How I choose a theme for a new blog

A theme is not decoration. It decides whether people finish reading your posts.

Readability

I look for a body size of at least 18px, comfortable line spacing and lines that are not too long. If it is hard to read on a phone, I move on.

Speed

I test the demo on a slow mobile connection. Sliders and heavy animations are the first things to go.

Room to grow

Categories, an about page and a newsletter sign-up should fit without custom code.