In previous chapters, I cover how to use the WordPress platform to publish your posts and pages. In those chapters, you discover how to categorize your posts, build your link lists, and set the publishing and profile options in the WordPress Dashboard. In this chapter, I focus on the visual look and format of your blog — in other words, how other people see your blog after you start publishing your content.
In Chapter 10, I introduce WordPress plugins and discuss some of the thousands of free plugins you can use to add functionality to your blog. Similarly, thousands of free themes are available for you to download and use. This chapter shows you where to find them and takes you through the processes of downloading, installing, and using them.
WordPress comes packaged with one very useful default theme called Twenty Ten (named after the year it was first released in version 3.0 of WordPress). Most bloggers who use WordPress usually don't waste any time at all in finding a theme that they like better than the default WordPress theme. The Twenty Ten theme is meant to get you started. While you're not limited to the default theme, it's a very functional theme for a basic blog. Feel free to use it to get you started on your way.
Free WordPress themes, such as those I discuss in Chapter 18, are popular because of their appealing designs and their ease of installation and use. They're great tools to use when you launch your new blog, and if you dabble a bit in graphic design and CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), you can customize one of the free WordPress themes to fit your own needs. (See Chapter 13 for some resources and tools for templates and template tags, as well as a few great CSS references.) Also see the nearby sidebar "Are all WordPress themes free?" for information about free versus premium themes.
By using free themes, you can have your blog up and running with a new design — without the help of a professional — pretty fast. And with thousands of themes available, you can change your theme as often as you want. Chapter 15 presents information on hiring blog professionals, if you decide later that you want a more customized theme for your blog.
Finding the theme that fits you best may take some time, but with thousands available, you'll eventually find one that suits you. Trying out several free themes is like trying on different "outfits" for your blog. You can change outfits as needed until you find just the right theme.
In July 2008, WordPress launched the official WordPress Free Themes Directory at http://wordpress.org/extend/themes (see Figure 11-1).
Note
The WordPress Theme Directory isn't the only place on the Web to find free WordPress themes, but it's the place to find the most functional and safe themes available. Safe themes contain clean code and basic WordPress functions that are considered fundamental requirements in a theme to ensure that your WordPress blog functions with the minimum requirements. The WordPress.org Web site lists the basic requirements that theme designers have to meet before their theme is accepted into the themes directory; you can find that listing of requirements at http://wordpress.org/extend/themes/about.
Warning
Unsafe themes, on the other hand, are developed by people who are looking to take advantage of the blog owners who use them. These particular themes are not allowed in the official WordPress Free Themes Directory. They contain elements such as the following:
Spam links: These links usually appear in the footer of the theme and can link to some pretty unsavory places. The designers of these themes hope to benefit from traffic from your site. They count on the idea that most blog owners won't notice the links or know how to remove them.
Malicious code: Unscrupulous theme designers can, and do, place code in theme files that inserts hidden malware and/or virus links and spam. Sometimes, you see a line or two of encrypted code that looks like it's just part of the theme code, and unless you have a great deal of knowledge of PHP, you may not know that the theme is infected with dangerous code.
The results of these unsafe theme elements can range from simply annoying to downright dangerous, affecting the integrity and security of your computer and/or hosting account. For this reason, the official WordPress Theme Directory is considered to be a safe place from which to download free themes. WordPress designers develop these themes and upload them to the theme directory, and each theme gets vetted by the folks behind the WordPress platform. In the official directory, themes that contain unsafe elements are simply not allowed to play.
Tip
My strong recommendation for finding free themes is to stick with the official WordPress Theme Directory. That way, you know you're getting a clean, quality theme for your blog. You can rest assured that themes from the official directory are safe, and free of spam and malicious code.
While you're visiting the WordPress Theme Directory, you can easily browse the various themes by using the following features:
Search: Type a keyword in the Search box at the top of the page (refer to Figure 11-1) and then click the Search Themes button. A new page opens, displaying themes related to the keyword you searched for.
Featured Themes: These themes are listed in the center of the themes directory, randomly. WordPress changes the featured themes listing regularly.
Most Popular: These themes have been downloaded most often.
Newest Themes: These themes are the latest to be added to the directory.
Recently Updated: These themes have been updated most recently by their designers.
When you find a theme in the directory that you want to take a closer look at, click its name to open a page that describes that theme (see Figure 11-2):
To download the theme you want, follow these steps:
Click the Download button on the theme page (refer to Figure 11-2).
The theme files are compressed in a
.zipfile.Use your favorite decompression program to unpack the files to your own computer.
Connect to your Web server via FTP, and upload the entire theme folder to the
/wp-content/themes/directory of your Web server.The left side of Figure 11-3 shows that I saved the Hybrid theme files on my computer. The right side of Figure 11-3 shows that I uploaded the Hybrid theme folder to the
/wp-content/themes/directory of my Web server (read more about the Hybrid theme by Justin Tadlock in Chapter 16).
When you have the theme uploaded to your Web server, you can activate it by logging in to your WordPress Dashboard and following these simple steps:
The Manage Themes page opens, listing all the themes currently installed in your
themesdirectory. The active theme is shown in the Current Theme section at the top of the page. All available themes you may have uploaded to your Web server are shown in the Available Themes section (see Figure 11-4).Tip
Available themes appear on the Manage Themes page in alphabetical order. If you have a lot of themes in your
themesdirectory, they're displayed ten on a page, with Next and Previous links to help you navigate all the themes available for your blog.Click the name or thumbnail image of the theme you want to use.
A preview window opens, showing you what your blog will look like with this new theme applied (see Figure 11-5).
Click the Activate Theme link.
This link, located in the top-right corner of the preview window, is labeled with the theme name. Figure 11-5 shows an Activate Hybrid link, because that's the name of the theme I want to use.
WordPress applies the theme you chose to your blog.
Earlier in this chapter, I covered how to find and install a new theme on your WordPress blog by downloading them from the WordPress Free Themes Directory, uploading them to your Web server via FTP and activating the theme within your WordPress Dashboard. The WordPress platform does give you a much easier way to browse the Free Themes Directory to find, preview, and install themes on your site without ever leaving the comfort of the WordPress Dashboard. The following steps show you how to do it:
Click the Themes link in the Appearances menu in your WordPress Dashboard.
The Install Themes page opens, where you can find a new theme by browsing the Free WordPress Themes Directory directly from your WordPress Dashboard.
Click the Install Themes tab at the top of the Manage Themes page.
This opens the Install Themes page.
Search for a new theme.
On the Install Themes page you can search for a new theme by keyword, author, or tag. You can also further filter the results by using the Feature Filter check boxes that allow you to filter theme results by color, columns, width, features, and subjects. The Install Themes page is shown in Figure 11-6.
Preview a new theme.
After searching for a new theme, the search results page displays a list of themes for you to choose from. Click the Preview link underneath the theme of your choice to view a sample of how the theme looks. Figure 11-7 shows a preview of a theme called Blossom, which I found by searching for the keyword Pink on the Install Themes page.
Install a new theme on your blog.
After you've found a theme you like, click the Install link underneath the theme name to install the theme on your blog. This pops open a new window with a button labeled Install New — click that button to complete the installation.
Activate the new theme.
After you click the Install New button, the pop-up window closes, and the Installing theme page appears in your WordPress Dashboard. Click the Activate link shown on the Installing Theme page to activate and display the new theme on your site.
Note
At the beginning of this chapter, I mentioned that the only themes found in the official WordPress Free Themes Directory are free and have been vetted by the WordPress folks, so are sure to be free of any virus or malicious code. The same holds true for the themes you find by using the Add New Themes feature in your WordPress Dashboard. This feature hooks into the official WordPress Free Themes directory, so you are sure to find only those themes that are free and safe.
As WordPress becomes more and more popular, I've seen many different business models crop up around the Web that focus on providing WordPress users with premium services and support, such as custom design, consulting, and development, for example. (See Chapter 15 for information on hiring professional services for your blog.)
Premium WordPress themes have become a very popular way for talented designers to provide a service they are very passionate about (designing themes) while making a little money for their efforts, at the same time. There are many schools of thought as to what makes a theme premium as opposed to a free theme. Actually, the topic of what is considered premium and what is not, in regards to WordPress themes, is guaranteed to spark passionate debate among designers and theme users, alike. Almost everyone agrees there are indicators of premium themes, however:
Very high-quality graphic design and CSS development.
A theme structure with functions that make it very easy for the user to customize and adjust the theme to suit their own needs. This includes, but is not limited to, altering the header graphic/logo and color scheme and changing images and icons.
Comprehensive documentation, providing the user with extensive instructions on how to use the theme, especially if the theme has multiple features and customization options.
Premium themes are fully supported by the designer who created them. Typically, when you buy a premium theme, you should expect full support on the use of that theme for as long as you're using it.
Premium themes are not free. I've seen pricing on premium themes in the range of $10 to $500.
Note
This is not to say that some free themes don't have some, or all, the features I just listed — it's just that, for the most part, they don't. Keep in mind that just because a designer calls a theme premium doesn't mean that the theme has passed through any kind of official quality review. One designer's view of what constitutes a premium theme can, and will, differ from the next.
Tip
Fully investigate any theme before you put money down on it. Some things to check out before you pay:
E-mail the designer who is selling the premium theme and ask about a support policy.
Find people who have purchased the theme and contact them to find out their experiences with the theme and the designer.
Carefully read any terms that the designer has published on his site to find out any restrictions that exist with licensing.
If the premium theme designer has a support forum, ask whether you can browse through the forum to find out how actively the designer answers questions and provides support. Are users waiting weeks to get their questions answered? Or does the designer seem to be on top of support requests?
Do a search in Google for the theme and the designer. Often, users of premium themes post about their experiences with the theme and the designer. You can find out a lot of positive, and potentially, negative information about the theme and the designer before you buy it.
While premium themes are cropping up all over the Web, a handful really stand out with quality products and services. The following three premium themes are tried and true, with a very stable and successful following of clients who use them.
iThemes: Cory Miller and his team of designers and code wranglers provide a total of 30 premium themes available for purchase, with prices ranging from $79.95 to $199.95 each. You can also purchase an all-in-one package that includes all themes for $499.95. All theme purchases at iThemes include full support on the use of the theme(s) for the lifetime of your membership at iThemes. The iThemes premium themes can be found at
http://ithemes.com.StudioPress: Created by long-time WordPress user, expert and veteran, Brian Gardner, StudioPress offers a variety of high-quality premium WordPress themes that you are able to purchase with a starting price of $59.95 — you may also purchase an all-inclusive themes package starting at $249.95. Theme purchases at StudioPress include a complete support package with access to a support forum staffed by people who are ready to assist you with your most burning questions. You can find StudioPress, and browse through its premium theme offerings at
http://studiopress.com.Theme Garden: Jason Schuller is the creative genius behind the Theme Garden and is a nicely inexpensive option for those looking for quality, premium WordPress themes. You can purchase a subscription starting at $50 for three months. Annual theme subscriptions cost $100–$275. Theme subscriptions provide you with access to any theme on Theme Garden, as well as access to newly released themes for the duration membership. Find the Theme Garden at
http://themegarden.com.
Tip
You can't find, preview, or install Premium Themes using the Add New Themes feature on your WordPress Dashboard (covered in the previous section of this chapter). You can only find, purchase, and download Premium themes at an official third-party Web site. Once you find a premium theme you like, you need to install it via the FTP method I cover in the "Downloading themes" section in this chapter. You can find a very nice selection of premium themes on the WordPress Web site: http://wordpress.org/extend/themes/commercial.