Tag: WordPress 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 themes so attractive to web site owners, then go here to read our post: About WP Themes – A Practical Guide

In this article, we show you where to search for free and paid themes for your WordPress website. 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 how to avoid dealing with problems like lack of customer support and poor coding.

As we’ve explained in our previous article, a WordPress theme is a unique kind of web template used on WordPress-powered websites and blogs and designed to work specifically with WordPress in mind.

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

Where To Find WordPress Themes: Your Time-Saving Guide

If you were to open up Google and type something like this:

• best WP themes
• WordPress themes free
• best free WordPress themes for writers (or whatever your business, area of interest 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 WP themes 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 explain these differences in a different post. 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 article, which gives you more freedom, more options and more control over your web design.

Free vs Paid Themes

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

WordPress Theme Marketplaces And Directories & WP Theme Design Companies

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

WP theme marketplaces and WordPress 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 buyers find these just like they would if they were shopping for apps on an app store or software directory.

Some of the bigger theme stores 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 design houses can also create both free and commercial themes, and can vary in size, from an individual designer or a small team of designer, to large theme design companies.

As you will see, many commercial or independent theme shops 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 find the best WP themes for your blog.

Where To Find Themes For Your Website Or Blog

WordPress.org

(WordPress.org – Themes Directory)

The official WordPress.org theme directory is the biggest and best place to find free WP themes. In fact, it’s probably the only free 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 contain malicious code and 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 WordPress site, but it also uses a theme review team to review and make sure that each theme uploaded to the directory complies with high quality and security standards.

To browse thousands of professionally-designed FREE WordPress themes from the official WordPress Themes Directory, 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 WordPress theme in the WordPress.org directory and not only find what you are looking for, but also easily install and start using it directly from inside your WP dashboard with just a couple of mouse clicks.

Use The WP Theme Filtering

WordPress has a built-in filtering function inside the dashboard 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 light colour design, with a 3-column layout and a full-width template, or themes that support custom menus, etc.

Note: in an earlier post where we present an overview of WordPress themes and discuss the importance of using “responsive” WP themes, we explained how these ensure that your theme will display without problems on all devices (e.g. your visitors’ computers, smartphones and tablets) …

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

… and find 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 options, giving you great flexibility and choice in how you configure all of its various layout elements.

The downside 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 urgent support, especially if they are not getting paid. Many 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 more than 1 year since any changes were last made, then you should think twice about downloading it, as the theme may have been abandoned by its developer.

If you’re just getting started and your website is still relatively new, it’s a good idea to start with 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 a paid theme. Who knows, the free theme you’ve downloaded may just be the thing that works for you and for your business.

Now that we’ve seen how to find free WP themes in the WordPress.org theme directory and how to filter your search for themes that meet your specific criteria, it’s time to turn our attention to finding paid WP 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 ongoing support, you can search through the WordPress theme galleries of the “Premium” theme design agencies listed below:

WordPress Theme Marketplaces

ThemeForest

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

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

(click on the above images to view 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 medical sites and advertising purposes.
• Creative – themes for video galleries, cv and resume writing, etc.
• Directory Listings – themes ideal for sites related to directory listings, buy & sell, , etc.
• eCommerce – themes for e-commerce, event bookings and registrations, etc.
• Education – themes that suit sites related to training, etc.
• Entertainment – themes for film & tv blogs, cafes, 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 catalogs, trades or professionals (repairers, dental practitioners, etc.)
• Technology – themes related to software, affiliate marketing, seo, product reviews, direct sales, etc.
• Wedding – e.g. themes for wedding sites and wedding 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)

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

• ThemeForest

Creative Market

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

Creative Market is another leading WP theme marketplace where you can search through many 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 browse hundreds of WP themes and search through their theme categories (e.g. Minimal or Popular themes, etc.) using the site’s 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 above images to see more Mojo themes)

Mojo is a directory 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 find WordPress themes and search through their theme categories (e.g. Magazine or Photography themes and theme frameworks, etc.) using the dropdown “WordPress Themes” menu …

Visit the site to find quality premium WP themes in the Mojo directory here:

• Mojo Themes

Now that we have looked at WP theme directories, let’s look at commercial WP theme developers.

Commercial Theme Developers

SoloStream

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

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

Woo Themes

Woo Themes creates functional premium themes for WordPress that are very popular and highly sought after by web users and offers a membership option that allows members to access all themes in their growing WP theme collection.

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

StoreFront

StoreFront Themes creates amazing e-commerce themes for WordPress. 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 StoreFront themes)

StudioPress

StudioPress designs WordPress themes based on a framework (called the “Genesis” framework) that enables users 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 the content and unprecedented control of the framework.

Many web developers prefer using this 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 ensure that it always remains compatible with the latest WordPress version, but because you can update your themes 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 “skins” that sit on top of the 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 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 above images to browse all themes from StudioPress)

WP Theme-Checking Tools

Here are a couple of useful WordPress theme-related tools worth knowing about:

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

What WordPress Theme Is That is a free WP theme and plugin search tool that lets you easily detect what WordPress theme and plugins a site is using (including parent and child WP themes).

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

Tip: If you can’t tell whether a site uses WordPress or not, go here for a great tutorial that shows you how to tell if a website uses the WordPress CMS platform: Does My Site 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 the site has been built on the WordPress CMS platform, but it will also list the theme being used and list any plugins it detects.

• To use the tool visit the website here: What WordPress Theme Is That
• To learn how to use this tool go here: Was My Website Built Using WordPress? Tell-Tale Signs & WP-Checking Tools

Theme Authenticity Checker - Plugin

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

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

If you are in doubt about whether a WordPress theme installed on your site may be infected with potentially malicious or unwanted code, use a free WordPress plugin like Theme Authenticity Checker (TAC) to scan 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 with the results …

(TAC Report Page – Screenshot Source: Plugin)

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

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