If you want to create a functional and visually attractive website, you may want to consider using Bootstrap to develop a WordPress theme.
Reasons to Use Bootstrap with WordPress
Table of Contents
It’s Free and Open-Source
Bootstrap is an open-source CSS framework that’s free to use, and that is continually updated and managed by its creators. As a result, it rarely crashes. Plus, it functions with the latest JavaScript and jQuery to enhance the functionality of your web pages. Moreover, if you know how to manage codes, you can adjust the framework for even better results.
It Has a Lot of Tutorials
Bootstrap is quite popular, and therefore it’s relatively easy to find tutorials on how to use it. In fact, several blogs offer free content on how to use and manage Bootstrap with WordPress.
The abundance of tutorial content about Bootstrap means that you don’t need to be a Bootstrap expert. Instead, anyone can easily learn how to use it. This is advantageous because it’s a way to improve your website in a significant way without spending any money.
It’s Useful for Creating Mobile-Friendly Sites
Most people access the internet through their phones, which means that it’s crucial that websites be mobile-friendly. If your site is not responsive to mobile devices, its search engine ranking will be below, and you will attract fewer visitors.
Fortunately, you can use Bootstrap to make your website mobile-responsive.
Now that you understand the benefits of using Bootstrap in WordPress, learn how to create appealing themes with a functional interface by reading our Bootstrap WordPress guide.
Using Bootstrap in WordPress
Upload and Unload Bootstrap
To use and personalize your WordPress site correctly with Bootstrap, you’ll need to have a hosting account. Once you have a hosting account, you’ll need to download the Bootstrap program and unzip it. Next, connect it to your server using an FTP program, then follow these steps:
- Navigate to wp-content and select Themes;
- In Themes, create a new folder and upload the unzipped Bootstrap files to this folder;
- Make sure these files are in your new Themes folder: footer.php, header.php, index.php, and style.css
Configure Bootstrap
Now that you’ve uploaded Bootstrap to the server and unloaded its files, you need to configure the style.css file based on your website’s setup. You can do this by adding the following:
- Under Theme Name, write MyTheme
- For Theme URI, include the URL of your company
- In the description field, write Mytheme Built on Bootstrap
- For version, write Version: 1.1
- Under Author, put the name of your company
- For Author, URI write htttps://cloudways.com
Copy and Paste Code
The next step is to copy the code from the file bootstrap.min.css and paste it into the style.css file.
Set Up Your Site’s HTML Template
To set up your site’s HTML, it’s best to have a template that you can make small changes to.
WordPress’ built-in functions get_header() and get_footer() are located in the header.php and footer.php files. Therefore, you need to cut the top of your HTML code up to the first div line and paste it into the header.php file. You will then place the rest of the code into the footer.pho file. Then you need to activate them by going into the index.php file and pasting the following:
- <?php get_header(); ?>
- <?php get_footer(); ?>
This will result in the header, and footer features loading onto your website but without any styling.
Create Header and Footer Elements
To create the header and footer elements, you will need to import the Bootstrap stylesheet into the header.php file. This can be done using the echo get_stylesheet_uri() function. You will then have to import the style.css into the website, displaying it in the top menu bar.
However, to activate the changes you made to the site, you will need to import the js files of the desired template into the footer.php file. Then paste the following code before the closing body tag:
- <script src=”../wp-content/themes/(name of the template folder/js/bootstrap.min.js”></script>
After that, your header and footer will be working, and you can use WordPress settings to stylize it in the way you wish. This will enable you to make it more attractive and engage visitors.
