Appearance → Customize is the control panel for the look: change on the left, watch the live preview on the right, and nothing is saved until you hit Publish. So experiment freely.
The order that saves time
- 1. Site identity — logo (PNG with transparency), name, tagline, and the favicon (the tab icon; the detail everyone forgets)
- 2. Colours — main, background, buttons. Stick to 2-3 colours with exact codes.
- 3. Typography — one font for headings, one for text. Body text 16-18px on mobile; smaller does not get read.
- 4. Header — logo position, sticky menu, a call button
- 5. Footer — contact, opening hours, a privacy policy link
- 6. Homepage — Settings → Reading, or in the Customizer: a static page if you want a sales homepage instead of a post list, plus a separate blog page
The menu
Appearance → Menus: create a menu, add pages, assign it a position (e.g. Primary). Tips: 5-7 items max · the most important on the left · a Contact or Get a quote button on the right · one level of submenus at most.
The mistakes we see most
- A huge logo — a 2000px logo in a header that needs 200px; it slows the site and looks off
- Five fonts — every font is another load
- Low-contrast colours — light grey on white looks elegant in a mockup and is unreadable on a phone in sunlight
- A forgotten favicon — an empty page icon in the tab instead of your logo
- A 12-item menu — the visitor does not choose, they leave
If your theme has its own panels
Purchased themes often add Theme Options. Rule: whatever can be done in the Customizer — do it there; theme-specific things — in its panel. And note what you changed, unless you like surprises after updates.