Whether you are a beginning webmaster or a seasoned blogger, WordPress is one of the most user-friendly web publishing platforms. It’s easy to learn the basics of the WordPress dashboard, and there are a host of themes to choose from, in getting your blog or site up and running. The learning process is ongoing, as themes and plugins are continually being developed. The customization of WordPress sites is easier than ever.
The selection of free WordPress themes is vast, and with so many choices, it might seem wasteful to spend money on a premium theme. After all, searches for free themes can be refined to specific interests, whether they are based on color, column number, or season. However, conduct a visual survey of the multitude of themes, and you may begin to notice a great deal of similarity from one to the next. While some deviate, the majority of free themes include the same organizational structure, with titles, page listings, and sidebars located in similar places.
As a beginner with WordPress, similarity in style is an excellent tool for learning the platform. It’s helpful to have the freedom to try different placements of columns, different images in headers and different colors in backgrounds. It’s also helpful to experience the problems that can arise when the site doesn’t function correctly. This may be one of the greatest catalysts which will lead you to consider paying for a premium WordPress theme.
Paid themes are plentiful, and pricing can range from a few dollars to hundreds, depending on the licensing selected. Sites such as Themeforest allow browsers to see hundreds of high quality, premium themes. Single user licensing will generally remain below $100. There are a number of advantages in selecting a premium theme. Looking through galleries of premium theme choices, the difference is visually obvious. A greater diversity of designs are available, especially where the use of images is concerned. While the basic navigation of most free themes is similar, premium choices vary greatly. Graphics and imagery are used in unique and attractive ways, making the premium WordPress theme stand out. Visually attractive websites are advantageous, as this is an important factor in keeping a visitor to your site from quickly leaving. With the vague similarity from one free theme to the next, investing a few dollars in a premium theme may provide the fresh and unique quality that will allow your site to stand out.
Plugins are important elements of the WordPress platform. These elements can be installed in order to provide certain assessments, assistance, or features to use with your site. Stat measurement plugins provide an overview of traffic and interaction on your site. SEO plugins assist you in making sure that the content on your site is suited to attracting search engine traffic. Interactive plugins may provide social media buttons for interaction, polls, or calendars. With a free theme, you may have to guess at which plugins are compatible, and which won’t work well. On the other hand, with most premium themes, you will have the availability of support in conjunction with your purchase. You will be able to review customer commentary on how a given theme functions, and can find ascertain which plugins are particularly well suited to the theme you wish to purchase.
With greater emphasis on creative use of photos in so many premium themes, many of them include some of the best WordPress gallery plugins that are developed, in order to allow for ease of use. Galleries allow for varied photos to appear in a pre-selected order, or randomly. They also allow for varied display sizes. Selection of a premium theme allows for a more targeted selection of gallery plugins, and others. Use of a free theme will often be an exercise in guessing and checking.
Whatever your level of experience with WordPress, you will find that free themes are abundant, but that they can also be frustrating. Investment in a free theme does not carry an excessive cost, but does provide valuable tools and designs. The premium theme can eliminate much of the frustration that a free theme often causes.
Mark Daoust is the owner of Quiet Light Brokerage, an Internet brokerage firm helping website owners sell their profitable websites.