Starting a blog with WordPress does not only end once you installed your domain name. While it is tempting to write away and publish your first blog post, it is important to choose a WordPress theme or customize the default one before writing your first post.
Leaving you with two options: a free WordPress theme or a premium WordPress theme?
Free WordPress Themes
Those who are new to blogging temporarily opt for free WordPress themes. This is understandable because you might want to see how dedicated you can be in keeping your site active in the long term before investing in premium or paid themes. You can get these free themes from the WordPress theme repository which you can access by logging on to your WordPress account then clicking Appearance –> Themes –> Install Themes. This page will give you the option to search for a WordPress theme according to colors, number of columns, width, subject and features or by keyword.
Premium or Paid WordPress Themes
The other option when it comes to WordPress themes are premium or paid themes. By starting out with a premium theme, like those from StudioPress, Thesis or Headway, you can avoid changing your theme once your site has already started. In addition, premium themes are usually more search engine optimized, secure and have features that are not usually available in free themes.In addition, most premium themes can be installed in multiple sites or offer memberships where members can access numerous WordPress themes (like those offered by Elegant Themes where you can access 76 premium themes for just $69) so you can also use them when you create more blogs in the future.
Blog Customization
Whether you choose a free or a premium WordPress theme, consider your blog niche, your personal preference, and your readers in selecting a WordPress theme. Choose easy to read fonts and colors that will not make it hard for your readers to read your text. You can also have your blog theme customized to reflect your “brand” prior to officially launching your blog. Customizations usually includes the blog header, badges or logo and favicon – which can also be extended to your social networking pages like Facebook and Twitter.
Do you already have a blog? What theme are you using, a free WordPress theme or a premium one? Care to share your thoughts in the comments section?
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I use one of the free themes offered by WordPress and I am very satisfied with it.
nice to hear that Teresa. there are also lots of free themes which are great. when i started blogging with WordPress, i used one of those free themes too!
paid themes are indeed nice because you can personalize them but they are a little bit pricey, i wish to get one too.
i like premium themes because they are constantly being updated by their developers and really helps a lot in terms of search engine optimization.
I don’t have wp blog but this must be very interesting to those who have it.
thanks joy!
there’s alot of premium looking but free themes out there… all you have to do is to customize it a little bit to fit your and your readers needs (free to use and customize) .. that’s if you don’t really want to pay for a premium theme 🙂
cheers 🙂
as long as the developer keeps their theme updated, free themes are great too. 🙂
Until now I am not sure if the WordPress theme I use is free or premium. It was given to me by my mentor “fedhz” almost 3 years ago. I think I need to ask her about it.
you usually will see them on the footer credits or check if the theme is available in the WordPress themes repository Les.
Premium is always nice but when you started blogging when you don’t earn from it yet, budget is what hinders you to get the premium design.
indeed. that’s one of the reasons why some bloggers start out with free themes (and even free hosting with blogger). i started with Blogger before then when I was already earning from my blogs, I used my income to get me my own domain name, web hosting and eventually, premium themes.
I want premium theme for my blogs but it’s a bit pricey. But I will really get a customize theme for my blogs soon.
i guess that’s just how it goes… some good things come with a price tag, wink!
thanks for sharing, i’d like to try one of their theme. Never tried it yet maybe i should
are you referring to premium themes jheylo? you can just check out their websites to see what they offer. premium themes have their own special features too.
i love wordpress as you can do whatever you want on your site. i also love that headway themes.
you’re right about that Mel. I used to love Headway themes too but now, i am loving Studiopress. 🙂
I have to agree with Lulu…that’s why I always use the free ones.
you’re right dhemz. that’s why i mentioned in the post that some bloggers start out with free themes because they are, well, free. 🙂
How I wish I could afford to get a premium theme. A friend made me a customized blog layout (it’s a birthday gift) using the Genesis and I so love it!
i’m loving Genesis theme too. i’ve been using it in my pre-made templates lately – even on this blog. 🙂
it’s is really nice to have your own customized them for your blog. It gives you a feeling of happiness to have one over the free one, there are lots of spammy theme and maybe harmful to your blog.
indeed, premium themes are more secure because they are constantly updated by their developers to guard against hackers and other security threats (and they do this regularly because they are being paid to do it, lol) unlike free themes where the developers are not compensated.
id been blogging since 2006 and started using wordpress like 2 years ago. up to now i am still using the free themes. i dont want to spend on premium themes. if i want my blog to look more like personal, i just customized its header. but lately.. i feel so lazy to do that, so i just let it be.
that’s nice emzkie. customizing the header is one the easiest way to make your site different from the rest. 🙂
the advantage of premium is more cool features though free themes has it but its only limited.
i agree with you Herbert…
This is good news. I am a blogger user and wp seems to offer a lot but never tried them
(self-hosted) WordPress indeed offers a lot of other features which are not available at Blogger and WordPress (.com) sites…
I would have preferred the premium ones but due to budget constraint, I choose the free ones. There are also nice free ones, right?
of course Che. there are some features that are only available with premium ones but you can sometimes use plug-ins to have these features in your blog.
Ako pala di nakacomment wahhh…I like premium theme but sometimes no budget at all since most of the wordpress themes are expensive…