WordPress has become the leading website publishing platform in large part because it offers so many free widgets, plugins, and themes that make it easy to design and customize your site without have to know the ins and outs of html.

In today’s market, shopping around for a theme means finding one that is appealing and has a responsive design.  For most consumers, their smartphone doubles as a computer and a lot of their shopping and browsing is done right on their phone.  If your site isn’t easy to navigate on computers, tablets, and smartphones, then you are going to lose visitors.

In the interest of saving you time and helping you to get your first blog off the ground a little faster, here is a list of the 15 best WordPress Themes.  Enjoy

1. Twenty Fourteen

If all else fails, why not just go for the default theme?  When you download WordPress, this will appear as the default theme, and for good reason.  The magazine style design is image heavy and easy to customize.  It is an especially good choice if you are new to WordPress.  You can instantly have a clean, professional site that will allow you to place photos, menus, and sidebars with ease.

2. WP-Responsive

If you are setting up a website for your business, this theme offers a professional look with 7 layout options and a template that make it easy to incorporate your own company logos.  Best of all, it will automatically adjust to any screen size so that visitor can view it on a variety of devices.

3. WP-Ellie

This theme features more of a modern look and is compatible with almost any type of site you want to start.  It allows you to add vides, featured item sliders, and adjust the layout to fit your content.

4. Yamidoo Magazine 2.0

Another great magazine theme that is both modern and clean.  The layout is nicely designed so that you can incorporate a lot of different content without your page becoming cluttered and overwhelming.  The featured item slider creates a focal point and a logical flow.

5.  Convention

This option will look good on any device and allow for as much customization as you want.  If you simply follow the template, you will end up with a visually appealing site, but the design can also grow with you as you become more proficient at WordPress.

6.  Bones

The developers of this theme definitely had WordPress beginners in mind when they started developing this project.  However, that doesn’t mean that your site won’t look like you have been at it for years.  Not only is this theme fun, colorful, and fully responsive, it also puts the power of picking and choosing features squarely in your hands.

7.  Yoko

Are you a prolific writer and social media aficionado?  Yoko will help you keep your posts neatly organized and archived and it provides ample space for all your social media buttons, which will strongly encourage your readers to share your work.

8. AccentBox

Clean, modern, and totally responsive, AccentBox is the perfect choice for bloggers who want to try and generate revenue through Adsense and other advertising and affiliate programs.  It neatly organizes posts and allows room for ad blocks without making the page look cluttered.

9. Meeta

This free, responsive theme is great for highlighting images.  The default template features large image blocks and thumbnails that will draw your reader in visually.  If you are photographer, artist, or even a travel writer this theme is a good option for showcasing your content.

10. Radiate

The parallax header that comes standard with this theme will instantly make you look like a pro!  The galleries make is another great choice for image heavy blogs.  Best of all, it is free, responsive, and easy to customize.

11. Swagger

Swagger’s responsive design can accommodate any screen size and the simple color palette can be easily adjusted to reflect your company’s logo.  With just a few clicks, you can customize drop down menus, organize your posts, and adjust theme options.

12. Simple Grid

It is all right there in the name.  This free, responsive WordPress theme looks great on any size screen and offers a simple layout that will help you highlight images and showcase a links on your homepage.  As with most themes, it is easy to customize and will allow you to adjust color schemes, add menus, and insert advertising to help you use your site to generate revenue.

 13. Gridster

This responsive theme is similar to Simple Grid, but features side bar navigation.  It is a great template that will help you create an online portfolio for your work and is a favorite among artists.  You can upload your own logos and change font, colors, and almost any other feature to best highlight your work.

14. Blogly Lite

If you are new to blogging, this theme will help you get started on the right foot.  Readers can easily subscribe to receive updates on your latest posts and search through your archives according using tags and keywords.  The top menu is also a great feature that encourages reader to engage with your articles and leave thoughtful comments.

 15. Nova

As with the most popular free WordPress themes, Nova is highly responsive and easy offers several clean and simple templates.  It is ideal for a variety of businesses and comes with menu and sidebar options that are easy to customize.

Conclusion

The great news is that there are a lot of stylish, free, and responsive themes available for WordPress.  When trying to choose the best theme, think about what kind of content you are trying to highlight an choose the theme that you find the most visually appealing.