Whether you’re a simple weekly WordPress blogger or a seasoned webpage administrator who updates and edits every day, having a video component on your site is a stellar way to draw readers and keep them coming back again and again. Indeed, one need only look at the resounding success of Facebook Live and the myriad social media applications and it’s clear that video can bring loads of attention to you products, services or causes in a way that photos and words alone cannot.
Thankfully, the dedicated designers of all things WordPress have developed some fantastic video-specific themes that are easy to install and use, beautifully crafted and intuitive for users. From full page, full impact streaming to customizable templates and portfolio showcases, there’s certainly something for anyone and everyone who wants to implement a regular video component to their WordPress site. Most are free and many are easy to use for beginners, but don’t be afraid to call in some help from the WordPress experts if you’re unsure of how to install and launch them or if you need a tutorial on how to safely and efficiently administer the themes.
Here are some stand-outs certainly worthy of further exploration.
- Inspiro plays a multi-purpose role as both a video-based and standard operating WordPress theme. Designed to handle full-screen background or popup videos, it also includes a convenient gallery module as well as widgets to display portfolio showcases. And with four unique templates working within a drag-and-drop page builder, it’s a great choice for those who aren’t sure of the look they want but are willing to experiment. For enabling a truly immersive experience for the user, it’s definitely a solid choice.
- For those who want their site to have a print magazine feel, VideoZ can do just that. The theme includes two-column layouts that work with thumbnails, and it supports the necessary plugin that automatically supports those video embeds. Users can rate videos easily (via the PostRatings plugin), the homepage is widget-rich and friendly and it melds beautifully with social media through customizable buttons.
- Bloggers will love The Motion, a theme based around a video slider on the homepage and a grid-based layout throughout other pages. It’s easy to display featured images through full width headers, comes with a nearly unlimited color palette, gives designers the choice of a sidebar location and contains an “about” template and built-in contact form so users can easily get in touch and communicate with the site owner.
ª Described as “elegant,” Suarez has a layout based on a masonry grid that is created using post thumbnails. With a built-in slider, multiple page layout choices and custom widgets, it’s also one of the best themes for integrating social media into a video-based WordPress site.
- Vipress thrives on customization, and the video magazine theme comes with a modular layout that allows designers to build their unique homepage with content blocks. Multiple slider choices, dual color schemes and an automatic video thumbnail generation package gives lots of options for creating limitless looks, and it too supports social media as well as advertising, content exploration and even Google Maps and Google Fonts.
- For those seeking to leverage their WordPress site as an e-tail concern, Dorsa comes with full WooCommerce support as well as an attractive grid layout look utilizing thumbnails to draw attention to the most important and frequently accessed content. And for those designers who thrive on tracking analytics for their site, the theme comes equipped with “post likes” and “post views” counters and contains custom header styles and a built-in slider.
- Lastly, Videobox is great for those designers who want to embed video services into their site to really increase their exposure across social media platforms. YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook Video, Instagram, DailyMotion and more are all supported by the theme, and it can automatically detect desirable videos and incorporate them into a post as a thumbnail. And like Dorsa it supports WooCommerce, allowing site owners to incorporate an online store into their video-based website and even sell subscriptions to specific content or pages.
