Yes, WordPress offers a wide selection of free templates, also known as themes, that cater to various design needs. They can be found in the WordPress repository and added to your site via the dashboard accessed through the cPanel control panel in your WordPress Hosting plan.

Choosing Free Templates for WordPress

When choosing a WordPress theme, you gain access to various themes that control your site’s overall appearance and functionality. Themes come with several templates that dictate different pages’ layout and structure, defining elements such as headers, sidebars, and content placement.

It’s important to note that while many templates are free, not all suit your website’s specific requirements. Carefully assessing your site design and functionality needs before selecting a template ensures it works for your business and is compatible with any plugins and software you may already be using.

It’s essential to thoroughly test any modifications or additions to your chosen free templates to ensure compatibility before adding them to your website. This is especially important to avoid conflicts that could cause breaks in functionality or site crashes.

Additionally, make sure your chosen template is mobile-responsive, meaning it will adapt seamlessly to display on any device (desktops, tablets, or smartphones) and screen size.

Additional Information

Functionality & Design

Free WordPress templates offer extensive design and functionality options, serving as the foundation for your website’s look and feel. As mentioned, many of these templates are responsive by default, ensuring they adapt smoothly across different mobile devices.

Widgets and plugins can be easily integrated into templates, allowing for even more flexibility and customization when it comes to adding new features.

Each WordPress template is designed for specific types of content. For example, the Home Page template presents introductory content, while the Blog Page template organises blog posts. Templates maintain consistency with the overall theme design chosen for your site.

You will also be able to find free templates designed for specific industries and website types, such as creative portfolios, online stores, and blogs offering specialised designs for different business needs.

Customising Free Templates

WordPress free templates allow for a range of customisations, including colours, fonts, layout headers, and footers. Templates are usually coded in HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) and CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) and integrated within the WordPress theme framework. However, additional coding snippets can be included as needed for enhanced functionality.

For more advanced ways to further customise your template, you can directly edit the HTML and CSS code in the backend of WordPress; however, this is not recommended for beginners.

Custom modifications should be tested across different devices to ensure compatibility before going live. You can do this by creating a staging site; an offline copy of your main website will give you a safe environment for testing any changes and updates before publishing them to the live version.

Login to Domains.co.za Account

1. Go to the Domains.co.za website Account Login page.

2. Enter your Email and Password.

3. Then click the “Sign In” button.

Access WordPress from your Domains.co.za Dashboard

4. On the right of the Dashboard under the “Manage Account” menu, click “Manage Services” on the drop-down menu and select your Hosting plan, our example uses Web Hosting.

5. Scroll down to the “Quick Manage” section (below “Product Information”) and click on the WordPress icon. If you haven’t yet installed WordPress, it will ask you to first do so.

Access WordPress via cPanel from your Domains.co.za Account

6. On the right of the Dashboard under the “Manage Account” menu, click “Manage Services” on the drop-down menu and select your Hosting plan, our example uses Web Hosting. (refer image above).

7. Click “Manage” next to the website domain you wish to access in cPanel.

8. The Product Information section will display – click the “Login” button next to Control Panel.

9. On the cPanel Dashboard, in the menu on the right, select “WP Toolkit”, or if you haven’t yet installed WordPress “WordPress Management”.

10. There is also a WordPress icon under the “Popular Applications” section on the cPanel Dashboard.

WordPress can be Accessed Online via cPanel

1. Go to your cPanel URL or cPanel Login page.

2. Enter your “Email” and “Account Password” and click “Log In”

3. On the cPanel Dashboard, in the menu on the right, select “WP Toolkit”, or if you haven’t yet installed WordPress “WordPress Management”. There is also a WordPress icon under the “Popular Applications” section on the cPanel Dashboard.