What makes your WordPress site “premium” in the eyes of the eyes of its visitors? Is it the colors that pop? Is it a logical and simple user experience? How about the content?
How do you make sure your website’s entire appearance looks cutting edge instead of looking like that old building that the grocery store is in. You know, the one that makes you go to the other grocery store that’s newer, even though it’s the same chain with the same stuff.
Content may or may not be king, but if your site has a poor appearance readers will think twice about staying. Just like with people, first impressions matter when it comes to websites. You’re probably more inclined to trust a person in a nice suit than someone in dirty torn clothes. Think of the theme as your website’s clothes and make sure your website is dressed in a suit and not rags.
Get What You Pay For!
WordPress users have the option of using a free theme or paying for a premium theme. No one likes to pay extra for something they can get for free but getting good traffic means paying a premium at some point. The question is: which is right for your WordPress site?
Paying for a premium theme may not be necessary for your website. Free themes are getting more attractive every year and much will depend on what you hope to accomplish, your budget, and how much technical expertise you have when it comes to code.
A free theme may be perfect for a personal blog or a small business, but if you want to customize your site and make it look unique, a premium theme will make your life much easier.
If budget is your main concern, a quality premium theme will typically set you back anywhere from $35 to $60 dollars. You can buy premium themes from many places but one of the most extensive collections can be found on ThemeForest Portal.
Keep in mind that that the premium themes offer more features and capabilities but having these options will make development more complicated and it may get very confusing for someone with little to no WordPress experience.
What are Themes and Frameworks?
Webmasters must choose between a free or a premium theme but there is also a third option. You can go with a theme framework. The two different products have similar functions in making the appearance of your website. A theme is simply the pattern of appearance of your site. You can pick basic theme and go to work.
A theme framework is the code-based foundation of the site, which is used to simplify the theme development. Modern frameworks consist of “parent” and “child” sub frameworks. The parent theme is a consistent component, which focuses on the site functionality, and the child theme is the sub component, which focuses on customized styling.
What Kind of Frameworks?
Some frameworks are completely drag and drop meaning you can create themes without knowing any code. A few that come to mind are Headway and Ultimatum theme frameworks.
Other frameworks like Thesis and Pagelines are semi-drag and drop, meaning you can create a lot of it with drag and drop but you can add more customization with some coding knowledge.
Finally you have more robust options like Themify and Genesis by StudioPress, which are recommended for users with strong technical knowledge or for experienced theme developers.
Are Frameworks for Me?
Theme frameworks allow for quick and simplified development once you get past the learning curve. If you are new to WordPress and have a small budget, a theme framework is probably overkill and you would probably do just fine with a Premium theme.
If you’ve created websites before, have technical knowledge and want a highly customized website, then you may be want to consider using a theme framework to design a theme rather than purchasing a premium theme and trying to customize that.