The 3 Best WP Themes for Beginners (Hint: they’re FREE!)

A question I get asked all the time from new bloggers is, “What is the best WordPress theme for beginners?”.  Sure, that’s a question worth a gold star in my books! 

So in this quick guide, I’ll explain a simple way for you to choose the best WordPress theme for your niche, needs, and your skill level. 

Choosing a WordPress theme based on your skill level is really important, but most people don’t even think about it.  Yet, it’s crucial because it impacts your blogging experience and can ultimately be what makes or breaks your success!  So, believe me, this REALLY matters.

If you’re a beginner, a simple and easy-to-use theme will help you set up your site quickly. More advanced themes can be confusing and take a lot of time if you’re not used to them.

First, if you’re new to blogging, know that WordPress is the best self-hosting blog platform. It’s perfect for building and hosting your site, especially if you plan to make money from your blog. WordPress offers lots of design flexibility, site functionality, and ways to make money.

The WordPress theme you choose controls the look, feel, and layout of your blog.  Here’s how to choose a WordPress theme that fits your needs.

My top picks for the Best WordPress themes for Beginners:

1. Kadence:  Perfect for brand-new bloggers and creators.
2. GeneratePress:  Offers great customizability and flexibility.
3. Frost:  A new theme with a very clean, minimalist design.

Now, let’s dig a bit deeper into how to choose the right theme for your blog and explore our favorite free WordPress themes that will help you succeed.

Free WP Theme For Beginners

Kadence WordPress theme | WordPress.org

My top pick for the best free WordPress theme for beginners goes to Kadence. Lightweight, fast-loading, and easier to use than ever.

Check it out

What to look for in a WordPress Theme

When you’re looking through the thousands of WordPress themes available, it can get pretty overwhelming, especially if you’re new to this.

To make choosing a WordPress theme easier, here’s what we focus on:

1. Popularity: A theme with at least 50,000 active installations is a good sign of reliability and popularity.
2. Longevity & Updates: Look for themes that have been around for years and updated within the last 3-6 months, indicating active development and improvements.
3. Lightweight & Fast: Ensure the theme is known for keeping sites running quickly and smoothly. Check user reviews for feedback on loading times.

Tip:  Avoid complex page builders like Elementor and Divi. They can really slow down your site, thus hurting your SEO!   

Stick with simple, fast themes we recommend here, and you won’t need to worry much about page speed optimization.

The developers behind Kadence have been in the WordPress world since 2013, which is a great sign when choosing a theme. Kadence is one of the most popular themes today, thanks to regular updates and great support.

Why I Love Kadence:  My favorite thing about my favorite free WordPress theme – Kadence – is that it’s super lightweight and fast right out of the box!

I don’t need any fancy performance plugins or special development work to make my site load quickly – because Kadence handles that perfectly. It also offers a great visual page-building experience, which is awesome for those of us who don’t want to code our web designs by hand. Plus, it doesn’t have the extra bulk that some older page builders come with.

I’ve used GeneratePress as the WordPress theme for my blogs in the past, and I love it! With more than 1,000 five-star reviews, this theme is a superstar in the WordPress world after more than 9 years on the market.

Why I Like GeneratePress:  If you want a website that loads super-fast and is lightweight, GeneratePress is perfect. It’s one of the best free themes for speed and performance and it is really easy to design your blog just the way you want to.

Frost is a new theme compared to my first two recommendations, but I found it recently and was really impressed. Built by the team behind WP Engine, Frost is great if you want a clean, minimalist design for your site.

Why I Like Frost:  WordPress has changed a lot in recent years, and some older themes have outdated features. Frost is built to meet modern needs and is great for simple, easy-to-learn design and functionality.

Since it’s hard to pick just three free WordPress themes we love, here are a couple of honorable mentions for themes we both use on some of our sites.

These WordPress themes are easy to use, letting you build your site with blocks and expand it over time.

How to choose a WordPress theme?

Picking the right WordPress theme is crucial because it impacts your site’s look and performance. A fast, well-designed theme keeps visitors engaged and improves your site’s SEO.

1. Simplicity:  Choose a theme that’s clean and not overloaded with features.
2. Responsive Design:  Ensure it looks good on all devices.
3. Speed:  Opt for lightweight themes to avoid slow loading times.
4. Customization:  Look for easy-to-customize options.
5. SEO-Friendly:  Good code structure helps with search rankings.
6. Support and Updates:  Regular updates and good support are essential.

Your WordPress theme should match what you want to achieve with your site. Are you starting a blog? That’s different from opening an online shop.

1. Content Creation:

If you’re a blogger, creator, or YouTuber focusing on content creation, coaching, affiliate marketing, or selling services or digital products, themes like Kadence and GeneratePress are great choices.

2. eCommerce:

Selling physical products? It’s a whole different ballgame folks!

For eCommerce with WordPress, WooCommerce is the go-to. But you’ll need to spend some money for a proper online store. Free options won’t cut it for handling shipping, taxes, and other essentials.

Themes like Kadence and GeneratePress work well with WooCommerce, but you’ll need extra plugins.

For pure eCommerce, I recommend using Shopify.

3. Small Business Website:

If you need a simple, mostly static website that won’t change much and doesn’t rely on content creation, minimalist themes like Frost are the best options.

Free vs. Paid Themes

Free themes can be great, but paid themes obviously offer more features and better support. Evaluate both options based on your needs.

Choose a theme that balances functionality, speed, and aesthetics to create a successful website.

We covered a lot here. To sum it up, here’s how to choose a WordPress theme that suits your needs:

1. Pick simple themes that are regularly updated, have many active users, good reviews, and work with the block editor.
2. Kadence or GeneratePress are excellent starting points for almost everyone.
3. Be ready to invest in free or paid plugins to extend your theme’s capabilities as your site grows.

Choosing a WordPress theme doesn’t have to be hard. Keep it simple, focus on your goals, take our advice, and you’ll be on the right path.

What is the Easiest WordPress theme to use?

Kadence is one of the easiest WordPress themes to use, particularly due to its user-friendly design!

Building a WordPress site with Kadence is super easy. Its drag-and-drop interface makes it simple to use, even for beginners who don’t know how to code.  You can easily customize your site with Kadence, and it offers plenty of powerful features without being complicated.

While there are other user-friendly themes out there, Kadence stands out for being both simple and versatile, making it a great choice for many users.