Tag: WP Themes

In a previous 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 WP themes so special, then go here to read our post: A Handy Guide To WordPress Themes

In this blog post, you will learn where to discover many fantastic 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 ensure that you get the right themes for your needs and how to avoid having to deal with problems like lack of support and poor coding.

As we’ve explained in our previous post, a theme is a unique type of web template that is used on WordPress-powered blogs and designed specifically in the WordPress platform.

Many web designers and web development firms create themes for WordPress. Consequently, members of the WP community have access to thousands of high quality WP themes designed for many purposes.

Where To Find Great Themes For WordPress: How To Avoid Information Overload

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

• best themes for WordPress
• WordPress themes free
• best paid WordPress themes for churches (enter whatever your business, area of interest or website 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 things easier, let’s 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 need to know that WordPress offers users both a hosted and a self-hosted version. We’ll explain these differences in another article. To keep things simple, please note that we will only cover 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 aspects of your blog.

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 made available to users as Premium (paid) themes.

Theme Marketplaces And Directories & Theme Developers

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

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

Some of the bigger 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 will design both free and paid WordPress themes, and can vary in size, from an individual theme designer or a small team of designer, to large web and theme design and development companies.

As you will see, many commercial or independent theme companies 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 great WP themes for your blog.

Choosing The Best Themes For Your Website Or Blog

WordPress.org

(WordPress.org – Themes Directory)

The official WordPress theme directory is the biggest and best place to find WP themes for free. In fact, it’s probably the only free directory you should use when looking for free WordPress themes. The reason for this, 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 put your computer, digital presence and even your entire business at risk.

The WordPress.org directory is not only a trustworthy and reputable place to download themes for your site, but it also relies on a team of theme reviewers to review and ensure that each theme uploaded to the directory complies with high quality and security standards.

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

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

Find Themes Inside Your 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 WP admin panel with a few mouse clicks.

Use The WP Theme Feature Filter

WordPress provides a filtering function inside the dashboard 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 predominantly light color design, with a 2-column layout and a full-width template, or themes that support custom menus, etc.

Note: in an earlier article where we present an overview of WordPress themes and discuss the importance of using “responsive” themes, we explained how responsive themes ensure that your theme will display without problems on all devices (e.g. your computer, tablet and smartphone) …

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

… and bring back only themes that have been built using “responsive” design standards …

Pros & Cons Of Using Free WP Themes

The obvious “pro” to using free WordPress themes is that it costs nothing to download and use the theme on your site. Additionally, 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 ”cons” of using free WordPress 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 urgent support, especially if they are not getting paid. Most free 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 well over one year since any changes were made, then think carefully about downloading it, as the theme may have been abandoned by its developer.

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 any money on paid themes or even on custom theme design. Who knows, the theme you downloaded for free could be exactly what 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 how to narrow down your search for themes that meet specific criteria, it’s time to turn our attention to premium WP themes.

Premium 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:

WP Theme Marketplaces

ThemeForest

ThemeForest is one of the largest and well known WP theme directories online.

ThemeForest allows many professional WordPress theme designers to showcase their designs through their online marketplace. There are over 15,000 premium WP themes listed (you can find great themes from as little as $3) …

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

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

• Blog/Magazine – themes for general blogs and administration sites, etc.
• Corporate – themes suitable for medical sites and advertising purposes.
• Creative – themes suitable for portfolios, writing professionals, etc.
• Directory Listings – themes suitable for sites related to employment opportunities, buy & sell, social directories, etc.
• eCommerce – themes for online shopping, membership sites, etc.
• Education – themes that suit sites related to training, etc.
• Entertainment – themes for fashion 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 shops, trades or professionals (plumbers, medical practitioners, etc.)
• Technology – themes related to technology, affiliate marketing, seo, product reviews, direct sales, 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 emails you theme update notifications)

Browse thousands of great premium themes in the ThemeForest directory here:

• ThemeForest

Creative Market

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

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 marketplace, but you can easily browse hundreds of WordPress themes and narrow your search using theme categories from the site’s dropdown “Themes” menu …

Browse through hundreds of great premium themes crafted by independent WP theme developers in the Creative Market themes marketplace here:

• Creative Market

Mojo Themes

(click on the images above to browse 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 WP themes, but you can easily find themes for WordPress and narrow your search with theme categories (e.g. Magazine or Business themes and theme frameworks, etc.) by choosing the dropdown “WordPress Themes” menu …

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

• Mojo

Now that we have looked at WordPress theme directories, let’s turn our attention to commercial WP theme shops.

Commercial Theme Shops

SoloStream

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

(click on images above to browse more SoloStream themes)

Woo Themes

Woo Themes creates functional WP themes and offer a membership option that lets you access their entire WordPress theme portfolio.

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

StoreFront

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

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

StudioPress

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

Many web developers like the Genesis framework not only because it’s well-coded and well-supported (the development team at StudioPress keeps this framework frequently up-to-date to reflect best coding practices and to ensure 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 design.

If this all sounds way 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 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 more themes from StudioPress)

Theme-Checking Tools

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

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

What WordPress Theme Is That.com is a free web tool that allows you to easily detect what WordPress theme a site 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 theme is being used on the site.

Tip: If you don’t know if a site runs on WordPress or not, we have posted a a great tutorial that helps you tell whether or not a website is powered by WordPress: The Easy Way To Tell If Your Web Site Runs On The WordPress CMS Platform

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 a site is powered by the WordPress CMS platform, but it will also list the theme being used on the site and list any WP plugins detected.

• To use the tool visit the website here: What WordPress Theme Is That.com
• To learn how to use this tool go here: Does My Web Site Run On WordPress?

Theme Authenticity Checker (TAC)

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

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

If you are concerned about whether a WordPress theme that you have installed on your site could contain malware or unwanted code, you can use a free WordPress plugin like Theme Authenticity Checker (TAC) to scan your WP theme files. The 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 …

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

I hope that you have found the information on how to find the best free and commercial themes for WordPress useful.

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