When it comes to blogging, Speed and SEO are one of the main factors people consider when choosing a platform. A good WordPress hosting platform with an optimised theme can deliver that.
So, to help you with that, here are 9 of the best WordPress themes designed for SEO and speed.
8 Best WordPress Themes For SEO and Speed
1. Acabado – Fastest WordPress Theme
Acabado is a lightweight, extremely fast theme that scores a whopping 90 – 100 on Google Pagespeed Insights. They are extremely optimised for SEO and speed.
If you do not care about the design and just want a fast, SEO optimised theme, this is the best theme that you can get right now.
If you know the Youtube channel – Income School, you would probably know this one too because they are the creators of this theme.
Acabado is available in 2 prices:-
Pros
- Extremely fast
- Optimised for SEO
- Simple and a clean theme
- Mobile-first design
- Best for bloggers
Cons
- Since it focuses on speed and SEO, the design capabilities are pretty much limited. Not everyone would like the layout and design of Acabado.
- May not be suitable for some businesses.
2. Divi
Divi is one of the most used themes by businesses and bloggers. It’s a multipurpose theme that can be used to build any type of website.
Divi has been in the industry for quite a long time and they have been updated and improved. They now feature an awesome website builder which replaces Elementor. They also have a lot of pre-made templates which can be used on your website.
Divi is a theme which is owned by Elegant themes. They have other products too like an email opt-in plugin, social media plugin etc.
All of these products comes in one package. So, you can’t buy the theme alone.
They offer 2 pricing plans:-
Pros
- The best “multipurpose theme” for any website.
- An awesome page builder
- Fast and optimised for SEO
- A large database of website templates
- Good pricing for the entire bundle.
Cons
- No option to pay for just the theme.
- The page builder can be hard to use for beginners.
Related Article – Can I Use WordPress Themes on Multiple Sites?
3. Schema
Schema is fast, responsive and optimised for SEO. It is one of the few options that every new blogger has because it offers a free version.
Schema does come with a lot of features like in-built rich snippets, review system, multiple header layouts etc. It also has support for WooCommerce. So, if you intend to integrate a store with your website, it would be easy.
Schema is owned by MyThemeShop which is a well-reputed WordPress theme provider. They also have other themes and plugins.
Schema is available in 2 different versions – the free one and the paid one.
You could also buy this theme by subscribing to the Mythemeshop yearly plan which will allow you to access all of their premium themes, plugins and other features. The yearly plan will cost you $99.47/Year.
Pros
- Simple and Responsive theme
- Fast and Optimised for SEO
- In-built review system, Rich snippet etc
Cons
- Does’nt look modern and can be unappealing for many.
4. MH Magazine
MH Magazine is the best theme if you plan to build a news website, magazine website etc. It designed specifically for those kinds of websites.
MH Magazine is one of the fastest “magazine” type theme that you can get. They are designed in such a way that they can help you maximize your earnings through ads. They also feature a custom slider, news ticker etc which can be helpful for news type websites.
This theme is owned by MH themes. They do have other themes but I think this one is the best they have.
MH Magazine has 2 pricing plans. I would recommend you just buy this theme alone because all their other themes that they have don’t look great.
Pros
- Responsive, fast and optimized for SEO
- Best “Magazine” type theme
- Optimized for Display ads to earn a higher income
Cons
- Not a multipurpose theme.
- Only 1 Year of updates included
5. Genesis Framework
The Genesis framework is a bit different from any other themes on this list. That’s because it can be used as a theme and also as a framework to develop other themes with it.
This theme is fast, has a very minimal and clean design. It is well coded and making changes in the code is quite easy. This makes the theme famous among developers.
StudioPress owns Genesis Framework. They are a part of WPEngine which is one of the best hosting providers. You can get this theme for free if you buy hosting from WPEngine.
StudioPress offers 2 pricing plans. One where you can buy the Genesis framework alone and the other which gives access to all the themes, plugins and other things that they offer.
Pros
- Best for Developers
- Minimal and Clean design
- Fast and Optimized for SEO
- A large community is there for this theme.
Cons
- Limited customization options for non-coders.
Related Article – Genesis Theme vs Astra
6. Blocksy – Best WordPress Theme For Beginners
Blocksy is the theme that I currently use. It’s a solid one in terms of design, speed and overall user experience. I have been using this theme since I started this blog and never really had a reason to change it.
It provides good customization options and is eCommerce ready. It offers frequent updates which is quite rare for a theme that is completely free.
I don’t know how this company makes money, but this theme is completely free and doesn’t have any additional features to purchase. It’s best for beginner bloggers who are on a tight budget.
You also get 5 different website templates that you can import to your website and use.
You just can’t get a free WordPress theme with these many features. I can guarantee you that!
Pros
- It’s completely free
- Fast and optimized for SEO
- Frequent updates
- Best Free theme
Cons
- Nothing much to complain since it’s completely free.
7. GeneratePress
GeneratePress is a freemium theme which is fast and lightweight. It is one of the highest rated WordPress themes out there.
There are more than 300,000 websites running on GeneratePress. This actually shows how popular and good the theme is.
The theme has schema built in which is good for SEO purposes. It is also compatitble with Woocommerce if you intend to start an online store.
However, Customization is quite limited in the free version. You can’t really scale up your website by just using the free plan of GeneratePress.
The premium plan of GeneratePress cost just $49.95.
Pros
- One of the highest-rated WordPress theme.
- Fast and Optimized for SEO
- Lightweight
Cons
- The free version is quite limited. You can’t even change the background colour of the menu.
8. Astra
Astra is yet another Freemium theme which currently runs on more than 1 million websites. it is certainly one of the best themes and is quite popular in the WordPress community.
Astra integrates smoothly with some of the best page builders like Elementor and Beaver builder. They even have an extra addon for each of these page builders.
Astra also provide starter templates which will allow you to import them onto your website so that you can setup your website quickly.
Astra offers 3 different pricing plans:-
The above pricing may vary. At the time writing this article, they were giving 25% off on all their products.
Pros
- Have in-built schema
- Integrates smoothly with page builders
- Fast and Optimized for SEO
Cons
- Lifetime plans are pricier
Which One Should You Choose?
The theme that you choose entirely depends upon you and your business needs.
So, if you do not care much about the design and want a fast theme that’s best for SEO, you should consider buying Acabado.
But if you want something that’s more customizable without compromising on speed, you should be looking into something like Divi, Astra or Generatepress.
You can also choose the Genesis framework if you are some kind of a coder and wants a website as per your needs.
And for the beginners who doesn’t have much money to pay for a theme, you could try Blocksy. You may have to choose
I hope this article helped you find the best WordPress themes for Speed and SEO. Let me know which of these themes you are going to choose by commenting down below.
Peace!