Tag: Free WordPress Themes

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

If you haven’t yet discovered themes and what makes WP themes so special, then make sure to check out our article here: A Handy Guide To WP Themes

In this article, we show you where you can browse hundreds of free and paid themes for your site. You will also learn about the different types of WP theme resources and get tips on how to ensure that you get the right themes for your needs and how to avoid experiencing problems like lack of customer support and poorly-coded themes.

As explained in another article, a theme is a special type of web design template used on WordPress-powered websites and designed to work specifically with the WP CMS platform in mind.

Many professional web designers and web design companies create themes for WordPress. Consequently, members of the WP community enjoy access to thousands of high quality themes covering an extensive range of applications.

Where To Find Responsive Responsive Themes For WordPress: Let’s Simplify Things!

Let’s say you were to fire up Google and search for the following:

• best WP themes
• WordPress themes free
• best free WordPress themes for artists (or whatever your business, search topic or website is about)

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

So, to help you save time and make your life 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 get started, you should know that WordPress offers both a hosted and a self-hosted version. We’ll cover these differences in a separate post. For now, please note that we will only cover the topic of finding themes for the self-hosted version of WordPress (WordPress.org) in this article, which gives you more freedom, more options and more control over the design of your site.

Free vs Paid Themes

Next, it’s useful to know that there are both Free and Paid themes made available. Free WP themes are generally distributed as Open Source Software under the terms of the GNU General Public License, or they can be listed as Premium (paid) themes.

WP Theme Marketplaces And Directories Commercial And Independent WordPress Theme Developers

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

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

Some of the larger theme stores 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 design houses typically design both free and commercial themes, and can vary in size, from an individual theme developer or a small team of developer, to large theme design and 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 WordPress theme directories .

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

Finding The Best Themes For Your WordPress Website

WordPress.org

(WordPress.org – WP Theme Directory)

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

The WordPress.org directory is not only a trustworthy and reputable place to download themes for your website or blog, but it also relies on a team of theme reviewers comprised of dedicated and hard working volunteers to review and make sure that each theme in the directory complies with their quality and security standards.

To browse thousands of great-looking FREE WordPress themes from the official WP 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 theme in the WordPress theme directory and not only find what you are looking for, but also easily install and activate it directly from inside your WP admin panel with only a few mouse clicks.

Use The Theme Feature Filter

WordPress has a built-in 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 easier to find what you are looking for. For example, you could search for themes with a dark colour design, with a 4-column layout and a full-width template, or themes that support custom menus, etc.

Note: in the article where we discuss the importance of choosing “responsive” themes, we explained how responsive themes allow your site to be viewed correctly on all devices (e.g. computers, tablets and smartphones) …

It’s a good idea to use responsive themes, and the WordPress theme filtering option lets you do just that …

… and display only WordPress themes that use “responsive” design standards …

Pros & Cons Of Using Free WordPress Themes

The obvious “pro” to using free themes is that there is no cost to download and use the theme on your site. Additionally, many free themes are professionally designed and provide a number of built-in customizable options, 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 theme developer to provide personal support, especially if they are not getting paid. Many freely distributed themes will ask you for a donation to help cover support costs.

When downloading free themes, therefore, check to see when the theme was last updated. If it’s been over one year since any change was made, then you should think carefully about downloading it, as WordPress is frequently updated and new features can result in conflicts or errors with older code.

If you’re just getting started and your site 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 your site and for converting 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 filter your search for themes that meet your specific criteria, let’s turn our attention to premium themes.

Premium WP Themes

If you are looking for themes with stunning web design, or professional quality yet highly affordable WordPress web design themes with a distinctive look, unique customizable options and responsive 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 largest and best-known WordPress theme directories online.

ThemeForest lets many professional WP theme designers showcase their designs through their online marketplace. There are well over 17,000 premium themes listed (some starting from as little as $3) …

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

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

• Blog/Magazine – themes for personal blogs and activism blogs, etc.
• Corporate – themes suitable for business sites or advertising purposes.
• Creative – themes suitable for design, galleries, etc.
• Directory Listings – themes ideal for sites related to employment opportunities, dining out & restaurants, business directories, etc.
• eCommerce – themes for online shopping, event bookings and registrations, etc.
• Education – themes that suit sites related to training, etc.
• Entertainment – themes for entertainment blogs, restaurants, 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 retail stores, trades or professionals (plumbers, legal practitioners, etc.)
• Technology – themes related to apps, newsletters, etc.
• Wedding – e.g. themes for wedding sites and marriage consellor blogs
• Miscellaneous – themes suitable for topics related to activism, parenting 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 quality premium themes in the ThemeForest directory here:

• ThemeForest

Creative Market

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

Creative Market is another leading WP theme directory where you can search through thousands of quality premium 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 search through their theme categories (e.g. Landing Page or Wedding themes, etc.) from the site’s dropdown “Themes” menu …

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

• Creative Market

Mojo Themes

(click on the images above to browse more WordPress themes at Mojo)

Mojo is a marketplace for premium-quality 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 browse hundreds of WP themes and search through their theme categories (e.g. Responsive or eCommerce themes and theme frameworks, etc.) by using the site’s dropdown “WordPress Themes” menu …

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

• Mojo Themes

Now that we have looked at WP theme aggregators, let’s turn our attention to commercial WordPress theme development firms.

Commercial And Independent WordPress Theme Vendors

SoloStream

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

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

Woo Themes

Woo Themes creates great WordPress themes and offer a membership option that gives you access to all themes in their WP theme collection.

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

StoreFront

StoreFront Themes creates beautiful WordPress 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 see more themes from StoreFront)

StudioPress

StudioPress develops WordPress themes based on a framework that enables users to quickly and easily build a professional and search optimized WordPress site, and provides a self-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 the framework frequently updated to reflect best coding practices and to ensure that it is always compatible with the latest version of WordPress, but because you can update your themes without losing any customizations you have made to your theme.

This is because themes built with 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 look and feel.

If this all sounds too technical, don’t worry about it. StudioPress themes are easy to work with, just like all other WordPress themes. The great thing about choosing themes from StudioPress 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 browse all themes from StudioPress)

Theme-Checking Tools

Here are some useful WP theme-related tools worth knowing about:

What WP Theme Is That – WP Theme Checker

What WordPress Theme Is That is a free web tool that allows you to easily detect what WP theme a website or blog is using (including parent and child WordPress themes).

This is a great resource if you ever come across a WordPress site that you like and would like to know what WordPress theme the website or blog uses.

Tip: If you don’t know whether a site was built using WordPress or not, we have posted a a great tutorial that helps you tell if a site uses 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 not only confirm if the site is powered by WordPress, but it will also list the WP theme being used and list any plugins it detects.

• To use this online tool go here: What WordPress Theme Is That.com
• To learn more about this tool go here: Does My Website Run On WordPress?

Theme Authenticity Checker (TAC)

We said this before and it’s worth repeating it again: When choosing FREE themes for your WordPress site, we recommend sticking with the approved themes listed in the official WordPress theme repository.

A commonly-used strategy employed by many hacking groups and cyber criminals is to put up websites and directories offering “Free” themes for WordPress all over the web and then distribute themes containing malicious code. In fact, some of these sites even come up on search engine results for search phrases like “free WordPress themes“, “best free WordPress themes”” etc. It’s safer, therefore, to stick with the official WordPress directory, or use well-known and trusted theme download sites.

If you are in doubt about whether a WordPress theme installed on your site may be infected with malware or unwanted code, use a free WordPress plugin like Theme Authenticity Checker (TAC) to scan your theme files. This plugin scans the source files of every installed theme on your site for signs of injected code and then presents you with a report as shown in the screenshot below …

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

We hope that you have found the information on how to find the best WordPress free and premium responsive themes useful.

***

***