WordPress sites offer many advantages. As a content management system (CMS) WordPress is continually being improved upon and updated—it keeps pace with the times—and in no way is this better illustrated than by the availability of responsive WordPress themes.
The internet is ever changing and ever-evolving and although this results in a better experience for internet users it can make life hard for webmasters who then need to make sure their sites remain suitable for their visitor’s needs.
More and more internet users are now surfing via tablet devices and smartphone browsers. In fact, in January 2014 CNN reported more Americans had accessed the internet with mobile devices than with desktop computers. This was the first time such a thing had happened, but it certainly won’t be the last, smaller lighter devices make the internet available on the go (network coverage permitting), but many older sites do not display well in such devices. This results in a poor user experience and can also lead to sites being penalized by Google.
Enter Responsive WordPress Themes
There are many ways webmasters can update their sites to perform better across all device and browser types, but a lot of them are labor-intensive. Responsive WordPress themes remove the need for such hard work, along with all the associated stress.
Once a responsive WordPress theme has been installed the site can then respond to the type of device being used by using a combination of JavaScript and CSS to modify the display accordingly and ensure the site performs in the way the webmaster intended—across a wide range of devices and screen sizes.
When it comes to choosing a responsive WordPress theme webmasters are spoiled for choice, there are numerous free and commercial options available, but not all of them live up to the theme designer’s promises and—sad to say—there are some very unresponsive responsive themes at large, so it can be quite hard to see the wood for the trees.
Twenty Twelve is one of the better ones, as illustrated by it star rating (presently 4.4—after 100+ reviews).
Further options can be found by searching the WordPress theme library, but take careful note of the level and quality of reviews before installation.
