Have you ever tried to choose a WordPress theme? There are so many options, especially free ones, that the decision can feel quite hard. If you upgrade to paid themes, the choice seems harder. After all, you don’t want to pay for something that isn’t the best choice for your site or that you can’t make work.
To help you decide on the best premium theme for your site, today Todd Worley (@ToddWorleybc), a blogger, online entrepreneur and Internet marketer, explains the do’s and don’ts of theme choice.
Choosing the right premium or paid theme can seem difficult. There are many options and they all cost money. But there’s more to a theme than just the design element or price. You must keep in mind certain do’s and don’ts when purchasing a theme, especially if you are planning on using your website as a home business or a way to build author platform or blog a book.
First, let’s go over the don’ts when it comes to choosing the best WordPress Themes.
Don’ts
1. Don’t Use Free Themes.
If you are looking to make money online or have products that you are trying to sell, then don’t use a free theme.
Free themes can lack functionality, and most are ugly and off-putting to your visitors.
Plus, (depending on where you get the theme) some themes can have hidden links inside of them that damage your SEO.
2. Don’t Pick Dark Colored Themes.
Statistically speaking, light themes receive a much better response than dark themes.
Problogger.net did a study and 47% of people preferred light themes over dark themes. Personally, I think this is a psychological response; we have become naturally guarded and distrusting of anything dark.
Nonetheless, if you are trying to make money online, promote books, or build an author platform, you don’t want a theme that automatically losses visitors’ trust before they even start to read your content, let alone make a purchase!
3. Don’t Purchase Themes on Look Alone.
Often, companies set up themes just for the demo. The company, of course, is trying to make you purchase their theme, so they make their demo look awesome. You must make sure the theme functions the way that you want as well.
Do’s
1. Always Demo the Theme Thoroughly.
The best WordPress themes always have a DEMO button where you can personally go through the theme and see what it has to offer.
2. Make Sure the Font is Easy To Read.
All themes offer different fonts and styles. Make sure you choose a theme that uses a font that is easy to read.
Some of the best WordPress themes have dark fonts on a white background. This helps to make it easier for people read your content.
Avoid colored fonts. One in 12 men and 1 in 200 women around the world are colorblind. In Britain alone there are approximately 2.7 million colorblind people.
3. Examine Every Menu Option in the DEMO.
The menu options of a theme demo offer many options that you are want to consider before purchasing.
Make sure you go through the menu (just like a normal website) and see what the theme truly has to offer. Some information you will find in the menu options are: FAQ, theme setting, how the theme was intended to be used, and so on.
4. Make Sure the Theme Company has a Great Reputation.
The best WordPress themes comes from the best companies.
Themes can actually break (not work with WordPress anymore) if they are not updated with the latest security and WordPress configurations. By purchasing a theme from a well-established company you know your theme will work well because they are updated regularly.
5. Contact the Company and Ask Questions Before Purchasing a Theme.
Make sure you have all the information about a theme.
A lot of companies will gladly answer any question about a theme before you make your purchase. It is always a good idea to contact that company and ask if it will function the way that you want.
Facts About The Best WordPress Themes
One thing that a lot of theme companies don’t tell you upfront is that the theme in the DEMO presentation does not come fully setup like the theme demo they have displayed.
After you purchase a theme you will be directed to a page where you can access what they call the Theme Documentation.
This documentation has instructions on how they managed to get the theme to look the way it did in the demo. Sometimes the setup of that theme can be complicated (especially to a beginner), and you might be disappointed with the theme that you purchased because you can not set it up exactly like you saw in the demo.
Contact the company to make sure that setup of the theme is something that you know how to do on your own.
Where To Get The Best WordPress Themes
A lot of people think that WordPress is the best (and only) place to get themes. I disagree. While WordPress does offer some really awesome themes, they are not the only place to get high-quality themes.
In fact, I have found other theme developer companies to be even better than WordPress when it comes to purchasing high-quality themes. With these companies, you can purchase the best WordPress themes that money can buy.
Here is a list of established companies that truly have the best WordPress themes:
- StudioPress.com is a great theme developer and my number one recommendation to get high-quality themes. StudioPress themes work on a child and parent theme setup.This setup can be a little expensive at first, but it is well worth it if you want your website to be around for years to come. The Genesis Framework (parent theme) is $60 and a must for a first-time buyer.After that, they have a selection of child themes that are $40-$60 dollars depending on which theme you choose. The Genesis framework is a one time purchase that works with any of the StudioPress child themes.
- ThemeForest.net is a great place to get some really high-quality themes if you are on a tighter budget. Themeforest has a great selection of themes that won’t break your bank account.Some of these themes are as cheap as $12, but I would recommend getting a theme that is $30 or above for functionality purposes.
- ElegantThemes.com is a great place to purchase beautiful themes for your website. What I really like about ElegantThemes is how much information they give about the theme right up front.ElegantThemes does an annual membership payment where you can pay for a Personal Plan ($69 per year), Developer Plan ($89 per year) or Lifetime Access ($249 one time fee). Developer and Lifetime Access plans also gives you access to their plugins as well.
- ThriveThemes.com is another membership plan based company where you can get access to all of their themes and plugins.While their selection is not as extensive as the other companies mentioned above (only 10 themes or so), the themes they do have are really high-quality and have great built in functionality.They too do a membership plan. individual plans ($19/month, paid annually) or web designers plans ($49/month, paid annually)
These are the best places to get the highest-quality WordPress themes that money can buy! All of these companies are well-established and provide superb theme designs that are always WordPress compliant.
About the Author
Todd Worley, an online entrepreneur and Internet marketer, is known as the disabled blogger. His goal is to help anyone online learn more about blogging and earning income from their websiteCheck him out at toddworley.com.
Todd lives in the beautiful green state of Oregon with his beautiful wife and three lovely children.
Theme selection play the most important role in your blogging. If you select the right and attractive theme then you can definatlly get more visitor to your blog.
And here author giving the best information about how to choose the best wordpress theme.
Thanks for sharing Todd Worley.
Glad you agree and found the post useful! Todd is awesome.