Now that we've covered a lot of the preliminary steps for setting up our new blog, it's time for the fun stuff! Today we're going to install a new theme.
How the best WordPress themes are built
The best word press themes are built with a 2-part system. There's a framework underneath that gives the site its structure and there's a "skin" (called a Child Theme) which lays on top and gives the site its design.
You might think of the framework as the wooden frame of a house (the lumber & plywood) and the child theme as the exterior material (brick, siding, stucco) which gives it its unique look. You can listen to me blather on about it here if you'd like a visual:
Can't see the video? Watch it here.
The benefits of this 2-part system is that when updates to WordPress are needed, the updates can be made to the underlying framework without touching the child theme on top. If you use a theme that does not have 2 parts, every time you make an update to the bones of WordPress (which is relatively often), you must go back into your theme and re-customize the design as well. It's a bit of a hassle.
So the moral of the story is, use a 2-part theme–an underlying framework and an overlying child theme.
WordPress theme options
Most any WordPress theme you find is customizable. That is, you can make it look however you want. But, this is easier to do with some themes than it is with others.
You have some options here.
If you're doing this yourself, in general, paid-for themes will be easier to work with. Free themes (there are a gazillion of them) require a bit more coding knowledge on your part. A third option is to hire someone to do all the work for you. So, the first decision you have to make is whether or not you have the budget or desire to shell out cash to make your site the way you want it.
Here are the options:
1. DIY free theme
The advantage here, of course is that it's, well, free. I like free. And up until the last couple of years, I never had a budget for my blog so I didn't have an option otherwise. You may not end up with as fancy a site, but there are still some customizations you can make. Believe me, there are plenty of people using free themes for whom it works just fine. I used free themes for years and they worked fine for me. Granted, I spent much of that time learning how to code…
2. DIY paid-for theme
The paid-for theme I recommend is called the Genesis Theme Framework coupled with the Prose child theme. The two together costs about $85. What's nice about this combination is that you have more customization options than a free theme (and many other paid-for themes) which don't require coding knowledge. Of course, you can further customize if you have more advanced coding skills too. Another advantage of Genesis is that the creators know what they're doing and have gone to great lengths to make sure it's clean, runs great and is SEO-optimized. Also, there are countless Genesis resources that will help you along the way.
Update: I just found Elegant Themes (love!). It's also a great option. Read my take here.
3. Going pro
The nice thing about having someone else install and customize your theme, of course, is that you don't have to do it yourself. A fully customized WordPress theme will run you at least $1000. For some, it's a great option. You can find some recommendations for blog designers here.
Getting started with your WordPress theme
The process varies depending on what theme you use of course.
1. DIY free theme
I recommend you use the default theme that is already present when you install WordPress. It's called TwentyEleven and it looks like this (yours might differ slightly):
One minor problem with TwentyEleven is that it does not come with a child theme. I recommend you create one yourself. Here's how to create a child theme for TwentyEleven. Also, here's a brief tour of the TwentyEleven theme.
2. DIY paid-for theme
Like I said, I recommend Genesis. This post walks you through the purchase and installation process. Basically, you'll receive a link to download both the Genesis Theme Framework and your child theme of choice (Prose in this case).
3. Going pro
Just tell your designer what you want and sit back. Simple.
Overall, choosing the right WordPress theme comes down to cost and DIY comfort level. No single situation is right for everyone. I do suggest you not going into debt when you get started. You can always switch themes down the road.
Remember, if you'd like to work faster or slower in this series, don't forget to check out the How to Start a Blog or Website: Cheat Sheet.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
Other posts in this series
- How to Start a Blog or Website: Intro & FAQ
- How to Start a Blog or Website: Cheat Sheet
- How to Find (or Refind) Your Passion
- How to Decide What to Blog About: What Works for Readers?
- How to Decide What to Blog About: What Works for You?
- Understand Branding: 4 Tips
- Understand Keywords: Increase the Odds of Getting Found
- Writing Great Content: 3 Tips
- How to Write a Killer About Page
- 12 Blog Organization Tips
- How to Choose a Domain Name: 12 Tips
- How to Register a Domain Name
- How to Set Up Hosting and WordPress
- How to Change Your Nameservers
- How to Add a New User in WordPress
- How to Optimize Your WordPress Settings
- How to Install a Plugin
- My Favorite Plugins
- How to Get & Optimize a Feedburner Feed
- How to Choose a WordPress Theme
- How to Install a WordPress Theme
- Elegant Themes for WordPress
- How to Install Google Analytics
- How to Use WordPress: Tips & Tricks
- How to Start a Blog or Website: 10 Tips for New Bloggers
I have been using twenty eleven, but I did not create the child theme, is it too late to do so, now that I have been using it for almost a year?
Hi Amy!
Thanks for this video. I am still on blogger, but look forward to the day my blog can "graduate" to a separate account. I am a big fan of Ana White (www.ana-white.com) and I remember her mentioning that she chose Drupal when she crossed over from her blogger account. Can you tell me anything about Drupal? I was just curious if you are familiar with their setup, is it the same as wordpress? I am still very lost at this point, but trying to plan ahead.
I am totally unfamiliar with Drupal…other than I know it exists!
Hi Amy, I've had Genesis, and I found support for the theme i bought was difficult, and of course Genesis is not cheap. I'd recommend ElegantThemes – you should sign as an affiliate for that one Amy. It's $39py, ongoing for affiliates.. and the product is way more better value for money than Genesis. The themes are specacular, and there is nothing you can do on Genesis that you can't do on ET. Just my 2c worth.
Kate
Thanks Kate! Someone else mentioned ElegantThemes. I took a look and definitely like the designs. It's on my to-do list to investigate further and perhaps give it a try.
Amy,
I might have just gotten lucky, but I found several designers who quoted me quite a bit less than 1,000.00 for tweaking an existing Genesis child theme.
Maybe that's a 4th option? I'm sure a fully custom one would be more. Mine is the Blissful child theme for Genesis, but I think my designer gave it a really unique look (at least I love it-lol).
Awesome, Maegen!
Hi Amy! What are your thoughts on themes from themeforest? I like the looks of some of the themes better than the genesis child themes, but was having a hard time understanding child + parent theme in themeforest. It does not seem like the have the parent + child theme options, but they say that updating wordpress will not eliminate any design changes you do to their theme in the functions file. I know you mentioned needing a child theme. Just wondering what your opinion was on themeforest themes? Thanks!
I have never gotten any themes from ThemeForest so I'm afraid I can't speak to them specifically. However, if they specifically state you can update WordPress without having to redo your design, it sounds promising. You might try one on a demo or test site first?
OK- I bought Thesis theme a year ago (before I saw this great site of yours and your recommendations for Genesis!) I exported from blogger, don't yet have a child theme, and love the look of Elegant themes. I'm skipping ahead on the tutorials but basically I'm wanting to create/clean up a brand/hub site where I can branch off into a variety of directions over the years (cause I have too ideas to narrow into one niche well just yet!) Thoughts? So looking forward to working through this- what a fabulous resource Amy!
Not sure what you want my thoughts on.
I like the idea of a hub site to branch out from (that's what I'm doing as well).
I created my site using wp and the theme options were overwhelming!! I finally chose one from inktheme.com and though i had a few qwerks to work around I still liked the use of the theme. Please check it out and give me any feedback!! Thanks!!
Amy,
I noticed you use the Legacy Child Theme, do you find it offers you enough customization options? I was considering Prose, but I could see the Portfolio page as being a nice option from Legacy. How does Legacy compare to prose for Dashboard level customization?
Thanks,
It is very customizable, but it doesn't have the Design Options that Prose does, so you have to have some more experience with CSS and HTML.
Thanks for writing about basics of WordPress Themes. No doubt, Genesis is the top notch theme now a days. Recently I came to know about MyThemeShop, they also have very nice themes including free.