These are the very best WordPress themes for beginner bloggers. No question. I have used hundreds of website builders, themes and templates, and these are the top ones I recommend for beginning bloggers.
My recommendation:
If you are a beginner blogger, skip theme builders that have parent and child themes. Find a simple theme that includes one download that gives you a fast-loading theme and allows you to start writing content immediately.
Your next steps:
If you already have a WordPress website with a great theme, you can skip this!
If you don’t yet have a site on WordPress and are looking for a new theme, keep reading.
The Best WordPress Themes for Beginner Bloggers
I bet I have spent months and months of time just researching new WordPress themes and trying them out. One time I spent all my free time at an entire family beach trip researching the best WordPress themes for beginner bloggers. That was almost an entire week of what should have been vacation – sucked down the black hole of WordPress themes.
It’s really hard to know what theme you should use as a beginner. There are TONS of options out there – some that are free, some that are simple, some that have MULTIPLE downloads and programs, and some that need a designated designer. Trust me, I’ve used them all.
If you are a beginner blogger, there are two directions you could go.
One, first I would not recommend using a theme builder that has multiple components that need integration. These theme builders usually require multiple fees (for the parent theme and the child theme) and they require additional work to install. That is what is included in this article, Part 1.
Two, if you wanted to branch into theme builders that include a parent and a child theme download, you can! They just include an additional level of installation. These popular page builders are (but are not limited to): Genesis, Elementor, Divi, Kadence, Beaver Builder, and Showit. These will be covered in Part 2.
For Part 1 and Part 2, I will be listing the best WordPress blog themes for beginner bloggers. And while this list may look similar to other lists floating around the internet, these lists are different.
I have used and purchased themes from each of these companies and can vouch for them. I have loved my experiences with each of them, and will be listing the pros and cons for each. Enjoy!
(Also I am sharing many of these without affiliate connections. I just love them so much. I wouldn’t want any affiliate payments to keep me from sharing only the best ones with you.)
Astra
I have tried HUNDREDS of free WordPress themes on the internet. I’m not kidding – hundreds. And normally free themes come with a lot of baggage – bad files, no updates, clunky interfaces, and poor designs.
Not Astra. Astra is the only free theme I’d recommend that I’ve personally used, and I love it for so many reasons. Astra is built well, and won’t slow down your site. It is very customizable, and has almost unlimited options. This site right here is built using Astra!
Here are some things that I love about Astra:
- You can use the free version without an account, without ads, and without being spammed by their developer.
- They have a ton of pre-made designs with blog layouts and demos that are really good. I also will be sharing on this website how to make Astra customized to your branding.
- You don’t need to know code for these blog themes. The drag and drop builder grids are super helpful.
- Their themes are super fast and lightweight – they are not bloated at all.
- Their free version is SO GOOD. You can create a complete site (like this one!) without needing the pro version.
- This theme works great with the WooCommerce and Shopify platforms.
- It comes with tons of custom widgets and plugins to help you get your website off the ground.
- It is integrated with Google Fonts.
- This theme is awesome for: niche sites, business, photography, food blog, and portfolio sites.
Here are some cons that come with Astra:
- The Astra theme requires a little bit of work to set it up to customize it for your branding.
- The pre-made designs aren’t as feminine as other themes for the female business owner (but you can change that!).
Acabado
If you are looking for a basic them for your niche website and want to focus solely on content, you need Acabado. I use this theme on a few other sites, and love it so much.
Acabado was designed to be just for content creators with SEO baked into the theme. You can set the theme up in about 30 minutes, and it’s simple design is PERFECT for niche sites.
Here are some things that I love about Acabado:
- Their theme is FAST. Probably the fastest I’ve tried.
- SEO is built in for an SEO-friendly interface, so you don’t have to worry about Google search engine optimization.
- The theme is built for mobile devices first, giving your mobile readers the best experience with the responsive design.
- There aren’t many customization options so you don’t have to worry about millions of decisions. Just install and go.
- This theme is awesome for niche sites.
Cons about Acabado:
- Acabado only has one simple design layout with very few customizations possible.
- The pre-made designs isn’t very feminine, if you are looking for a customized design for female business owners.
- This theme can include a WooCommerce integration, but it doesn’t have a native shop page option.
How to use these designs
If you are choosing to use one of these simple single-download themes, the set up is very straightforward. Just follow instructions from either company and download the single folder to upload to your WordPress backend.
The company will send you a zip file that includes all the files you need. Here are a few quick directions:
- Save the zip file to your computer harddrive.
- Click the zip file to open it up and uncover the theme folder.
- In WordPress, click “Appearance” in the left sidebar menu, and click “Themes” below it.
- Click the button that says “Add new theme”.
- Click the button that says “Upload theme”.
- Scroll down and click “Choose File”.
- Choose your folder that was unzipped on your harddrive.
- Upload, install, and activate.
If you are using Astra, keep reading articles on this site to learn how to customize it to your branding! In the meantime if you need instructions, check out this page here.
PRO TIP: Delete any unwanted themes on your WordPress backend (especially default themes like WordPress’s Twenty Twenty Three and similar themes. These files can weigh down your site and slow it down.
Part Two
If you are looking for more themes that fit your branding, keep reading in Part 2 to learn how to download themes that have theme builders, parent themes and child themes here.
NEXT UP: My Favorite Drag and Drop Website Builders – Part 2
