5 Simple Steps To Build A Custom WordPress Theme

Do you know that there are over 3000 free WordPress themes available to users? Add to this the numerous premium templates and you get an extensive theme library. These pre-built layouts provide a framework on which a new website can be built easily. In fact, a lot of new users simply import the demo content and conduct some routine modifications to create a new interface. However, this can also cause some problems. One issue that we regularly hear about is the lack of uniqueness in such projects. This problem can be resolved by building a custom WordPress theme. Most users do not attempt personalization because they lack coding knowledge. They will be happy to know that they can get a unique-looking layout without writing any code. Let’s see how it can be done.   

1. Install The Beaver Builder Plugin And The Beaver Themer Add-on

Creating a new theme can be a costly proposition as you will need to hire expert developers to do the job. Hiring high-quality professionals can be expensive and is not a feasible option for small website owners. The WordPress ecosystem contains codeless solutions to almost every possible problem. It is the beauty of WordPress plugin development that you can easily add new functionality with a relevant tool. Here we will use two plugins to achieve our objective of template customization. The first tool that you need to install is the Beaver Builder plugin. It is one of the most widely-used page building solutions available to the CMS’ users. This is a premium product so you will have to pay the specified fee to download its files. Log in to your admin dashboard and hover the cursor over Plugins. Now choose the Add New option. Press the Upload Plugin button to install your tool. Do not forget to activate the solution on your interface.

Page builders can be used to generate unique layouts but they cannot produce new themes. However, using an add-on of the Beaver Builder plugin will enable us to create a custom template. This extension is called Beaver Themer and it is also a premium product. You can install and activate it after purchasing, just like you installed Beaver Builder.

2. Install A Theme

You will need a theme to use as a starting point for your project. The personalized template will be built on top of this theme. It will be pertinent to choose a product which has a full-width layout. Moreover, choose a lightweight design so that your final layout is not bloated. There are many such open-source items available in the WordPress theme library. Most of these are multi-purpose themes which can be used by all kinds of users. Browse through the library to download a product which suits your requirements. Visit Appearance > Themes > Add New and then press Upload Theme. Upload the files of your template and activate it.

3. Build A Unique Header For Your Theme

We will initiate the process to build our custom WordPress theme by creating a unique header. After activation, select the Customize option under Appearance. Then choose a layout with no sidebars as shown in the image below. The process may vary a bit depending on your template.

Locate the Beaver Builder option in your menu and then select Add New. enter a title for the header. Select Themer Layout as Type and header as the Layout. Press the Add Themer Layout tab.

You will now be directed to the layout settings page. In the Location section, choose Entire Site. This will display your header on all pages. Hit the Launch Beaver Builder tab.

You will now see a basic header with a single column. This can be modified with the drag and drop tools of the builder. Add more rows or columns or change the color, text, background, etc. Press Done once you have completed the modifications to finalize your header.

4. Generate A Unique Footer

Go back to Beaver Builder > Add New as explained in the previous step. This time provide a title for your footer and make sure you choose “footer” as the option in Layout. Hit the Add Themer Layout button and again set the Location as Entire Site on the next page.

Click the Launch Beaver Builder button. A three-column layout for the footer will now be generated by the tool.

Here you can conduct all the modifications just like you did with the header section in the previous step. Hit Done once you are satisfied with the changes.

5. Create A New Section For Content

We will now create the section where the content of your website will be housed. Just as we built our header and footer, we will create this area also by visiting the Add New link under the Beaver Builder option in the menu. Provide a suitable title and in the Layout section choose Singular. Then press the Add Themer Layout link.

On the next screen, in the Location section, you can select where this area will be displayed. You have the freedom to choose only Posts or only Pages. If you select All Singular, then the rule will be applied for all single posts and pages.

Press the Launch Beaver Builder link. You will now be presented with a sample layout. It will contain a title of the post or page on top. There will also be some dummy content, an author bio box, and a comments section. Make modifications by including new columns, rows or modules. Press Done to confirm the changes. Your custom theme will now be ready.

Conclusion

This is an easy way to generate a unique layout without needing to add any code. However, if you are looking for a complex product, then you must hire custom WordPress development experts for your project.