Tag: Free WordPress Themes

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

If you would like to know more about the benefits of using WordPress themes and what makes themes so revolutionary in terms of web design, then make sure to check out the article here: Understanding WP Themes – A Guide For Newbies

In this blog post, we will show you where to look for free and paid themes for your WordPress website or blog. You will also learn about the different types of WP theme resources and get tips on how to make sure that you get the right themes for your needs and avoid experiencing problems like lack of customer support and poor theme coding.

As we’ve explained in another post, a theme is a unique kind of web template that is used on WordPress-driven blogs and designed specifically with WordPress in mind.

Many web designers and web design houses create themes for WordPress. Consequently, WordPress users can access thousands of excellent themes designed to cover many purposes.

Where To Find WP Themes: How To Avoid Getting Overwhelmed

Let’s say you were to fire up Google and type key phrases like the following:

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

Chances are that you are going to get an overwhelming amount of disorganized information to sort through in your search listings.

So, to help you save time and make things easier, let’s 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 should know that WordPress offers both a hosted and a self-hosted version. We’ll cover these differences in a later article. To keep things simple, we’ll only be covering the topic of finding themes for the self-hosted version of WordPress (WordPress.org) in this post, as these give you more freedom, more options and more control over your web design.

Free vs Paid WP Themes

Next, it’s useful to know that you will easily find many Free and Paid themes being made available. Free WordPress themes are normally distributed as Open Source Software under the terms of the GNU General Public License, or they are made available to users as Premium (i.e. paid) themes.

WordPress Theme Directories & WP Theme Agencies

There are mostly 2 places where you can find themes. The first is in WordPress theme marketplaces and theme directories. The second type of place are the commercial and independent WordPress theme stores.

Theme marketplaces and theme directories are big theme aggregators. WordPress 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 directories don’t just sell WordPress themes. They can also sell WP plugins and templates for other web applications (e.g. Joomla, Drupal, etc.)

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

Most commercial theme stores 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 themes for your website or blog.

Finding The Best Themes For Your WP Website

WordPress.org

(WordPress.org – Themes Directory)

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

The WP directory is not only a trustworthy and reputable place to download themes for your website, but it also relies on a review team to review and ensure that each theme uploaded to the directory complies with their quality and security standards.

To browse thousands of professionally-designed FREE WordPress themes from the official Themes Repository, go here:

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

You Don’t Even Have To Leave Your WP Dashboard

Useful Tip: You can easily browse through every WP theme in the WordPress.org directory and not only find a great theme for your website or blog, but also easily install and activate it directly from inside your WordPress admin panel with only a few clicks.

Use WordPress Theme Feature Filters

WordPress provides a filtering function inside the admin area that lets you narrow down your search for themes based on criteria like Colors, Layout and Features …

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

Note: in another article where we present an overview of WordPress themes and discuss the importance of using “responsive” WordPress themes, we explained how these allow your site to be viewed without problems on all devices (e.g. your computer, tablet and smartphone) …

You should use responsive themes, and the WordPress theme filter lets you search across its entire database of free themes …

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

Pros & Cons Of Using Free Themes

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

The ”cons” of using free themes are that your themes may not get updated as often with new features and bug fixes, and it’s unrealistic to expect the developer to provide personal support, especially if they are not getting paid. Most freely distributed themes will ask you for a donation to help cover their 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 change was made, then we advise you to think carefully about downloading it, as WordPress is frequently updated and new features can create conflicts or errors with older code.

If you’re just getting started and your website is still relatively 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 money on paid themes. Who knows, the free theme you’ve downloaded could be exactly what works for you and helps to convert your site visitors into customers.

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

Paid 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, you can search through the WordPress theme galleries of the “Premium” theme design agencies listed below:

WP Theme Marketplaces

ThemeForest

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

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

(click on the above images to see 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 general blogs and activism blogs, etc.
• Corporate – themes suitable for legal sites and marketing purposes.
• Creative – themes for design, writing professionals, etc.
• Directory Listings – themes that suit sites related to directory listings, buy & sell, community resources, etc.
• eCommerce – themes for selling products online, membership sites, etc.
• Education – themes that suit sites related to tutoring, etc.
• Entertainment – themes for celebrity blogs, restaurants, etc.
• Mobile – e.g. mobile-switching themes.
• NonProfit – themes for nonprofit organizations, churches, etc.
• Real Estate – themes for real estate and real estate listings (e.g. home sales, etc.)
• Retail – themes for specialty stores, trades or professionals (repairers, dentists, etc.)
• Technology – themes related to hosting, landing pages, etc.
• Wedding – e.g. themes for wedding sites and dating advice blogs
• Miscellaneous – themes suitable for writing or discussing environmental issues, 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)

Browse thousands of great premium WP themes in the ThemeForest marketplace here:

• ThemeForest

Creative Market

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

Creative Market is another leading WordPress theme directory where you can search through thousands of 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 directory, but you can easily go through all of their WordPress themes and narrow your search using theme categories using the site’s dropdown “Themes” menu …

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

• Creative Market

Mojo Themes

(click on the images above to view more Mojo themes)

Mojo is a directory for premium WP 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 WordPress themes, but you can easily find WP themes and narrow your search with theme categories using the dropdown “WordPress Themes” menu …

Visit the site to find great themes in the Mojo theme marketplace here:

• Mojo

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

Commercial WordPress Theme Vendors

SoloStream

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

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

Woo Themes

Woo Themes creates eye-catching premium themes for WordPress that are very popular and highly sought after by web users and offers a membership option that lets you access all themes in their theme portfolio.

(click on the images above to view all WooThemes themes)

StoreFront

StoreFront creates beautiful e-commerce themes for WordPress. StoreFront themes also integrate well with some of the most powerful e-commerce platforms and plugins available.

(click on the images above to view all themes from StoreFront)

StudioPress

StudioPress designs WordPress themes based on a framework (called the “Genesis” framework) that allows users to quickly and easily build a professional and search optimized WordPress website, 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 like the Genesis framework not only because it’s well-coded and well-supported (the development team at StudioPress keeps this framework frequently updated to reflect best practices for coding and to ensure that themes are always compatible with the latest version of WordPress, but because you can update themes built using the Genesis framework without losing any customizations you may have made to your theme.

This is because themes built using the Genesis framework use something called “child themes,” which are like a paint job that sits on top of the theme framework and gives your site its unique design.

If this sounds 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 themes from StudioPress is that one low price allows 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 images above to see all themes from StudioPress)

WordPress Theme-Checking Tools

Let’s finish this post with a couple of useful WP theme-related tools worth keeping in mind:

What WP Theme Is That? WP Theme Checker

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

This is a great resource if you have come across a WordPress site that you like and would like to know what theme is being used on the website.

Tip: If you don’t know if a site was built using WordPress or not, we have posted a a great tutorial that helps you tell if a site uses the WP CMS platform: Is It A WordPress Site?

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 whether or not the site has been built using WordPress software, but it will also list the WordPress theme being used on the site and list any plugins detected.

• To use the online tool visit the website here: What WordPress Theme Is That.com
• To learn how to use this tool go here: How Can I Check If My Web Site Was Built Using WordPress?

Theme Authenticity Checker (TAC) – Plugin

A word of warning: If you decide to use FREE themes for your WordPress site, we highly recommend sticking with the approved WordPress themes listed in the official WordPress theme repository.

A method that is commonly used by a number of hacking groups and cyber criminals is to put up sites and directories offering “Free” themes for WordPress all over the web and then distribute themes that contain malicious code. In fact, some of these sites even display on Google’s search results for search phrases like “free WordPress themes“, “best free themes for WordPress”” etc. It’s safer, therefore, to stick with the official WordPress theme directory, or use well-known and reputable theme download sites.

If you are concerned about whether a WordPress theme that you have installed on your blog may be infected with malicious or unwanted code, use a free WordPress plugin like Theme Authenticity Checker (TAC) to scan your WordPress theme files. This plugin searches the source files of every them you have installed on your site for signs of malicious code and presents you with a report with the results …

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

We hope that you have found this information useful.

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