So, you’ve set up your content management system (cms). I’m going to assume you’ve chosen WordPress but this post applies to any cms. For WordPress you can view your site on “www.domainname.com” (OK maybe not .com but you get the idea). To log in to the site and visit behind the scenes, go to “www.domainname.com/wp-login.php” or click on the link on the page you see with the first url.
The real headache starts here. Choosing a theme. Why do you need a theme? It determines the look of the site. You can do anything with a basic theme if you understand html, css and php. Your website designer will and if you pay them a small fortune they might be able to come up with something that exactly matches your requirements.
The chances are you can spend your money on better things and so you and your designer need to choose a theme. Most people’s experience is they have a website with massive functionality and once they lay a theme on top, whilst the functionality is still there, it’s a bit like painting your entrance hall through the letter box.
Theme descriptions are often not brilliant and omit to tell you something really important which you discover only once you download the theme. This is OK if it is a free theme but if you’ve paid for it, it can be frustrating. Why pay for a premium theme? Here are some reasons to consider it (they are usually not terrifically expensive):
- They enable you to change more things than free themes allow. Of course this is a matter of degree. Some free themes allow you to change more things than others and some premium themes can be really frustrating.
- Apparently premium themes allow you more plug-ins. I suspect this is a fairly marginal issue these days.
- Some premium themes offer more security and help with seo. I like the Genesis themes from StudioPress and usually recommend them to my clients.
If the look of the site is really important and funds are limited, you need a designer who knows something about themes. If it’s not so crucial, choose one you like (or agree with your designer) and crack on with it. Life is too short to mess about.
Can you recommend good WordPress themes? Why do you like them? What do you find most frustrating about theme descriptions?
