Unless you want to use the default wordpress theme ( which is fine for a basic blog, but not so great for a store traffic website ), you will need to select a suitable theme and then get it setup on your site.
To do so, you have two options: Use WordPress to download and install the theme or install the theme manually.
Downloading WordPress Themes
I recommend getting your themes from wordpress or, if you really want a theme from somewhere else, reading each file completely to ensure that it does not have anything bad hidden within it. While not common, some themes will place hidden links to sites that will hurt your search rankings, serve up malware, etc. If you are not familiar with what to look for, I recommend sticking to the wordpress site or themes offered by those whom you trust.
Method One: Using WordPress to install a theme
If you have a newer version of WordPress, you can install a theme directly from within WordPress itself. To do so:
- Log into your WordPress admin manel
- On the menu, select "Appearance" → "Add New Themes"
- If you know the name of the theme you want:
- Leave the search dropdown as "Term"
- Enter the theme name in the box
- Select "Search"
- Once your theme is displayed, select "Install"
- If you are unsure of the theme you want:
- Select the options you want a theme to have
- Select "Find Themes" below the options box
- Look through the listed themes and select "Preview" for any that look promising
- Select "Install" for any which you want to install
Method Two: Installing themes manually
For installing wordpress themes manually, I recommend using an ftp program ( file transfer protocol ) such as FileZilla, CuteFTP, or ProFTP. If you are unfamiliar with ftp, it is worth noting that I use FileZilla for the instructions I provide on this site, so you may want to download and install that before continuing.
Downloading your WordPress theme
- Locate the theme you want to install on your WordPress site.
- Select the "Download" link.
I recommend right-clicking it and selecting "Save Target As" so that you can specify where you want to save it. If you are using Mozilla Firefox, then you can always find your downloaded files by selecting "Tools" → "Downloads" from your browsers file menu then right-clicking the item in question and selecting "Open Containing Folder"
Extract your theme
- Locate the theme you downloaded. It should be in a zip file.
- Extract the contents of the theme.
Windows Zip Extraction Instructions - Locate the theme root folder.
Theme root directories in WordPress
Now you know which directory (folder) you will need to upload to your server to install your new theme.
Upload the theme to your server
- Connect to your server via FTP
Using FTP to upload files - Browse to the "wp-content" → "themes" directory on your web server.
- Upload your new themes root folder.
Now your theme is uploaded, all that is left is to activate it in WordPress
Activating New Themes in WordPress
- Log into your WordPress admin panel
- Select "Appearance" → "Themes"
- Find the theme you uploaded and select "Preview" to see what it will look like on your site or "Install" to install it.