The average smartphone user spends more than three hours a day
online, and nearly half of all smartphone users check their phones
before they even get out of bed. More people now access the Internet on
mobile devices than on desktop or laptop computers for shopping,
entertainment, as well as information – and to reach these users,
websites need to be mobile friendly.
WordPress users can choose from an array of mobile responsive themes
and plugins to ensure that web content displays correctly on screens of
all sizes, but you can also create your own mobile responsive WordPress
theme with Bootstrap, a free mobile-first framework that can be
integrated into any WordPress installation. To learn more on how to use
Bootstrap in WordPress, read our comprehensive guide below.
What Is Bootstrap WordPress?
Frameworks are basic structures that can serve as the foundation for
building a custom website and theme to meet a variety of different
needs, and they can make the development process faster and more
accurate, since the entire site doesn’t have to be coded from scratch
and can build on the quality code provided within the framework.
Bootstrap is a framework for developing mobile responsive websites
quickly and easily. It’s a free, fully designed front-end framework that
includes a set of HTML and CSS elements for creating custom features
such as typography, navigation bars, and buttons, and it also works with
a number of optional JavaScript plugins for more functionality with a
responsive layout. Bootstrap and WordPress are both free to download and
customize and are supported by a worldwide community of developers.
Beginning with Bootstrap 3, Bootstrap incorporates mobile
responsiveness in its core code and is fully customizable. This makes it
easy for users with a basic knowledge of HTML and CSS to build
responsive sites natively, without the need for adding responsive
functions from external sources, such as plugins.
Bootstrap can also be used to create mobile-responsive, custom
WordPress themes. Although the Bootstrap framework was not designed for
WordPress compatibility, it can be integrated into an existing WordPress
site and its CSS styling elements can be applied to the WordPress core
code. In this way, users with some knowledge of HTML can add both custom
theme elements and mobile responsiveness to a WordPress site with this
flexible and fast CSS styling framework.
How to Get Bootstrap
The latest version of Bootstrap is free to download from
getbootstrap.com, and like WordPress, it can be used and modified in any
way by any user. The basic Bootstrap setup comes with three main files –
a CSS framework, a JavaScript/jQuery framework, and an icon font set
called glyphicons.
To function fully as a site builder, Bootstrap needs jQuery, a
popular JavaScript library that gives JavaScript cross-browser
compatibility and supports its extensive library of plugins. But if
you’re using Bootstrap to build a mobile responsive theme into a custom
WordPress site, you can use the CSS framework alone without the need to
add JavaScript elements.
Bootstrap’s home site also includes options for building your own
custom version of Bootstrap by mixing and matching from a long list of
CSS, Component, and JavaScript files that can be included in your
version. Custom Bootstrap can also include numerous jQuery plugins that
extend the functionality of Bootstrap with carousels, advanced buttons,
and more. Once you’ve selected the features you want from the many
available menus, simply download the result and you’re ready to add
Bootstrap to your custom WordPress site. If you have an existing
Bootstrap configuration, you can upload it to Bootstrap’s home site, add
the features you want, and download the new version for use on your
site.
Integrating Bootstrap Into WordPress
WordPress themes establish the appearance and layout of a WordPress
site by adding a set of HTML and CSS style sheets onto the framework
that is defined by the WordPress core code. Themes can be created by
anyone with a knowledge of HTML, CSS, and PHP, the programming language
used to develop the WordPress core code, and these are also needed to
create a responsive theme using Bootstrap.
WordPress themes of all kinds include a file called style.css, which
contains all the styling for the theme and its meta information. This
file is supported by the main WordPress theme file, called index.php. To
integrate Bootstrap files into the main WordPress files, you’ll need to
navigate to wp-content > themes and create a new folder for the
Bootstrap theme. Give this new theme folder a name.
Once you’ve done this, you’ll need to duplicate all the required
files for creating a WordPress theme of any kind and place them in the
folder for your Bootstrap theme. Then, the Bootstrap code can be copied
into those files and modified as needed to get the right elements and
style into the theme. This way, it’s possible to override the existing
styles in Bootstrap in favor of new versions, and there is no need to
modify Bootstrap’s core code.
When all the files needed for building the Bootstrap theme have been added to the theme’s folders and installed in the site’s main theme folder, the theme can be activated like any other and managed through the website’s admin dashboard.
Choose a WordPress Bootstrap Theme
Choose from one of the top 5 WordPress themes built with bootstrap. These themes can be used for business websites, portfolio or a personal blog.
Bootstrap Plugins for WordPress
Like any other WordPress theme, Bootstrap works with a number of
WordPress-friendly plugins that can be used to add a range of other
functions for site-specific purposes. Bootstrap plugins can help users
manage e-commerce issues, such as setting prices and showcasing products
on the small screen. Other plugins allow users to create mobile-ready
elements like menus and forms. Some SEO-friendly plugins can also be
used to help boost and optimize blog posts or articles. Plugins can even
help users manage the fully customizable components of Bootstrap
itself.
Mobile use dominates the Internet, so making your WordPress site mobile responsive is a smart business move. With Bootstrap and a little knowledge of coding, any WordPress site can look its best, no matter what kind of device it’s on.