You’re looking at the cream of the crop here. Every year thousands of WordPress themes come out, some revolutionary, some not so much. Since there’s such an incredible number of developers working on WordPress themes, it’s tough to sift through to find the best. However, some of them clearly standout from the crowd. If you’ve been reading about WordPress themes or searching for lists like this, you’re probably going to recognize some of the themes we have on the list. Why? Because they are generally talked about all over the internet. What qualifies a theme to be considered one of the best of the year? Well, to start, it has to include responsive layouts for people to view on mobile devices. This is a must have, especially considering Google is cracking down on sites that don’t cater to people with tablets and phones. In addition to that, you’ll find that all of the best themes provide well written code and wonderful support. There’s no reason to go with a WordPress theme if you can’t trust the people behind the help desk. You’re bound to run into a problem at some point, so why not have some experts to guide you to the light?
It’s also worth mentioning that many of the themes below offer drag and drop editors, shortcodes or some sort of tools that are meant to not only speed up the development process for advanced users, but to make it easier for complete beginners to make professional websites. For example, our first suggestion is Divi. The Divi theme has one of the more powerful page builders on the market, putting it at the number one spot. Overall, the idea is to ensure that you have a theme that allows for constructing a multitude of different websites. No, you don’t necessarily have to go with a multipurpose theme, but these are becoming more and more popular because of their pricing and flexibility. Think about it: You only really have to buy one theme, then customize it whenever you’d like to re-brand, or whenever you get a new client that’s looking for a unique site. We recommend bookmarking this page, because these themes are going to be around for quite some time, and although many other new themes are going to come out, these have established themselves as the benchmarks for what other developers should work towards. Enjoy!
Divi
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Briefly mentioned in the introduction, the Divi theme is the king of all WordPress templates right now. The folks at Elegant Themes worked hard on this one, and all developers know that it could potentially replace an entire theme library. Why exactly is Divi so impressive compared to the thousands of other solutions out there? To start, Elegant Themes is known for its wonderful customer service. You’re going to get a response from someone who knows what they’re doing. However, the main reason users like it is because it’s considered the most flexible, smartest theme on the market right now. You can technically turn it into anything, from an online store to a simple blog or portfolio. It all starts with with the Divi Builder, which is designed to ensure that you never have to touch a single line of code. Sure, lots of drag and drop builders are out there for you to choose from, but this one is special. Not only do you get about 18 pre-made layouts for getting your feet off the ground, but the builder has 46 content modules for placing anywhere on your site.
For example, you may want to implement a bar counter or a filterable portfolio. It only requires you to punch in whatever information is relevant to your business, then the builder does the rest of the work for you. We’ve also found that the Divi Builder is far less finicky than other builders, making it much easier to place items wherever you want. You’ll also find more unique content elements such as number counters, countdown timers and video sliders. You generally have to pay for a third party plugin, and even then you’re not going to receive the wide array of options that come with Divi. As you may have assumed, the Divi WordPress theme is completely responsive for people to take out a phone or tablet and browse around your website. Each module on your backend comes with areas to quickly adjust the general settings. What’s more is that the more advanced settings are there for changing around color, typography, spacing and more. We also enjoy the fact that this isn’t just for making it easier for beginners. The full custom CSS area is there for the advanced users who don’t want to hold anything back. Overall, Divi is a top notch choice for any developer or site owner, and the yearlong subscription pricing is not much higher than an average theme.
Galao
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The Galao WordPress theme turns our attention to the world of more simplistic themes. For those of you interested in making a blog or portfolio, the Galao WordPress theme is certainly one to keep your eye on. Not only does the theme include retina responsive elements, but the typography is so elegant and smooth that it’s sure to show off your work in a professional manner. The reading experience, regardless of what device is being used, looks incredible. In addition, the portfolio post type cuts down on the amount of time you would generally have to spend formatting and constructing a portfolio to look exactly the way you want. Several other post types are packaged in with the Galao WordPress theme. For example, the testimonials post type allows for pasting in quotes from people you have worked with in the past. Therefore, formatting is removed from the process again, but you still receive a stunning presentation of the testimonials that are bound to improve your business flow. To be exact, eight post types are included with the theme, so both beginners and advanced users will find it easy to work with.
Another area to highlight is the options panel. Widgets come along with the theme so you won’t have to go out and find third party solutions to your problems. The custom widgets also serve as drag and drop modules, turning the backend into an easily digestible interface. The homepage template presents the homepage in the way that the demo shows it. Therefore, you won’t have to start from scratch and try to mimic what the demo is sold as. A contact form template boosts the effectiveness of your communications with customers, considering all you have to do is punch in the email address you’d like to receive messages at. Localization support shows other cultures that you’re willing to change around the language to bring in more followers, while the shortcodes are yet another way to keep your hands free of the messy source code. Overall, there’s not much missing from the Galao WordPress theme, since you gain access to a beautiful header with overlaying buttons and text, a stunning portfolio with scroll over animations and some solid icons to make your content appear more visual.
Lara Theme
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The Lara Theme has been talked about quite a bit on this blog, and for good reason. It’s a simpler theme with endless possibilities. The layout consists of one page, which we enjoy because it removes the need for people to jump around looking for your content. What’s more is that the theme is completely responsive, which pairs well with a onepage layout for obvious reasons. Because of this onepage situation, the theme comes with nine content rows, all preset and ready for you to customize. For example, one of them is for highlighting testimonials from people you have worked with in the past. Reveal photos of the people and put their statements in quotes. Show off your services with sleek and stylish icons, and utilize the portfolio area to show off thumbnail imagery that relates to your company. The Our Team row is becoming more and more popular with onepage layouts, especially considering it’s one of the easiest ways to personalize your brand.
The Lara Theme includes images of the people who work behind the scenes along with little bits of text for talking about what each person does. Along with a contact form for keeping in touch with customers, the Lara Theme provides social media buttons for when you’d like to expand to the world of Facebook and Twitter. In addition, several widgets look nice in the footer. For example, you can place a search bar there for people who want to punch in keywords. Other widgets include a Facebook Like module, recent posts and recent comments. A banner image is available for you to place on any page or post. This can reveal a video or image, and it doesn’t have any restrictions on resolution. Keep in mind that several shortcodes come along with the Lara Theme, giving you the opportunity to make items like buttons and columns, all without needing any custom CSS.
skywalker
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Skywalker is definitely a theme to look into if your business or a company needs an elegant online presence. Freelancers will also find it useful because the theme includes plenty of features to showcase your work and impress potential clients. Use the gorgeous slider at the top to provide a brief description of your services and include a call to action that leads to your sales pages. The section below the slider features a carousel for showcasing your past projects and you can even add testimonials and pricing tables via shortcodes.
Custom widgets and page templates help you add variety to your pages and use the integrated social media support so your visitors can share your projects and follow you on social media. Use the blog page to connect with your audience and boost your SEO and the AJAX powered contact form allows anyone to inquire about your services. You can also embed Youtube videos to further impress potential clients and the responsive design will allow them to see your content even while they’re on the go.
Atrium
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Atrium definitely deserves a spot on the list due to its beautiful design and stunning parallax effects, along with features that allow you to create the perfect website for your business or portfolio. It’s a one-page theme, a very popular trend nowadays considering you can include all the important information in one place. This also pairs well with the responsive design which is increasingly important in today’s mobile age.
The theme has several homepage sections. Use a filterable portfolio to make it easy for potential clients to find relevant work and feature your team members with a short bio, profile photo, and social media links. Your services are presented in a column layout and you can even include pricing tables as well as testimonials from previous clients. The contact section includes all your contact details and a contact form and the parallax sections are the perfect place to include several calls to action to capture more clients. Add a blog section to boost your SEO and share tips and news with your audience and the customization options are sure to take your site to the next level with the options to change colors, fonts, upload your own logo, and more.
Baylie
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What makes Baylie stand out is the beautiful parallax slideshow right at the top of the homepage along with text overlays and a beautiful call to action button designed to drive visitors to your sales pages. Easily feature a portfolio on the homepage with lovely hover effects and plenty of space to include logos from previous clients. You can also include testimonials to build social proof and offer valuable content to your audience with the blog.
Various shortcodes are available to add items like columns, buttons, and more without ever touching a single line of code. Google Fonts and the theme options panel will provide you with plenty of customization options to incorporate your own brand and style the website exactly how you want it. The theme is fully responsive, cross-browser compatible, and it’s also WPML compatible so you can expand your brand’s reach and work with customers all over the world.
diamond
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Delaila
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uber
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Bouncy
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Universe
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triplo
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electra
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lungo
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Beckett
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piccolo
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zero
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hardy
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revoke
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Adept
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unik
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Supernova
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carajillo
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breve
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