WordPress – Customize Theme
In this chapter, we will learn how to customize themes in WordPress. Customizing themes helps you give a fresh and unique look to your website. You can change background images or colors, add titles, and much more.
Follow the steps below to customize a theme:
Step (1) − Go to Appearance → Customize.
Step (2) − The customization screen will be displayed.
As shown, the left side contains the customization panel, while the right side displays a live preview of the selected theme. Any changes you make on the left side will be reflected on the right side in real time.
Here are some important options you should know:
Active Theme − In this section, you can change the current theme by clicking on the Change button.
When you click on Change, a list of available themes will be displayed. Select any theme you prefer, then click on Save & Continue to apply and save your theme.
Site Title & Tagline − In this section, you can add or update the site title and tagline that will be displayed on your website.
Enter your site title in the Site Title field and your tagline in the Tagline box.
Colors − In this section, you can change the header text color. As you select different colors, the changes will be previewed on the right side of the screen in real time. You can also choose a custom color using the color picker available between the Current Color and Default options.
Header Image − Add a header image by either selecting one from the suggested images or uploading your own by clicking on Add New Image.
Widgets − Add and manage widgets on your site from this section.
When you click on the arrow icon, the following options will appear, as shown in the image.
Here, you have two options:
Main Widget Area − Clicking on this displays a list of widgets that can be added to the footer area of your website.
When you click on any widget, a dropdown menu appears, allowing you to edit its settings or add new elements.
For example, if you want to add Categories, the following options will be displayed, as shown in the image.
In this image, you can enter your category name in the Title field. Check the boxes for the options you want to include. If you don’t want to add a particular item, click Remove. The same process applies to other widgets as well.
Secondary Widget − Click on Add a Widget, and a sidebar will appear with a list of available widgets. Click on any widget to add it to your widget list.
If you want to add more widgets, simply click on Add a Widget again. You can repeat this process to add as many widgets as you need.
Static Front − Choose whether your site’s homepage should display your latest posts or a static front page.
