Blogging is rapidly gaining its popularity. Many blogging platforms are emerging like mushrooms. But according to research, WordPress is the platform widely used today, aside from the fact that it is free, it has factors that entice search engine robots. Thus, the demand for quality WordPress themes is also increasing.
How do you determine a great theme?
Here are some few suggestions of high-quality themes.
Feel free to check these.
1. Flexx Theme
This is a very amazing theme. It is tagged to be the most powerful theme but easiest to use. The theme offers a lot of customization right into the dashboard. It has built-in SEO features, easy to plug-in graphics and backgrounds and other incredible features that is time efficient.
This blog is built on the Flexx theme.
2. Thesis Theme
This is an incredible theme. It is easy to use, customizable, SEO-optimized and very flexible. Worried about coding? Worry no more because this theme has an option panel that allows you to command with ease. It has a revolutionary layout generator for column layout combinations and a pinpoint font controls for font variation. This theme would be a great investment and worth every penny.
3. Magazine News Premium WP Themes
This theme is specially made for a site that has a lot of content. It is widget-ready, adsense-ready and plugin ready. The bonus is it has Free Install Support and Free Updates forever.
4. Thick Premium WP
This theme is available as 2-for-1. Meaning Buy 1 and getting 1 COMPLETELY FREE! You can choose from a variety of clean and grunge themes or light and dark themes. It has widgetized spaces for a bunch of customized widgets. Plus it has two alternative headers for you to play with.
5. Geometric Premium WP
This theme is a hybrid of blog + portfolio theme. It has a custom home page that is fully widgetized. You also have the choice to interchange left and right sidebar. It is great for it has a space to publish all your social profiles so that you can easily link to your friends.
6. Convergence Premium WP
This theme is best for your community site. It has exemplary features that will suit your need. It is integrated with Feedburner, it is sidebar- widget ready and it is compatible to all major browsers.
7. Mimbo Pro Premium WP
This theme has a first class HTML and CSS that is making an edge to all the themes out there. It is already optimized for search engines so you don’t have to hire SEO gurus to the job. It also includes a comprehensive control panel for editing and updating the theme without touching the code. It is also equipped with WP-125 plugin for random captcha in the contact page.
8. Running an online magazine or corporate site? This is the ultimate solution for you! It auto-thumbnail your old posts so you don’t have to do the time-consuming manual thumbnail.
9. Sofa Pressword
This is a very clean theme. It is 3- column and widget ready. Best thing is it is packed with two Flash plugins- RSS Reader and RSS Forecast and also two ready-made advertising PHP pages included: ‘advertSidebar_narrow.php’ and ‘advertSidebar_wide.php’ for your banner needs.
10. Executive 1.0 Premium WordPress Theme
Executive is an elegant business theme. The theme is packed with 4 custom page layout options, the ability to display images or video on the homepage, built in SEO for posts/pages a theme options panel and more.
NewsWire is a CNN inspired news / magazine theme. The theme includes a backend control panel, auto-sized thumbnails, advertising management options and more unique and awesome functionalities.
What’s your favorite premium theme?
Andrew is a website builder and helps small businesses with their on-line presence…so they can grow their customer list and increase sales. That’s it! That’s what we do each and every day.
I have the Thesis theme and I’m really enjoying it. However, users should be aware that they *might* have to do some (simple) CSS coding for simple tasks such as adding a background-header to your site. The Thesis forum has several threads from users “complaining” that they actually have to do more coding than that they salespitch seems to claim.
However – the new version 1.6 beta eliminates some of the need for doing your own coding, so I’m sure it will get better in the future. But even with that said, it’s so easy to find tutorials, tips & tricks and there’s a really helpful support forum also.
Klaus,
Your are right to get the best from the Thesis theme, there is a lot of coding required. It’s a great theme but if you are not that technical, I would advise you either buy it and outsource the technical bits or buy a more user-friendly theme like Flexx.
Andrew
From my own professional design standpoint – How do you determine a great theme?
1. Theme support (a biggie)
2. Theme design is easy to modify (headers, logos, and other graphical elements should be easy to add/install)
3. Theme code is readily accessible (no hidden costs or hoops to jump through)
Hey Doug,
Thanks for dropping by!
You are so right, the support is the biggie for me as well. If you get stuck you want help straight away, don’t you?
I know the support for Flexx and Thesis is excellent.
Andrew
I don’t know much about premium themes, so this will be really useful to me in the upcoming weeks when I’ll be starting two blogs.
Thanks for the post.
Debbie
I hope they make a difference and good luck in your new bloggging journeys.
Andrew
I finally got the Thesis theme for my site and so far it’s been an enjoyable experience. The only trouble is trying to find the help for the tweaks I want to do. I have even inquired of a couple Thesis designers to help me, whom I would end up having to pay for their services.
.-= Doug C.´s last blog ..Talent to Get the Job Done =-.
I know of a great Thesis expert – let me know if you are interested.
Andrew
Thesis Rocks, of course! I am so happy I made the switch back in August, even though I am relatively new to blogging. I was using Thematic before that (a free theme). I know Thesis, as mentioned by another commenter, does require that you still do some coding, but the forum is amazing. The support from the staff is incredible and nearly instantaneous. Well worth it and I’d put it as # 1 :)!
Farnoosh,
Thanks for giving your opinion – nice to hear from someone who has used Thesis. I have a great techie friend who loves it.
Andrew
I like WP-Ellie. This is a stylish magazine style premium WordPress theme. The theme includes multiple options for homepage layouts. Hence, it can be used as a magazine site, business, or even a personal blog style site.
I’m disappointed that you didn’t listed Magazine3, I’m using them for my blogs & for clients. Customer support team is great.
Hi Andrew, I’m looking for a new theme and I’m prepared to buy a premium theme, but less than $100.
I wonder if there is any reason why you don’t recommend Genesis framework + Theme – I think you have to buy both but the price is similar to others.
Flexibility, color choices and good support are essential because I’m currently only at the check box level of ‘add or don’t add’, and color picker stage.
I’ve come to the conclusion that Genesis is more likely to be ‘my level’ of CSS knowledge, than Thesis.
But now I see that you don’t include Genesis in your recommendations. Is there a reason, and do you agree that I should go for Genesis over Thesis?
Carolm
At the time of writing this post, I had not used Genesis.
If I were to update the post, I would certainly include Genesis, WooThemes and Headway.
And…genesis would be better for you than Thesis based upon your comment.
Andrew