With the amount of website themes available to choose from, it can be a challenge to narrow down your options to a theme you’re comfortable with. But what can be even more challenging is to find a theme you love but that also matches with the other marketing materials you already have created for your company.
Having consistent branding and messaging is of the utmost importance to have a solid image for your business. So to help you find the right mixture and balance, here are three tips for how to pick a website theme that’s on message with your other marketing materials.
Does the Theme’s Purpose Match Your Purpose?
While you may have found a theme that truly speaks to you, upon further inspection, you may also find that this theme doesn’t actually mesh well with your website’s purpose. When this happens, it’s time to find a new theme.
According to DesignWall.com, once you’ve clarified what the purpose of your website is, whether it’s selling products like luxury watches or giving out information regarding a certain topic, it will be a lot easier to find a theme that fits well for you. By going about finding the right theme in this fashion, you can be sure that the purpose and function of your theme will match the purpose and function of your website.
Is the Navigation Style Intuitive for Your Brand?
One of the most important areas to consider when picking a theme for your website is how the navigation works with your content. According to Connie Wong, a contributor to WebsiteBuilderExpert.com, the utility and function of your theme’s navigation should trump its design and visual appeal every time. This is because regardless of how beautiful your theme is, if your visitors can’t navigate around your website intuitively, they won’t stay for long.
Not only should the theme’s home page header and menu bar be clear and apparent, but they should also reflect your branding and type of business or website you’re running. While this has more to do with style than function, it’s still something to consider when picking a theme because of the need for consistency across all your marketing materials.
Do You Have the Option to Customize Parts of the Theme?
You may come to find that regardless of how long you look for the perfect theme for your website, there just isn’t anything that fits with your brand perfectly. If and when you get to this point, it’s crucial that you find a theme that allows for customization. According to Marcus Taylor, a contributor to SmashingMagazine.com, customization dashboards can now be found within many themes, making it easy for you to tweak certain aspects of the theme that don’t match your marketing materials until you find the customization option that works best for your brand. Even if you have found a theme that you think is perfect for your website, having the option to make a few custom edits may help to solidify your brand and purpose even more.
Keeping your theme on message with the rest of your business, products or services will give you a much more professional look and feel than if you were to have all different marketing materials. Use the tips mentioned above to help you know what to look for when picking a website theme that will help you blend every aspect of your brand together seamlessly.
