Theme selection for main menu with anchors

o create a WordPress website with a horizontal menu linking to sections of a static page and a blog, look for these key features in a theme:

1. Custom Menu Support – For easy management of anchor links and blog link.
2. One-Page Layout Compatibility – Themes designed for single-page websites are ideal.
3. Anchor Link Compatibility – Supports smooth scrolling and proper navigation to sections.
4. Responsive Design – Ensures the menu works well on both desktop and mobile.
5. Customization Options – Allows easy styling and layout adjustments without coding.

Good themes to consider: Astra, OceanWP, Neve, Hestia, and Sydney.

Are there any restrictions in selecting a theme? Does a theme have to have specific features/characteristics so that this would work in a easy to use way?

No.

Virtually ANY theme can do this.

But you’ll have to build that menu and anchor links yourself, irrespective of which theme you choose. Note theme will build your menu or anchor links for you.

Hi @bastianfenske

ran into this topic after the other thread you opened ?? My suggestion would be the same as there: have you tried any block theme lately?

For example, using the latest WordPress 6.6 and the default TwentyTwentyFour, you could do the following:

– Remove all your pages, as you only want a blog.
– Go to “Site Editor > Templates > Blog Home” and edit it to your liking (colors, content, add menu with anchors to sections, etc.).
– Publish.

This flow would be the same for any block-based theme. They just differ in the content that comes bundled with the templates (that you can always modify) and the styles (that you can also change).

Let me know if you give this a try and what you think of it.

Best,
André

Thank you, guys.
I installed TwentyTwentyFour and edited the main menu template. It works so far, but I could not manage to make it work by entering a relative URL like /#someSecion . I had to enter the full URL, which seems weird. I guess a CMS/blog system that is out there since ages and that actually has the capacity to define anchors for content elements might have a way to reference them without throwing the absolute URL into the database. Am I doing something wrong?

Hi @bastianfenske

have you tried using links with anchors as described in this guide? https://www.ads-software.com/documentation/article/page-jumps/

Let me know how that goes.

Best,
André