfectly into this category. The combination of fonts is important to the overall aesthetics (serif for titles and sans-serif for other texts.) The rest of the design is very simple, without fanfare but following current trends.
The loading speed is quite good, as the theme has not unnecessary extras: a slider designed to consciousness, a fast responsive, but not mobile-first, and good compatibility with plugins for Instagram. This is all what you need. 🙂
Note – WordPress theme for bloggers who like to experiment
In SiloCreativo we love the experiments and the people who risk. So go with the brave and those who propose new and experimental themes.
Such is the case of Note, a responsive WordPress theme for blogs that incorporates some effects and styles that are reminiscent of Meduim, a publishing system guided by the personal blogging more than the style magazine.
We like the effect of outstanding images in each post when you hover over it, and the good use that makes of several CSS recources, achieving a very good responsive experience. The loading speed is correct (upgradeable to mobile,) but removing it, it is a perfect theme for a personal blog with great style.
Xtrem Mag – A multipurpose magazine for WordPress
One of the most frequent uses of WordPress is the magazine or digital journal, and there are a lot of good proposals of designs as templates in this category. Xtreme Mag is a good example. Just seeing the demo you can see the complexity that can manage to get so many widgets and custom areas.
The design is correct. It is not the strong point, although the editor interested in this theme valued more the flexibility to build a good home than tiny details related to the design of this theme. Perhaps the parallax effects do not have much sense here.
As for the loading speed, it will require a good job of optimization to make the website load faster and improve your positioning in Google . Furthermore, the responsive design is very usable and accessible. This is a good point, as it is difficult to solve for a magazine.
Monster – Theme for bloggers without complications
For bloggers who do not want to complicate their life, they always have available simple themes such as Monster, with just the necessary options to install and start running in seconds.
With a simple and clean design, Monster is an excellent theme if you are not looking for sliders, parallax or other ornaments that tarnish your great content. If you prefer to publish a great responsive design with a good user experience, Monster succeeds.
Making good use of the options that brings WordPress (custom menu, wallpaper, search engine …,) this theme gets a seemingly easy: to meet the needs of users with blogger profile. As for loading speed, it has to be improved (below 40/100 on tests of Google,) but if this does not matter … Monster is a good choice!
Best WordPress themes for Portfolio
Kalium – WordPress theme for architects and minimalist designers
Kalium is one of those themes that are designed for a very specific portfolio, and is this case to a design studio or freelancer with very clean and minimalist works. It can also fit nicely for an architectural or interior design looking for a WordPress template where display photos of works.
The design is basic but very functional. The pace of the vertical elements in the portfolio is very nice, and the design of the blog is also correct, all based on black or white colours. The fonts are corrected (sizes too small, not very accessible.) The responsive design is suitable and easy to navigate on lower resolution devices.
We must highlight the good documentation of the theme (including videos) and premium plugins including a pair of them to create slider and the visual composer to create own pages with drag and drop.) The loading speed is not really good, but instead we have a good WordPress template to show the world our portfolio.
Have you chosen your WordPress template in relation to what did you expect?
The best advice I can give to someone looking for a WordPress theme is to pick one that fits right your needs (with the options you need.) This must be like a suit, if we fall short we will be ridiculous, and if we fall long, probably we will think we have gone gaining a lot of fabric for the same price, but we risk falling down.
A theme with many premiums plugins and hundreds of options that costs the same as a simple theme without extras is not the best purchase. In the long term, the optimization and configuration tasks of the theme will take us time and money, besides using only a very small part of what the theme gives us, so the performance will be affected.
Therefore, look for something that exactly meets your objectives, a design that fits your style and has a good responsive experience. Other things, believe me, will become a liability. I hope this selection of the best WordPress themes 2015 has been helpful for you!
