Tag: Free WordPress Themes

In a previous post, we provide new WordPress users with a comprehensive overview of WordPress Themes.

If you haven’t yet discovered WP themes and what makes themes so special, then make sure to check out our article: An Introduction to WP Themes

In this blog post, we explain where you can look for free and paid themes for your WP website or blog. 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 avoid having to deal with problems like lack of customer support and poorly-coded themes.

As we’ve explained in another article, a WordPress theme is a unique type of web template that is used on WordPress-driven websites and blogs and designed to work specifically in WordPress.

Many talented web designers and website development firms create themes for WordPress. Consequently, WordPress users can access thousands of quality themes designed for a wide range of purposes.

Finding Themes: Too Much Information … Where To Begin?

Let’s say you were to open up Google and type the following:

• best themes for WordPress
• WordPress themes free
• best responsive WordPress themes for musicians (type in whatever your business, area of interest or blog is about)

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

So, to help you save time and make your life easier, let’s just cut through the clutter and make the process of finding great WP themes simple.

WordPress.com vs WordPress.org Themes

Before we get started, you should know that WordPress offers users both a hosted and a self-hosted version. We’ll explain these differences in a separate article. To keep things simple, we’ll only cover 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 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 WordPress themes are generally distributed as Open Source Software under the terms of the GNU General Public License, or they are made available to users as Premium (paid) themes.

WordPress Theme Marketplaces And Directories & Theme Agencies

There are 2 places where themes can be found. The first place is in theme marketplaces and theme directories. The second are the commercial and independent theme shops.

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

Some of the larger directories 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 WordPress theme stores typically develop both free and premium themes, and can vary in size, from an individual theme designer or a small team of theme designer, to large web and theme development companies.

Most commercial theme design firms 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 WP theme directories .

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

Choosing Themes For Your Website Or Blog

WordPress.org

(WordPress.org – WP Themes Directory)

The official WordPress.org theme directory is the largest and best place to search for free WP themes. In fact, it’s probably the only free WP theme directory you should use when looking for free WordPress 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 and 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 uses a theme review team to review and make sure that each theme listed in the directory meets their standards of quality and security.

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

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

Find Themes Inside Your 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 inside your WordPress admin panel with a couple of mouse clicks.

Use The WordPress Theme Filtering

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

This makes it easier to find what you are looking for. For example, you could search for themes with a gray colour design, with a 2-column layout and a full-width template, or themes that support custom menus, etc.

Note: in the post mentioned earlier where we present an overview of WordPress themes and discuss the importance of choosing “responsive” WordPress themes, we explained how these ensure that your theme will display correctly on all devices (e.g. PCs, tablets and smartphones) …

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

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

Pros & Cons Of Using Free Themes

The obvious “pro” to using free themes is that there is no cost to download and use the theme on your site. An added plus, is that many free themes are professionally designed and provide a number of customizable options, giving you great flexibility and choice in how you configure all of its various layout elements.

The downside of using free WP themes are that your themes may not get updated as often with new features and bug fixes, and you shouldn’t expect the theme developer to provide dedicated support, especially if they are not getting paid. Many freely distributed themes ask users for donations to help cover their costs of providing support and updates, bug fixes, etc..

When downloading free themes, therefore, check to see when the theme was last updated. If it’s been more than 1 year since any changes were last made, then it’s best to think carefully about using it, as the WordPress software is frequently updated and new features can create conflicts and errors with older code.

If you’re just getting started and your website 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 money on paid themes or even on custom web design. Who knows, the theme you downloaded for free may just be the thing that works for you and for converting your site visitors into customers.

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

Premium 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 great support, then search through the WordPress theme galleries of the “Premium” theme design agencies listed below:

Theme Directories

ThemeForest

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

ThemeForest lets many professional WordPress theme creators showcase their designs through their online marketplace. There are over 17,500 premium WordPress themes listed (you can find great themes from as little as $3) …

(click on the images above to see more ThemeForest themes)

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

• Blog/Magazine – themes for general blogs and parenting blogs, etc.
• Corporate – themes suitable for legal sites and marketing purposes.
• Creative – themes for visual galleries, galleries, etc.
• Directory Listings – themes suitable for sites about directory listings, buy & sell, business directories, etc.
• eCommerce – themes for ecommerce, event bookings and registrations, etc.
• Education – themes that suit sites related to tutoring, etc.
• Entertainment – themes for photo gallery blogs, cafes, etc.
• Mobile – e.g. responsive themes.
• NonProfit – themes for nonprofit organizations, charities, etc.
• Real Estate – themes for real estate and real estate listings (e.g. home sales, etc.)
• Retail – themes for shops, trades or professionals (repairers, legal firms, etc.)
• Technology – themes related to technology, affiliate marketing, seo, product reviews, direct sales, etc.
• Wedding – e.g. themes for wedding sites and wedding advice blogs
• Miscellaneous – themes suitable for writing or discussing environmental issues, 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 emails you theme update notifications)

Browse lots of quality premium themes in the ThemeForest themes directory here:

• ThemeForest

Creative Market

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

Creative Market is another leading WordPress theme marketplace 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 WordPress themes in its marketplace, but you can easily browse hundreds of WordPress themes and search through their theme categories from their dropdown “Themes” menu …

Browse through hundreds of quality premium themes crafted by independent WordPress theme designers in the Creative Market marketplace here:

• Creative Market

Mojo Themes

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

Mojo is a directory for premium-quality 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 go through all of their WordPress themes and narrow your search with theme categories using the site’s dropdown “WordPress Themes” menu …

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

• Mojo

Now that we have looked at WP theme marketplaces, let’s turn our attention to commercial and independent theme stores.

Commercial And Independent WordPress Theme Stores

SoloStream

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

(click on images above to browse all 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 their entire WordPress theme collection.

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

StoreFront

StoreFront specializes in creating 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 above images to view all StoreFront themes)

StudioPress

StudioPress provides WordPress themes based on a framework (called the “Genesis” framework) that lets you 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 the content and unprecedented control of the framework.

Many website developers like this framework not only because it’s well-coded and well-supported (the development team at StudioPress keeps the framework frequently up-to-date to reflect best practices for coding and to make sure that it always remains compatible with the latest WordPress version, 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 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 look and feel.

If this sounds too technical, don’t worry 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 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 view more themes from StudioPress)

WordPress Theme-Checking Tools

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

What WP Theme Is That? – WordPress Theme And Plugin Search Tool

What WordPress Theme Is That is a free WordPress theme search tool that lets you easily detect what WP theme and plugins a website or blog is using.

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 whether a site uses WordPress or not, go here for a great tutorial that helps you tell if a site uses WordPress: How To Check If Your Website Was Built Using 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 whether or not the site is built using WordPress, but it will also list the theme being used by the site and list any plugins it detects.

• To use this online tool go here: What WordPress Theme Is That?
• To learn how to use this tool go here: Is Your Website Built With WordPress?

Theme Authenticity Checker (TAC) – Plugin

We said this earlier and it’s worth repeating again: If you decide to use FREE themes for your WordPress site, we recommend sticking with the reviewed and approved WordPress themes listed in the official WordPress theme directory.

A commonly-used tactic employed by many hacking groups and syndicates that engage in cyber-crime is to put up websites and directories offering “Free” WordPress themes all over the web and distribute modified themes with malicious code embedded in their files. In fact, some of these sites even display on Google’s search results for search phrases like “free WordPress themes“, “best free WordPress themes”” etc. It’s safer, therefore, to only download free themes from the official WordPress directory, or use established and trusted theme merchants.

If you are concerned about whether a WordPress theme installed on your blog could contain malware or unwanted code, you can use a free WordPress plugin like Theme Authenticity Checker (TAC) to run a scan of your theme files. The TAC plugin searches the source files of every installed theme on your site for signs of injected code and outputs a report …

(Theme Authenticity Checker Report Page – Screenshot: Plugin)

We hope that you have found this information useful.

***

***