If you’ve read our post on responsive design, you’ll know just how important it is to have a responsive Magento website. The easiest way to get one is by installing a responsive theme. Many people assume responsive web design is expensive but the good news is that there’s actually a wide range of free Magento responsive themes for you to use. Here we’ll explain where to find them and what to keep in mind when choosing one for your Magento eCommerce website.

Magento Connect Store

One of the best places to find free Magento responsive themes is the Magento Connect store. Simply click on themes at the top and then narrow your search down to just the free themes. In the search box, type in ‘responsive’ and it will present you with all of the free Magento themes that have been built using responsive design.

The great thing about using free Magento responsive themes from the Magento Connect store is that they are very easy to install. All you need to do is grab the Extension Key from the theme page and paste it in the Magento Connect section of your Magento Admin Panel. Set your new theme to default and it will go live on your website. It’s as simple as that! See our Magento theme installation page for more info.

Google it

If you can’t find a free responsive Magento theme you like from the Magento Connect store then try searching for ‘free responsive Magento themes’ on Google. You will then be presented with pages and pages of results that are relevant to your keywords. We suggest clicking on a few of the top results and seeing what they have to offer. At the time this post was written, the top results for this search include:

• Zerocarts
• Fresh Design Web
• Ubertheme

Things to keep in mind

Before installing any free Magento responsive theme it is important to make sure that it is actually free to use. You don’t want to get all excited about your new theme, only to find that there are hidden costs involved. It’s also important to read reviews and check the ratings before pressing install. If other users are complaining about bugs or think the quality is poor, you may want to think twice about using it on your Magento eCommerce site.

Finally, it’s a good idea to see if the developer offers any sort of support with their theme. With it being a free Magento responsive theme, support is likely to be limited but it’s still worth finding out if there’s a message board you can visit if you have any problems during installation.

Conclusion

If you are on a budget but want to ensure you’re offering users the very best shopping experience, installing a free Magento responsive theme is the perfect solution. For more information about customisations, see our Magento Design Guide.

 

Image credit: Ross Merritt Photography