There are many benefits to using Joomla hosting for your website. It’s easy to install and gives you lots of flexibility to create the kind of site that serves your purposes. One of first decisions you must make when building your website is the theme or template. Let’s look at some of the most common mistakes people make when choosing Joomla themes.
Not Choosing the Right Type of Theme For Your Website’s Purpose
One of the benefits of Joomla hosting is that it gives you the option to build any type of website you want, from a personal blog to a complex e-commerce site. Certain themes naturally go better with certain types of businesses. Some templates are made specifically for certain industries, such as photography, technology, travel or food.
When browsing themes, you have to go beyond your aesthetic preferences and keep in mind the purpose of your site. You may find a certain theme attractive, but you have to ask if it’s really a good match for your website. For example, you might come across an appealing theme for a fashion website. This might not, however, be a good match for a website that sells electronic gadgets.
Using a Free Theme
There are many free Joomla templates, making this a tempting choice if you want to save money. However, if you want to build a website that has a unique and professional appearance, it’s worth it to find a quality paid template. The cost for templates is not usually very high, and professional templates come with several advantages. You’ll be able to count on customer support and updates from the template seller. You’ll have a greater range of features than you’d get with free themes. You’ll usually be able to get free updates, which keeps your template secure.
Perhaps the most important reason to choose a professional, paid theme is that it helps you brand your site. While even free themes are customizable, paid ones usually offer a greater range of features and customizations. The last thing you want is to have a generic website that looks very similar to hundreds of others. A quality theme is a solid investment that helps you build a unique website.
Choosing a Theme That’s Not Responsive
It’s very important nowadays to make sure that people on mobile devices can access all of your website’s features. For this you need a responsive theme, one that works equally well with all devices. Most newer Joomla themes are responsive, so this shouldn’t be a problem if you choose a theme that’s been created in the last few years. Some older templates, however, don’t have this feature. If you want to be safe, you should make sure that responsiveness is listed as one of the theme’s features. If you love a theme and aren’t sure, you could always inquire with the creator.
Choosing a Theme That Requires Extensive Customization
Every theme gives you options to customize layouts, colors and other features. In some cases, however, the amount of customization required may not be worth the effort. An example of this is a theme whose color schemes aren’t a good match for the colors you want to use for your website. Some websites use softer, light-toned colors while others are darker. Many corporate websites, for example, emphasize black and dark blue in their graphics and logo.
You’ve probably seen websites where the text is hard to read because it doesn’t stand out properly from the background. If the text is black and the background is dark blue, it will be a struggle to read it. This is the kind of problem you can encounter if you don’t choose a template with an appropriate color scheme. If you’re not sure about this, you should ask your developer. If the template requires time-consuming changes, it will end up costing you more than you anticipated and it still may not give you the look you’re after. It’s much better to choose a theme that has layouts and color schemes that are compatible with your objectives.
Focusing Too Much on the Photos Used in the Sample
When you see sample themes, they will usually be showcasing high quality photographs to illustrate what the finished product will look like. You have to keep in mind, however, that these photos do not come with the theme. In fact, the photos used as samples usually belong to the company selling the theme, so you couldn’t use them even if you wanted to.
Even if you realize this consciously, it’s hard not to be influenced by the sample photos. You might love a certain photo more than the theme itself. Conversely, a theme may be just right for your website but the photo in the sample doesn’t bring out the qualities you need. You must always make the effort to visualize your own graphics replacing the ones you see.
Not Consulting With Your Developer
Unless you are building the website yourself, you should always consult with your developer before choosing a theme. As with most aspects of your website, it should be a joint decision based on your preferences and the developer’s expertise. If you neglect to ask the developer, you may find that certain features you want won’t come out right with a certain theme. The best approach is to hand your developer a short list of themes that you like, explain what you want your site to look like and ask his or her opinion. If the answer is that any of them will do, you can make a choice.
Joomla hosting gives you the chance to build a customized, professional website for any purpose. Choosing the right theme lets you get your site off to a great start. When browsing themes, be sure to avoid the above mistakes. There are many great Joomla themes available. It’s a question of identifying one that’s a good match for your website.