Getting Started with Free Themes
With thousands of free WordPress themes available, and new ones appearing all the time, your challenge is to find the right one for your site. Here are a few things to remember while you explore (also see the nearby sidebar, “Are all WordPress themes free?,” for information about free versus premium themes):
- Free themes are excellent starting places: We encourage first-time WordPress users to find a couple of free themes and use them as starting points for understanding how themes work and what you can do with them. Testing free themes, their layouts, and options helps you identify what you want in a theme.
- You'll switch themes frequently: Typically, You'll find a WordPress theme that you adore and then, a week or two later, You'll find another theme that fits you or your site better. Often, you won't stay with your initial choice. Something new will pop up on your radar screen. Eventually, You'll want to stick with one that fits your needs best and doesn't aggravate visitors because of constant changes.
- You get what you pay for: Although a plethora of free WordPress themes exist, largely, you receive limited or no support for them. Free themes are often a labor of love. The designers have full-time jobs and responsibilities and often release these free projects for fun, passion, and a desire to contribute to the WordPress community. Therefore, you should not expect (or demand) support for these themes. Some designers maintain very active and helpful forums to help users but, often, those are rare. Just be aware that, with free themes, you're on your own.
- Download themes from reputable sources: Themes are essentially pieces of software. Therefore, they can contain things that could be scammy, spammy, or potentially harmful to your site or computer. Therefore, it's vital that you do your homework by reading online reviews and downloading themes from credible, trusted sources. For new users, the best place to find free WordPress themes is the WordPress Free Themes Directory (see Figure 2-1) at http://wordpress.org/extend/themes.
Figure 2-1: The most trusted resource for free themes.
Are all WordPress themes free?
Not all WordPress themes are created equal, and it's important for you, the user, to know the difference between free and premium themes:
- Free: These themes are free, period. You can download and use them on your Web site at absolutely no cost. it's a courtesy to include a link to the designer in the footer of your blog — but you can remove that link if you want to.
- Premium These themes cost money. You usually find premium themes available for download only after you've paid anywhere from $10 to $500. The designer feels that these themes are a cut above the rest and, therefore, are worth the money you spend for them. Generally, you aren't allowed to remove any designer credits that appear in these themes, and you aren't allowed to redistribute the themes. (Note: You won't find premium themes in the WordPress Themes Directory.) We provide information on where to find premium themes at the end of this chapter.
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