WordPress themes are simply a group of files, called templates, bundled together that, when activated in WordPress, determine the look and basic function of your site. (We talk more about templates files in Book VI, Chapter 3.)
Because themes set the design style of your site, including how content displays on it, they are the first and most basic way of customizing your site to fit your unique needs. One of the most amazing things about the WordPress community is the thousands of free themes that are available — and the new ones released each week.
Although finding one WordPress theme among thousands of options can be challenging, it's a fun adventure, and you can explore the various designs and features to, ultimately, find the right theme for you and your site. In this chapter, you discover the options for finding and installing free themes on your WordPress site. We also discuss premium theme options and tell you a few things to avoid.