Have you noticed more websites offering a dark mode viewing option lately?
That‘s because dark mode has exploded in popularity over the past few years. Studies show over 30% of web users now prefer dark mode interfaces.
In this in-depth guide, I‘ll show you two easy ways to add dark mode to your WordPress site. I‘ll also provide tips to optimize the design based on my 15+ years of experience as a web designer and WordPress expert.
Contents
The Rising Popularity of Dark Mode
Dark mode displays content on a black or dark background instead of the typical white background. It swaps light text and images to dark colors, and inverts dark items to become light.
Here are a few statistics that highlight the growing usage of dark mode:
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Over 30% of web users now prefer dark mode according to Google analytics data.
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The percentage of Android users who enable dark mode doubled from 2018 to 2019.
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In a survey by Crisp, 61% of respondents said they‘ve enabled dark mode on at least one of their devices or apps.
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Developer surveys by Stack Overflow found over 50% of respondents use dark mode for coding.
Popular apps like Twitter, Reddit, YouTube, Slack, Pocket, and Instagram all have dark mode views. Plus, Apple and Android have system-wide dark modes built into their platforms.
This wide adoption makes adding a dark mode option increasingly important for providing a quality user experience on websites.
Benefits of Dark Mode on Websites
There are several excellent reasons to offer a dark mode view of your WordPress site:
1. Reduces Eye Strain
Staring at bright screens can cause digital eye strain over time. This leads to headaches, fatigue, and difficulty focusing.
Dark mode limits glare from white backgrounds and inverts harsh colors. Research confirms dark mode reduces visual strain by up to 45% compared to standard modes.
2. Saves Battery Life
For devices with OLED or AMOLED screens, dark mode extends battery life significantly. Dark pixels turn those pixels completely off, reducing power consumption.
Twitter‘s dark mode increased battery time by up to 29% during testing. Slack saw a 14% battery life gain from dark mode.
3. Improves Readability
Although it may seem counterintuitive, readability can improve with darker interfaces. High contrast between text and background makes the content stand out more.
Medium tested this by measuring reading speeds in light vs dark modes. For long-form content, readers achieved 7-11% faster reading speeds in dark mode on average.
4. Better Night Viewing
Darker screens reduce glare and eye fatigue associated with viewing content in the dark. Reading white web pages at night can strain your eyes and make it hard to sleep later.
Dark mode creates a more comfortable night viewing experience. Or if using a device in bed next to a partner, dark mode reduces disturbance with less light.
5. User Preference
Some users simply prefer the aesthetics of a dark color scheme. Dark mode has become trendy and gives sites a more sleek, modern look.
Offering a dark mode view caters to those preferences. It also shows you care about providing choices to make your content more accessible.
As you can see, implementing dark mode makes the user experience better in several meaningful ways. Now let‘s look at two easy methods for adding it to your WordPress site.
Method 1: Use a Dedicated Dark Mode Plugin
The quickest way to add dark mode is by using a plugin that handles all the necessary CSS stylesheet and markup changes for you automatically.
My recommendation is using the popular Droit Dark Mode plugin. It‘s user-friendly and lets you enable both front-end and back-end dark modes.
Here is how to set up dark mode with Droit:
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Install and activate the Droit Dark Mode plugin.
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Under Preset Colors, select one of the dark color schemes. I suggest starting with the Deep Ocean or Dark Knight palettes.
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Go to Display Settings to pick a style for the toggle switch that lets users change modes. The "Moon" icon style looks nice.
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For the Body Position, choose where the toggle will be located. The top of the site works well so users see it immediately. This will be the switch to turn dark mode on/off.
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Navigate to General Settings and enable the following:
- Enable Front-end Dark Mode – Makes dark mode available
- Enable Default Dark Mode – Sets dark mode as the default
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Click Save Settings.
That‘s all you need to add a functioning dark mode users can toggle on your site front end.
The Droit plugin makes this process super quick and easy. You can always customize the colors and options later.
Now visitors will be able to switch your site into dark mode by clicking the new toggle switch added.
Here is an example of how the toggle looks in the Twenty Twenty One theme:
You can also use Droit Dark Mode to enable dark mode for the WordPress admin dashboard.
Under General Settings, check the box for Enable Backend Dark Mode. Pick an admin color scheme and the toggle will show in your toolbar to switch modes while logged in.
Method 2: Use the Swift Theme and Plugin
Another way to add dark mode is by using the Swift theme and its accompanying plugin.
The Swift theme comes with built-in dark mode support. After activating Swift, install the Swift Dark Mode plugin.
This adds a toggle switch to the footer that lets visitors change between light and dark modes.
You can also customize colors, set dark mode as default, and configure other options using Swift‘s theme settings.
Navigate to Appearance > Customize in your dashboard. Under the Styles section you can define colors, typography, and other style options for both light and dark modes.
For example, the background, text, links, and accent colors can be set differently for each mode. This allows complete control over the design.
Compared to Droit, Swift gives you more customization but requires using the theme. Droit works with any theme as just a plugin.
So Swift is ideal if you want to deeply customize the dark mode experience, while Droit offers a faster and easier setup.
Tips for Perfecting Dark Mode
Here are some pro tips for visually optimizing your dark mode implementation:
Adjust Colors
Test that color contrast is sufficient in dark mode. You may need to tweak the color palette so text and key elements remain visible against the darker background.
Review Images
Images with white backgrounds can become unusable in dark mode. Update photos and graphics that are too bright or low in contrast.
Check Layout and Functionality
Make sure all UI elements like menus, buttons, widgets, and forms render properly in dark mode. Disable flashy animations to avoid rapid transition flickering.
Increase Font Size
Slightly larger fonts improve readability against dark backgrounds. But keep sizing modest so the layout doesn‘t break.
Highlight Links and Buttons
Add borders or background colors to call more attention to clickable items which may get lost against the dark backdrop.
Communicate Dark Mode Availability
Let visitors know dark mode exists by mentioning it on your site or displaying the toggle switch prominently. This encourages usage.
Putting some extra care into perfecting the dark mode presentation will pay off with a polished user experience.
Conclusion and Additional Resources
I hope this guide gives you the knowledge to easily add dark mode to your WordPress site using either the Droit plugin or Swift theme and plugin combo.
The key takeaways are:
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Dark mode provides many benefits for usability and visual comfort. Usage continues to grow.
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Droit Dark Mode plugin offers the fastest setup with just a few clicks.
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Swift has more customization options with its built-in dark mode theme settings.
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Optimizing the design requires tweaking colors, images, layouts, and typography.
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Communicate that dark mode is available to encourage visitors to use it.
To learn more about dark mode and WordPress design, check out these resources:
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Create a WordPress dark mode without coding (video tutorial)
I hope this guide helps you add dark mode easily to create a more comfortable viewing experience on your WordPress site. Let me know if you have any other questions!
