In the previous tutorial, we explored the WordPress Dashboard and learned what every menu item does. Now it is time to focus on one of the most important menus in that dashboard: Appearance. In this tutorial, we will cover WordPress Themes in detail, compare some popular options, and then install and activate Astra, the theme we will use as our core focus throughout the rest of this series.
What Are WordPress Themes?
A WordPress theme controls the visual design and layout of your website. It decides how your header, footer, colors, fonts, and overall structure appear to visitors, without you needing to write any custom code. Changing WordPress Themes can completely transform how a site looks, even if the content underneath stays exactly the same.
Every WordPress site comes with a default theme already installed, but most site owners switch to a more suitable theme based on their niche, whether that is a business site, a blog, a portfolio, or an online store. Thousands of free and paid WordPress Themes are available, each offering different design styles, features, and levels of customization.
Popular WordPress Themes to Know
Before we focus on Astra, it is worth knowing the wider market of WordPress Themes so you understand what other developers and businesses commonly use. This awareness is useful when you start freelancing or working with clients who may already have preferences.
| Theme | Best Known For |
|---|---|
| Astra | Lightweight, fast, highly customizable, beginner-friendly |
| Divi | Built-in visual page builder, drag and drop design |
| OceanWP | Flexible, e-commerce friendly, large free feature set |
| GeneratePress | Extremely lightweight, developer favorite |
| Neve | Fast loading, good for startups and agencies |
| Kadence | Modern design blocks, strong Elementor and Gutenberg support |
While all these WordPress Themes have their strengths, Astra stands out for beginners because of its speed, small file size, and deep integration with page builders like Elementor, which we will use later in this series. This is why Astra is our core focus theme going forward.
Why Astra Is Our Core Focus Theme
Astra is one of the fastest loading WordPress Themes available today, which directly helps with both user experience and SEO rankings. It ships with minimal code by default and only loads extra features when you actually need them, keeping your site lean and fast.
- Extremely lightweight, loads in under 50KB on the free version
- Deep compatibility with Elementor and other page builders
- Free starter templates for quick website building
- Regular updates and strong developer support
- Beginner-friendly customizer with live preview
You can learn more about Astra directly from its official source here: wpastra.com.
How to Install Astra Theme
Now let us install Astra on the local WordPress site we set up back in Tutorial 2. This process is the same whether you are working locally with XAMPP or on a live hosted site.
- Log into your WordPress Dashboard using your admin credentials.
- Go to Appearance, then click Themes.
- Click the Add New button at the top of the Themes page.
- Type Astra into the search box.
- Click Install on the Astra theme card once it appears.
- After installation finishes, click Activate.
Screenshot: WordPress theme search results showing Astra.
Basic Astra Customization
Once Astra is active, WordPress gives you access to the Customizer, where you can adjust global settings without touching any code. This is a good first step before we move into page building with Elementor in a later tutorial.
- Go to Appearance, then click Customize.
- Explore the Global settings for Colors, Typography, and Container Layout.
- Check the Header and Footer Builder options available inside Astra.
- Click Publish only if you want to save any changes, otherwise click the X to exit safely.
Screenshot: Astra Customizer panel with Global settings open.
This is Tutorial 4 of 10 in our WordPress Short Series. In the next tutorial, we will explore WordPress Plugins, including common popular options alongside the tools we will actually use hands-on in this series.
Practice Task
- Install and activate the Astra theme on your local WordPress site.
- Open the Astra Customizer and explore all Global settings sections.
- Change your site’s primary color using the Customizer, then undo it without publishing.
- Compare Astra to one other theme from the table above and write 3 differences you notice.
- Take a screenshot of your homepage after activating Astra.
- Write one paragraph explaining why lightweight themes matter for WordPress Themes selection.
Bonus Challenge: Install one Astra starter template from the Astra Starter Templates plugin (if prompted after activation), and explore how a pre-built demo layout gets imported into your site automatically.
Continue exploring more WordPress tutorials in our WordPress category.
