Despite WordPress powering over 20% of the web, there are still a lot of static websites that could use a dynamic upgrade. In order for a static website to take advantage of WordPress it requires two things: A WordPress installation and a WordPress theme that looks like the static HTML site. Thanks to a new website called Theme Matcher, creating a WordPress theme from a static website is easy.

How It Works Using The Example Theme

Theme Matcher, created by Patrick Moody, takes static websites and automatically generates WordPress themes using Bones. Bones is a minimalistic theme that is great to use as a foundation. To see how this site works, visit Themematcher.com and use http://themematcher.com/example/ as the example URL. Follow the directions as described in the video. If you have difficulty finding the right spot to select as content, just select an area, then use the plus or minus buttons to add or subtract elements that will make up the content portion of the theme.

Next, select the area you want for the sidebar which will usually be to the left, or right of the content. If you feel adventurous, you can select an area outside of the content to use as the sidebar. You just might not be happy with the results. Alternatively, you can select an option to not have a sidebar via a link at the top of the website. After selecting the sidebar location, you can delete areas or preview the theme. When previewing the theme, experienced developers will be able to tell right away which parts are WordPress while the rest of the design remains static.

Patrick Moody Answers A Few Questions

Why did you choose the Bones theme to power ThemeMatcher.com?

Bones is an incredible starter theme that has already been highly refined and optimized by over 60 contributors over the course of several years. It’s a great foundation that is fast, lightweight, and has very clean code. These are all benefits that are easy to miss on ‘custom’ projects, but are incorporated into every Theme Matcher conversion.

Who are you targeting with this service?

WordPress developers saving time and getting a head start on client projects, and then customizing the theme further.

Non-technical webmasters wanting to add a WordPress blog to an existing site.

Designers that create a HTML template/mockup, then fast-track it into a WordPress theme with ease.

Freelancers migrating sites to WordPress from another system

Nice Way To Save Time

While the above is an excellent example of how Theme Matcher can help developers save time, there are a number of other uses for the site. Using Theme Matcher won’t take care of 100% of the work when transitioning a static site into a WordPress theme, but it gets you at least two-thirds of the way there.