Category: WordPress Themes

In another article, we provide a comprehensive overview of WordPress Themes.

If you would like to learn more about WordPress themes and what makes themes unique, then make sure to check out the post here: Understanding WordPress Themes – A Guide For Beginners

In this article, you will learn where you can search for free and paid themes for your website. You will also learn about the different types of WordPress theme resources and get tips on how to ensure that you get the right themes for your needs and how to avoid having to deal with problems like lack of product support and poorly-coded themes.

As explained in our previously-mentioned article, a WordPress theme is a special type of web design template that is used on WordPress-powered websites and blogs and designed specifically for the WP CMS platform.

Many skilled web designers and website development companies create themes for WordPress. Consequently, members of the WordPress community have access to thousands of professional-quality WP themes covering an extensive range of uses.

Finding Great Responsive Themes For WordPress: Your Time-Saving Guide

Let’s say you were to open up Google and search for something like the following:

• best free WordPress themes
• best paid WordPress themes
• best paid WordPress themes for writers (enter whatever your business, search topic or blog is about)

Chances are that you are going to get an overwhelming amount of information to sort through in the search results.

So, to help you save time and make things easier, we’ll just cut through the clutter and make the process of finding great WordPress themes really simple.

WordPress.com vs WordPress.org Themes

Before we start, you need to know that WordPress offers users both a hosted and a self-hosted version. We’ll explain these differences in a separate post. To keep things simple, we’ll only cover themes for the self-hosted version of WordPress (WordPress.org) in this article, as these give you more freedom, more options and more control over the design of your website.

Free vs Paid Themes

Next, it’s important to know that typically, you’ll find both Free and Paid themes made available. Free themes for WordPress are normally distributed as Open Source Software under the terms of the GNU General Public License, or they can be licensed for use as Premium (paid) themes.

WordPress Theme Directories vs Commercial WP Theme Agencies

There are two types of places where you can find themes. The first place is in WordPress theme marketplaces and WordPress theme directories. The second are the commercial and independent WordPress theme vendors.

WordPress theme marketplaces and WP theme directories are large aggregators of themes. theme developers (both commercial and independent) list their themes (both free and paid) in the marketplace or directory and customers search for these just like they would if they were shopping for apps on an app store or software directory.

Some of the bigger marketplaces don’t just sell WordPress themes. They can also sell WordPress plugins and templates for other web applications (e.g. Joomla, Drupal, etc.)

Commercial and independent theme developers typically develop both free and paid themes, and can vary in size, from an individual theme designer or a small team of developer, to large web and theme design and development companies.

As you will see, many commercial theme design houses sell their themes exclusively on their own web sites, but some will also list their themes in marketplaces and directories, or even create a free or “lite” version of their themes for free directories .

Let’s now show you where to find the best WordPress themes for your website.

Choosing Great WP Themes For Your Website Or Blog

WordPress.org

(WordPress.org – WP Themes Directory)

The official WordPress theme directory is the biggest and best place to download WordPress themes for free. In fact, it’s probably the only free theme directory you should use when looking for free WP themes. The reason for this, is because –as many free software users have discovered– downloading free software, add-ons, apps, templates or themes from untrustworthy places can place your computer, digital presence and even your entire business at risk.

The WordPress directory is not only a trustworthy and reputable place to download themes for your website or blog, but it also uses a review team comprised of dedicated and enthusiastic volunteers to review and make sure that each theme listed in the directory meets high standards of quality and security.

To browse thousands of excellent FREE WordPress themes from the official Themes Directory, go here:

http://www.wordpress.org/extend/themes

Look For Free WordPress Themes Inside Your Own WP Dashboard

Useful Tip: You can easily browse through every WordPress theme in the WordPress.org theme directory and not only find what you are looking for, but also easily install and start using it directly from within your WordPress admin panel with just a few clicks.

Use WP Theme Feature Filter

WordPress has a built-in filtering function inside the dashboard area that lets you narrow down your search for themes based on criteria like Colours, Layout and Features …

This makes it easy to find themes with specific features. For example, you could search for themes with predominantly orange colour design, with a 2-column layout and a full-width template, or themes that support custom menus, etc.

Note: in the post where we discuss the importance of choosing “responsive” WP themes, we explained how responsive themes ensure that your theme will work across all devices (e.g. your visitors’ PCs, smartphones and tablets) …

It’s a good idea to use responsive themes, and the WordPress theme filtering option lets you search across its entire database of free themes …

… and bring back only WordPress themes that are “responsive” …

Pros & Cons Of Using Free Themes

The obvious “pro” to using free themes is that it costs you nothing to download and use the theme. Additionally, many free themes are professionally designed and come with a number of customizable features, giving you great flexibility and choice in how you configure all of its various layout elements.

The ”cons” to using free WP themes are that your themes may not get updated as often with new features and bug fixes, and it’s unrealistic to expect the theme developer to provide dedicated support, especially if they are not getting paid. Most free themes will ask you for a donation to help cover costs of providing support.

When downloading free themes, therefore, check to see when the theme was last updated. If it’s been well over one year since any updates were last made, then you should think carefully about downloading it, as the theme may have been abandoned by its developer.

If you’re just getting started and your website or blog is still quite new, there is nothing wrong with using a free theme until you have a better idea of the kind of site design that would work best for your site before spending any money on premium themes. Who knows, the free theme you’ve downloaded could be exactly what works for you and for your business.

Now that we’ve seen how to find free WP themes in the WordPress theme directory and how to narrow down your search for themes that meet your specific criteria, it’s time to turn our attention to finding paid WP themes.

Paid WP Themes

If you are looking for themes with stunning design, or professional quality yet highly affordable WordPress web design themes with a distinctive look, unique customizable options and ongoing support, then search through the WordPress theme galleries of the “Premium” theme design agencies listed below:

WordPress Theme Directories

ThemeForest

ThemeForest is one of the biggest and most popular WordPress theme marketplaces online.

ThemeForest lets many professional WP theme designers showcase their designs through their online marketplace. There are currently over 15,000 premium themes listed (some starting from as little as $3) …

(click on the images above to browse all ThemeForest themes)

If you visit the ThemeForest theme directory, you will be able to browse for specific themes in various categories, such as:

• Blog/Magazine – themes for bloggers and environmental blogs, etc.
• Corporate – themes suitable for corporate sites and marketing purposes.
• Creative – themes for design, writing professionals, etc.
• Directory Listings – themes ideal for sites related to employment opportunities, classifieds, social directories, etc.
• eCommerce – themes for ecommerce, membership sites, etc.
• Education – themes that suit sites related to teaching, etc.
• Entertainment – themes for music and bands blogs, cafes, etc.
• Mobile – e.g. responsive themes.
• NonProfit – themes for nonprofit organizations, churches, etc.
• Real Estate – themes for real estate and real estate listings (e.g. rentals, etc.)
• Retail – themes for travel, trades or professionals (electricians, medical centers, etc.)
• Technology – themes related to software, landing pages, etc.
• Wedding – e.g. themes for wedding sites and dating advice blogs
• Miscellaneous – themes suitable for topics related to activism, green living sites or blogs … even themes you can use if your site is still under-construction!

When you purchase WordPress themes from ThemeForest, you will receive email notifications when a new update is available for your theme …

(ThemeForest sends you theme update notifications)

Go here to discover great premium themes in the ThemeForest website:

• ThemeForest

Creative Market

(click on the images above to view more themes on Creative Market)

Creative Market is another leading WordPress theme directory where you can browse many quality premium WP themes from independent theme creators.

As stated on their website …

“Creative Market is a platform for handcrafted, mousemade design content from independent creatives around the world.”

Creative Market doesn’t just sell WP themes in its marketplace, but you can easily find WordPress themes and narrow your search using theme categories (e.g. Landing Page or Business themes, etc.) from their dropdown “Themes” menu …

Browse through hundreds of great premium WP themes crafted by independent WordPress theme designers in the Creative Market theme directory here:

• Creative Market

Mojo Themes

(click on the images above to view all themes at Mojo)

Mojo is a marketplace for premium WordPress themes where theme vendors are strongly encouraged to provide customers with lifetime support and upgrades.

According to their website …

“Mojo is a marketplace where anyone can find, rate and buy quality themes & templates in one trusted place.”

Like Envato and Creative Market, Mojo doesn’t focus exclusively on WP themes, but you can easily browse hundreds of WP themes and search through their theme categories (e.g. Blog or Photography themes and theme frameworks, etc.) from the site’s dropdown “WordPress Themes” menu …

Visit the site to find quality premium WordPress themes in the Mojo theme marketplace here:

• Mojo

Now that we have looked at WP theme aggregators, let’s look at commercial theme development firms.

Commercial Theme Agencies

SoloStream

SoloStream provides WordPress users with a selection of high quality premium themes and the option of accessing all themes through a WordPress theme membership.

(click on above images to view all themes from SoloStream)

Woo Themes

Woo Themes designs functional premium themes and offer a membership option that gives you access to all themes in their WordPress theme portfolio.

(click on the above images to see more themes from WooThemes)

StoreFront

StoreFront Themes specializes in creating WP themes for e-commerce. Their themes also integrate well with some of the most powerful e-commerce platforms and plugins available.

(click on the images above to browse more StoreFront themes)

StudioPress

StudioPress develops WordPress themes based on a framework (called the “Genesis” framework) that allows you to quickly and easily build a professional and search optimized WordPress site, and provides an auto-updating design architecture, turn-key site designs with beautiful frames for your content and unprecedented control of the framework.

Many website developers prefer using the Genesis framework not only because it’s well-coded and well-supported (the development team at StudioPress keeps this framework regularly up-to-date to reflect best practices for coding and to make sure that themes remain always compatible with the latest version of WordPress, but because you can update themes built using the Genesis framework without losing any customizations you have made to your theme.

This is because StudioPress themes use something called “child themes,” which are like “skins” that sit on top of the theme framework and gives your site its unique design.

If this all sounds way too technical, there’s no need to feel concerned about it. StudioPress themes are very easy to work with, just like all other WordPress themes. The great thing about choosing StudioPress themes is that one low price entitles you to receive unlimited support and updates, and you can install your themes on unlimited domains.

For more details, click here: StudioPress.

(click on the above images to see more themes from StudioPress)

Theme-Checking Tools

Here are some useful WordPress theme-related tools worth keeping in mind:

What WP Theme Is That? – WordPress Theme And Plugin Checker

What WordPress Theme Is That? is a free WordPress theme and plugin-checking tool that lets you easily detect what WP theme a website uses (including parent and child themes).

This is a great resource if you ever come across a WordPress site that you like and would like to know what WP theme the site is using.

Tip: If you can’t tell whether a site runs on WordPress or not, go here for a great tutorial that shows you how to tell if a website is powered by WordPress: Does My Website Run On WordPress?

Using this tool is very simple. Just enter the site’s domain name into the field and click the search icon or hit “Enter.” The tool will then not only confirm if a site is powered by the WordPress CMS platform, but it will also list the theme being used on the site and list any plugins it detects.

• To use the online tool visit the website here: What WordPress Theme Is That?
• To learn how to use this tool go here: Is My Blog WordPress?

Theme Authenticity Checker (TAC)

A word of warning: When choosing FREE themes for your WordPress site, we strongly recommend sticking with the approved themes listed in the official WordPress theme repository.

A method that is commonly used by many hackers and networks that engage in cyber criminal activities is to put up websites and directories offering “Free” themes for WordPress all over the web and then distribute themes and plugins with malicious code embedded in their files. In fact, some of these sites even display on Google for phrases like “free WordPress themes“, “best free themes for WordPress”” etc. It’s best, therefore, to stick with the official WordPress.org theme repository, or use established and reputable theme download sites.

If you are in doubt about whether a WordPress theme installed on your blog could be infected with malware or unwanted code, you can use a free WordPress plugin like Theme Authenticity Checker (TAC) to scan your theme files. This plugin searches the source files of every them you have installed on your site for signs of injected code and outputs a report …

(TAC Report Page – Screenshot: Plugin Page, WordPress.org)

I hope that you have found this information useful.

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