Tag: Premium WP Themes

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

If you would like to learn more about the benefits of using themes and what makes WP themes so special, then go here to read our article: A Handy Guide To Understanding WP Themes

In this blog post, we explain where you can look 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 avoid having to deal with problems like lack of product support and poorly-coded themes.

As we’ve explained in our previous post, a WordPress theme is a special type of web design template that is used on WordPress-driven websites and blogs and designed specifically with the WP CMS platform in mind.

Many professional website designers and website development houses create themes for WordPress. Consequently, members of the WP community can access thousands of professional-quality themes covering an extensive range of uses.

Where To Find Themes: Let’s Simplify Things!

Let’s say you were to open up Google and search for key phrases like this:

• best WordPress themes
• best free WordPress themes
• best responsive WordPress themes for business (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 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 WP 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 separate article. For now, let’s just 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 important to know that you can find thousands of Free and Paid WP themes being made available. Free themes are generally distributed as Open Source Software under the terms of the GNU General Public License, or they are sold as Premium (i.e. paid) themes.

WordPress Theme Marketplaces & WordPress Theme Design Companies

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

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 shop 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 theme vendors can also design both free and premium WordPress themes, and can vary in size, from an individual designer or a small team of theme developer, to large web and theme design companies.

Most commercial theme stores sell 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 search for the best themes for your blog.

Where To Find The Best Responsive Themes For Your Website Or Blog

WordPress.org

(WordPress.org – Free Theme Directory)

The official WordPress theme directory is the largest and best place to download WP themes for free. In fact, it’s probably the only free theme directory you should use when looking for free WordPress themes. The reason why, 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 theme directory is not only a trustworthy and reputable place to download themes for your site, but it also uses a team of theme reviewers to review and make sure that each theme listed in the directory meets their standards of quality and security.

To browse thousands of great-looking FREE WordPress themes from the official WP Themes Repository, go here:

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

Find Free WordPress Themes Without Leaving Your Own WP Dashboard

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

Use WordPress Theme Filters

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 themes with specific features. For example, you could search for themes with a dark 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” themes, we explained how these ensure that your theme will display without problems across all devices (e.g. your computer, tablet and smartphone) …

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

… 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. 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” to using free 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 immediate support, especially if they are not getting paid. Many freely distributed themes will ask you for a donation to help cover 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 a year since any changes were made, then we advise you to think twice 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 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 theme you downloaded for free may just be the thing that works for your site and for your business.

Now that we’ve seen how to find free themes in the WordPress.org theme directory and ways to narrow down your search for themes that meet your specific criteria, let’s turn our attention to premium 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, 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 WP theme marketplaces online.

ThemeForest lets many professional WordPress theme creators showcase their designs through their online marketplace. There are well over 17,000 premium themes listed (you can find great themes from as little as $3) …

(click on the images above 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 news editorials, etc.
• Corporate – themes suitable for business sites and advertising purposes.
• Creative – themes suitable for visual galleries, kindle book authors, etc.
• Directory Listings – themes that suit sites about employment opportunities, classifieds, , etc.
• eCommerce – themes for selling products online, event bookings and registrations, etc.
• Education – themes that suit sites related to training, etc.
• Entertainment – themes for fashion blogs, dining out, etc.
• Mobile – e.g. retina-ready themes.
• NonProfit – themes for nonprofit organizations, charities, etc.
• Real Estate – themes for real estate and real estate listings (e.g. commercial property, etc.)
• Retail – themes for shops, trades or professionals (electricians, dental practitioners, etc.)
• Technology – themes related to apps, newsletters, etc.
• Wedding – e.g. themes for wedding sites and marriage celebrant 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 emails you theme update notifications)

Go here to discover great premium WP themes in the ThemeForest themes marketplace:

• ThemeForest

Creative Market

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

Creative Market is another leading WP theme marketplace where you can search through many quality premium WordPress 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 go through all of their themes for WordPress and search through their theme categories (e.g. Magazine or Business themes, etc.) from their dropdown “Themes” menu …

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

• Creative Market

Mojo Themes

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

Mojo is a marketplace 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 WordPress themes, but you can easily go through all of their themes for WordPress and search through their theme categories (e.g. Portfolio or Photography themes and theme frameworks, etc.) by using the dropdown “WordPress Themes” menu …

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

• Mojo

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

Commercial Theme Developers

SoloStream

SoloStream provides WordPress users with a great selection of professional quality premium WordPress 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 themes for WordPress that are very popular and highly sought after by web users and also offer a membership option that gives you access to all themes in their WP theme portfolio.

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

StoreFront

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

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

StudioPress

StudioPress develops WordPress themes based on a framework (called the “Genesis” framework) that lets you quickly and easily build a professional and search optimized WordPress website, 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 prefer using the Genesis framework not only because it’s well-coded and well-supported (the development team at StudioPress keeps the framework regularly up-to-date to reflect best practices for coding and to make sure that it is always compatible with the latest WordPress version, but because you can update themes built using the Genesis framework without losing any customizations you 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 framework and gives your site its unique look and feel.

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 you pay one low price 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 browse all themes from StudioPress)

Theme-Checking Tools

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

What WordPress Theme Is That? WP Theme Checker

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

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

Tip: If you don’t know if a site was built using WordPress or not, go here for a great tutorial that helps you tell if a website 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 whether or not the site was built using WordPress, but it will also list the WP theme being used on the site and list any WordPress plugins detected.

• To use this tool go here: What WordPress Theme Is That
• To learn how to use this tool go here: Is It A WordPress Web Site?

Theme Authenticity Checker (TAC)

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

A commonly-used tactic employed by many hacking groups and networks that engage in cyber-crime is to put up sites offering “Free” themes for WordPress all over the web and then distribute themes and plugins containing malicious code. In fact, some of these sites even come up on Google for search phrases like “free WordPress themes“, “best free themes for WordPress”” etc. It’s best, therefore, to stick with the official WordPress.org directory, or use well-known and reputable sites.

If you are concerned about whether a WordPress theme installed on your blog may contain malware or unwanted code, you can 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 then presents you with a report …

(Theme Authenticity Checker Report Page – Screenshot Source: WordPress.org Plugin Page)

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

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